牛津MBA校友分享:将中国品牌推向全球市场的前线,我做对了这些事

当很多企业整装待发，制定“出海”策略时，需要考虑哪些重要因素？是什么能力，使全球顶尖的商业领袖成功带领中国企业走向国际市场？

2017-18届牛津MBA毕业生、畅销书《出海36法则》作者雷凌，基于他领导京东中国品牌出海部的成功经验，分享了从牛津校园走到全球市场前线的历程与收获。

原文作者：雷凌是牛津大学赛德商学院MBA校友，现为京东中国品牌出海部全球负责人。此前，雷凌曾任京东欧洲业务区域CEO，致力于全球化战略与跨境供应链构筑。他荣登福布斯全球华人精英榜单，并著有畅销书《出海36法则》。

八年前，我从牛津赛德商学院毕业。那时的我，没有资源，没有光环，只有一个笃定的信念——中国企业终将走向世界，而我希望参与那个进程。

八年后，作为全球化管理者，我站在了中国企业出海全球市场的前线。

这八年，并不是一条直线。我也曾被下放到仓储一线，每天配送包裹，在最基础的履约环节里重新理解商业的真实；也曾在低谷中反复怀疑自己，甚至一度觉得愧对牛津的教育。但正是在这些阶段里，我重塑了对商业系统的理解。

后来，我担任京东欧洲业务区域CEO。京东是一家拥有近百万员工、万亿级年收入的中国零售科技巨头。我负责带领团队从零搭建本地供应链体系，完成公司在欧洲市场的首次规模化落地。那是一场关于结构、耐心与系统能力的长期战役。

而今天，我担任京东全球中国品牌出海业务的总负责人，站在一个更大的命题前——如何构建一个高质量、可持续、具有全球竞争力的中国品牌供应链体系。

这不只是业务拓展。这是产业结构的升级。

过去八年，我从牛津的学生，走到全球业务前线；从仓储一线重新出发，到进入福布斯全球华人精英榜单；从实践者，到畅销书《出海36法则》的作者。

外界看到的是头衔与结果。但每一次低谷后的重启，每一次从失败中翻盘，都至关重要。而其背后都有一条更深的线索——牛津赋予我的，面对复杂世界和问题时的结构能力。

不是情绪化地冲刺，而是在混乱中拆解变量；不是盲目自信，而是在不确定中设计机制。

真正让我走到今天的，不是运气。而是八年前，在牛津种下的那套底层思维，在时间中的复利。

01. 牛津给我的，不是文凭，而是底层系统

在牛津，我第一次真正系统化地理解“复杂”。

战略课上，教授逼我们拆解假设；金融课上，每一个数字都必须有逻辑支撑；组织行为课上，我们讨论权力与结构如何塑造决策。那时我并不知道，这些训练会成为未来最重要的基石。

几年后，当我负责京东欧洲业务，在疫情高峰期搭建本地化供应链体系，在复杂监管环境下推动品牌落地时，我所依赖的，并不是激情，也不是经验，而是结构。 

结构化思考，让我在混乱中保持清醒。对变量的拆解能力，让我在不确定中找到路径。牛津没有教我如何赢一场战役，它教会我如何设计一个系统。

02. 全球化，不是扩张，而是理解

在牛津课堂上，我第一次真正体会到多元文化的张力：不同国家的同学，基于完全不同的前提讨论同一个问题。我们争论的往往不是方案，而是价值观。那种碰撞让我意识到，全球化不是复制成功，而是重构规则。

后来，当我需要管理多达30多个国家的员工，全面负责中国品牌出海战略时，我更加清楚了这一点。我们不是简单卖货，我们是在重构信任、重构供应链、重构合作逻辑。 

真正的全球竞争，不在价格，而在系统。这种视角，来自牛津。 

如果有人问我：MBA是否值得？我不会简单回答“值得”。我会说——它改变了我与复杂世界交手的方式。

雷凌

京东国际副总裁

中国品牌出海部全球负责人

03. 领导力的重塑：从给答案，到管理复杂

在企业环境中，领导者被期待给出方向。但在牛津，我第一次意识到： 真正成熟的领导力，不是确定性，而是管理不确定。

一次课堂讨论中，一位挪威的同学问我： “如果你的前提是错的呢？” 这个问题不复杂，却改变了我处理复杂问题的方式。

多年以后，当我在全球市场面对政策波动、竞争压力与供应链风险时，我反复问自己：我的假设是否稳固？哪些变量正在改变？如果环境逆转，我是否有机制应对？

牛津让我明白：真正强大的领导者，不是最自信的人，而是最能驾驭复杂性的人。   

04. 八年的复利

从学生到区域CEO，再到今天负责全球中国品牌出海战略，我经历了两次不同层级的挑战：从0到1，建立一个区域系统；从1到N，升级一个全球体系。

外界看到的是角色的变化。我看到的，是底层思维的复利。

结构思考，让我在战略层面占据主动。全球视角，让我在文化冲突中保持稳定。对复杂性的耐心，让我在高压环境下做出理性决策。

这不是偶然。这是八年前，在牛津打下的能力底盘，在时间中的放大。   

05. 回望与前行

如果有人问我：MBA是否值得？我不会简单回答“值得”。我会说——它改变了我与复杂世界交手的方式。

八年前，我带着理想离开牛津。八年后，我必须为全球化系统负责。

牛津不仅给了我舞台，也给了我构建舞台的能力。真正的全球化，不只是企业的扩张，更是一个人认知结构的进化。

而这一切，始于牛津。  

As companies draw up their globalisation strategies and get ready for the international markets, what are the key factors that they need to cover? What skills and abilities enable global business leaders to successfully bring Chinese companies to the world?

Ling Lei, Oxford MBA graduate from Class of 2017-18, author of the bestselling book The 36 Rules of Going Global, shares his insights and learnings from his role as the Global Head of Chinese Brand Globalization at JD.com.

About the author: Ling Lei is an Oxford MBA alumnus and Global Head of Chinese Brand Expansion at JD.com. Formerly Regional CEO for JD.com Europe, he focuses on globalisation strategy and cross-border supply chain systems. He is a Forbes-recognised global Chinese leader and the bestselling author of The 36 Rules of Going Global.

Eight years ago, I graduated from The University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. At the time, I had no resources, no title, no spotlight - only a conviction. I believed that Chinese companies would one day compete on the global stage, and I wanted to be part of that journey. 

Eight years later, as a global executive, I find myself on the frontlines of Chinese companies expanding into international markets. 

But these eight years were anything but linear. There was a time when I was reassigned to warehouse operations, delivering parcels every day. In the most basic fulfilment tasks, I began to understand what business really looks like on the ground. There were also moments of deep doubt — times when I questioned myself and even felt I had let my Oxford education down. And yet, it was precisely during those periods that I rebuilt my understanding of how business systems truly work. 

Later, I became Regional CEO for Europe at JD.com, one of China’s largest retail technology companies, with close to a million employees and annual revenues in the trillions of Renminbi. I led the team in building our local supply chain infrastructure from scratch and oversaw the company’s first large-scale operational launch in Europe. It was not a short campaign. It was a long battle about structure, patience, and systems capability. 

Today, I serve as Global Head of Chinese Brand Expansion at JD.com. I now stand before an even larger question: How do we build a high-quality, sustainable, globally competitive supply chain system for Chinese brands? 

This is not just about expanding business. It is about upgrading an industry structure.  

Over the past eight years, I moved from being an Oxford student to operating at the frontlines of global business; from restarting at the warehouse floor to being recognised among Forbes’ global Chinese leaders; from practitioner to author of the bestselling book The 36 Rules of Going Global. 

People often see the titles and the outcomes. But what truly mattered were the resets after each setback - the quiet rebuilding after every failure. Behind each turning point was something deeper: Oxford gave me the ability to think structurally in the face of complexity. 

Not emotional sprints, but breaking variables down in the middle of chaos. Not blind confidence, but designing mechanisms under uncertainty. 

What brought me here was not luck. It was the compounding effect of a way of thinking planted eight years ago in Oxford.

01. What oxford gave me was not a degree, but a system

At Oxford, I learned to understand complexity in a structured way for the first time. 

In strategy classes, professors forced us to challenge our assumptions. In finance, every number had to be justified. In organisational behaviour, we explored how power and structure quietly shape decisions. At the time, I did not realise that this training would become the foundation of everything that followed. 

Years later, when I was building a localised supply chain during the height of the pandemic in Europe, navigating complex regulatory environments, I did not rely on passion or experience alone. I relied on structure. 

Structured thinking kept me calm in chaos. Breaking down variables helped me find direction in uncertainty. Oxford did not teach me how to win a battle. It taught me how to design a system.  

02. Globalisation is not  expansion, it is understanding

In the classroom, I experienced real cultural friction for the first time. Students from different countries approached the same issue from entirely different assumptions. We were not debating tactics; we were debating values. That tension reshaped my thinking. Globalisation is not copying what worked at home. It is about rebuilding rules in a new context. 

Later, when I was managing teams across more than 30 countries and overseeing global strategy for Chinese brand expansion, this became even clearer. We were not simply selling products. We were rebuilding trust. Rebuilding supply chains. Rebuilding partnership logic. 

True global competition is not about price. It is about systems. That perspective began at Oxford.

If someone asks whether an MBA is worth it, I would not simply say yes. I would say it changed how I engage with complexity.

Ling Lei

Vice President, JD International

Global Head of Chinese Brand Globalization

03. Leadership: from providing answers to managing complexity 

In corporate environments, leaders are expected to provide clarity. But at Oxford, I realised something different: mature leadership is not about certainty — it is about managing uncertainty. 

During one class discussion, a Norwegian classmate asked me: “What if your assumption is wrong?” It was a simple question. But it fundamentally changed how I approach complex decisions. 

Years later, when facing regulatory shifts, competitive pressure, and supply chain risk in global markets, I kept returning to that mindset: Are my assumptions solid? Which variables are shifting? If conditions reverse, do we have mechanisms in place? 

Oxford taught me this: Strong leaders are not the most confident ones. They are the ones most capable of navigating complexity.   

04. Eight years of compounding 

From student to regional CEO, and now to leading global expansion strategy, I have faced two very different levels of challenge: From 0 to 1 - building a regional system; from 1 to N - upgrading a global one. 

Externally, the roles changed. Internally, what compounded was mindset. 

Structured thinking gave me strategic clarity. Global perspective gave me stability amid cultural tension. Respect for complexity gave me patience under pressure. 

This was not accidental. It was the amplification, over time, of foundations built eight years ago at Oxford.   

05. Looking back, moving forward 

If someone asks whether an MBA is worth it, I would not simply say yes. I would say it changed how I engage with complexity. 

Eight years ago, I left Oxford with ambition. Eight years later, I carry responsibility for global systems. 

Oxford did not simply give me a stage. It gave me the ability to build one. Globalisation is not only about companies expanding. It is about the evolution of how we think. 

And for me, it began at Oxford.