Asia-Pacific Power List 2025: Yabin He, McDonald's

Yabin He

Yabin He
Chief growth officer
McDonald's China
China
New member 

Yabin He’s debut on the 2025 Power List highlights his transformative leadership as chief growth officer at McDonald’s China, where he has redefined brand growth in one of the world’s most competitive markets. Since stepping into the role in 2023, He has embedded McDonald’s deeply into the lives of Chinese consumers by building passionate fandoms, investing in culturally resonant storytelling, and pioneering data-driven loyalty innovation.

Under He’s stewardship, the creation of ‘Maimen', one of China’s most fervent fan communities, has united over one million McDonald’s enthusiasts around the brand’s 'Inner Child' ethos, fuelling vibrant user-generated content and organic brand advocacy. His emotionally compelling campaigns have owned key cultural moments like Children’s Day and Chinese New Year, with initiatives such as 麦麦对讲机 (McTalkie), 绝区零 (an IP collaboration), and 祝你今年金拱门 (A Blessing of Golden Arches) generating billions of impressions and cementing McDonald’s as a culturally relevant icon in modern China.

Yabin has also architected China’s largest closed-loop membership ecosystem, boasting over 200 million annual active members. Through integrated gamification, paid subscriptions, and rewards, this loyalty platform drives a self-sustaining growth flywheel, with more than 70% of sales coming from members and repeat purchase rates far exceeding industry benchmarks. These strategic pillars have delivered double-digit compound annual growth rates over the past two years, outperforming market averages despite economic headwinds, while boosting brand awareness (+9 points), Top of Mind (+4 points), and Brand Liking (+3 points).

His approach blends data-driven agility with enduring brand storytelling, modernising McDonald’s digital media operations through advanced customer data platforms (CDPs) and data management platforms (DMPs). This has closed the digital gap with competitors and transformed private domain operations into a core strength, enabling McDonald’s to sharpen its competitive edge against both global giants and local players.

An influential thinker and industry advocate, He has shared his expertise widely, delivering a 2-hour masterclass on customer-centric brand growth at Hundun University that garnered 400,000 views and a 4.7 rating. His viral interview challenging short-term ROI-focused marketing sparked critical industry debates on sustainable investment priorities, while his keynote at GDMS introduced fresh insights on leveraging 'fan truth' to drive brand relevance and engagement.

With plans to expand McDonald’s footprint to over 10,000 outlets in mainland China by 2028, his influence on the brand and the broader APAC marketing landscape is set to grow. His work stands as a strong example of modern marketing leadership that is innovative, impactful, and inspiring.