Rouse names new Deputy CEO and market lead for China

24 August 2022 – Leading intellectual property (IP) services business Rouse has made two changes to its senior team, promoting Linda Chang to the role of Deputy CEO and elevating Hatty Cui to head of its China business.

The promotions follow the recent appointment of Paul Raleigh as Chairperson.

Linda steps up into the role of Deputy CEO after overseeing Rouse’s operations since 2010. She is a legal and IP expert and strategist, regularly helping clients to navigate IP complexities and advising on IP strategies and commercialisation in China. She has particularly specialised in solving complex trademark disputes.

In her new role, she will join the global leadership team at Rouse’s headquarters in London. She will continue to work closely with clients, advising European and other global businesses wishing to expand in the Chinese market.

Hatty currently leads the Trademarks Group in China and will continue as the head of this service stream while also taking on the role of China General Manager. She has been with Rouse for more than ten years and has helped to grow the firm’s China trademarks business significantly in this time. As a US qualified lawyer, she has vast experience representing some of Rouse’s biggest international clients in diverse industries on matters concerning trademark acquisition, portfolio management, prosecution and enforcement. She is known for her excellent customer care and has helped to ensure that Rouse consistently delivers a premium service for clients.

Luke Minford, Chief Executive of Rouse, says:

“Rouse was one of the first IP firms to enter the Chinese market in 1993 and China remains a hugely important part of our business and growth plans today. Linda has unparalleled knowledge of IP legislation, strategies and issues in China, and we are delighted that, with her appointment to the role of Deputy CEO, she will be joining the team at headquarters, bringing this invaluable expertise to our global business decision-making and sharing it with our many clients seeking to enter China.

“Our country teams navigate challenging market complexities on behalf of local and international clients on a daily basis. For this reason, we find that local or long-embedded talent, who know the country’s IP landscape inside out, can be extremely valuable in senior management positions. With more than 20 years’ experience practicing IP law and her expert understanding of the IP landscape there, Hatty was a natural choice to replace Linda as head of our China business.

“Both Linda and Hatty are extremely talented and this is something we always seek to reward and develop at Rouse, giving our employees the opportunity to grow in different parts of our business. I know they will continue to be excellent leaders in our business and I look forward to working with them in their new roles.”

Linda Chang, Deputy CEO, says:

“This is an exciting new journey in my career path with Rouse. I’ve witnessed the firm’s fast growth in China in the past 20 years. Now, with our strategic expansion plan in service capabilities and geographic regions, we’re expecting its growth in the next 3-5 years to be phenomenal. I am very excited about the promising future of the firm and being a part of this next chapter.”

Hatty Cui, General Manager of China, says:

“We are so proud of our capabilities of providing integrated services to our clients to meet their changing needs. I’m looking forward to working side by side with our excellent teams across service lines to continue to deliver high quality services to our clients and help them to safeguard their IP assets and keep competitive advantage in the marketplace. I am confident that we will continue to be the real standout global player in IP.”