Celebrating a decade of success in China

Starting from a humble office in Shanghai, Brunel China have now expanded our presence to nine cities across the country, providing support to specialists nationwide.

2023 has been an exceptional year for Brunel in China. The organisation is not only celebrating a decade of operating in the country, but can also boast multiple awards, the expansion of its operations to nine provinces, and a record specialist headcount. In light of Brunel’s remarkable achievements in China, last month the region played host to Brunel International CEO Jilko Andringa, who visited the team to touch base and congratulate them on their ongoing success.

When Brunel opened its Shanghai office in late 2012, the event marked not only the organisation’s first brick and mortar presence in mainland China, but also its first real commitment to servicing the country.

Now, a little over 10 years later, Brunel’s presence in China has blossomed to incorporate nine entities represented by offices in Shanghai, Dalian, Hong Kong, Nantong, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and most recently Tianjin and Yantai. Today, Brunel China supports over 400 specialists, employing and supporting both nationals and expatriates while working closely with clients, government and industry to ensure the compliance and effectiveness of its services.

Brunel China Country Manager John Spackman says the organisation’s success has come over time as the result of long-term planning and a commitment to doing business in what is, in many respects, a unique market.

Our current performance and ability to service China didn’t happen overnight – they are very much the fruition of a long-term strategy aimed at progressively building our infrastructure in the country,

John Spackman, Brunel China Country Manager

“From an outside perspective, it is very easy to underestimate the complexity of operating in China. Building a footprint of registered entities and physical offices across key Chinese provinces has been a multi-faceted necessity. It has been essential for maintaining compliance with Chinese employment regulation and has also provided invaluable insight into the local market, allowing us to effectively engage with workers and clients in each of these locations.”

In China, Brunel provides a range of support services to clients across the Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy and Life Sciences industries. These services include a variety of global mobility solutions aimed at effectively deploying clients’ specialist staff from other regions, recruiting local Chinese and bilingual talent, and offering on-the-ground client support for project delivery.

Our fundamental objective is to simplify the demanding business landscape for our clients and make their operations in China as smooth as possible.

While the race to success in China has been a marathon rather than a sprint, Brunel has proven itself capable of going the distance, winning recognition through both Shanghai and Jing'an district awards in the past 12 months.

We were extremely proud to have been named one of Jing'an district’s top 200 contributing enterprises in 2022, as well as an honourable runner-up in the 2023 DaWo Law Firm Shanghai Best Team Award.

John Spackman, Brunel China Country Manager

“After an incredibly difficult year, through the pandemic and close to 10 years of building Brunel in China, it was great to be recognised for our hard work and exceptional performance. It’s a real testament to our team's hard work and dedication to driving positive impact for our clients and specialists in China.”

With China’s appetite for large-scale projects and its manufacturing showing no sign of slowing, it’s a safe bet that the country will continue to be an outstanding performer for Brunel.