Meet the ‘godfather’ of China’s smartphone industry
- Duan Yongping is the founder and chairman of Dongguan-based BBK Electronics Corp
- Privately held BBK is behind smartphone brands Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus and Realme
Over a span of about 10 years, Chinese smartphone brands have not only topped sales in their home market, but also outshone major foreign rivals in many emerging and developed economies.
The success of four of those brands – Oppo and Vivo as well as recently established OnePlus and Realme – can be directly attributed to the guiding hand and investment savvy of reclusive Chinese billionaire entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Duan Yongping.
He is the founder and chairman of privately held BBK Electronics Corp, a 24-year-old company based in the southern coastal city of Dongguan that now runs one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated electronics supply chains behind the production of a range of smartphones for the global market.
Duan, who will turn 58 years old next month, is widely regarded as the “godfather” of the Chinese smartphone industry for developing two brands, Oppo and Vivo, as large global players competing against the likes of Samsung Electronics, Apple, LG Electronics and mainland rival Huawei Technologies. OnePlus and Realme, which are backed by BBK and other investors, look to be the next big Chinese brands to conquer international markets.
Attempts to reach Duan and BBK were unsuccessful. The Chinese billionaire, who was interviewed by Bloomberg in 2017, was identified last year as an early investor in Pinduoduo, China’s third largest e-commerce company, which was founded by his friend and protégé Colin Huang Zheng. Duan’s net worth was estimated at 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion), according to the 2018 Hurun China Rich List.