Richard Burn
Biography
Richard Burn was HM Trade Commissioner for China, and leads the Department for International Trade (DIT) in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao.
His professional career has been focused on helping businesses of all sizes generate commercial value through improved market access, particularly in China.
He has over 30 years’ experience and in-depth knowledge of:
- working with government
- public affairs, market access, and investment consultancy in China
- Asia Pacific corporate relations
- the trade, tax, and regulatory issues affecting highly regulated businesses in several sectors
From 1989 to 1999 he managed Batey-Burn, the China investment consultancy he co-founded, until its sale to APCO Asia, where he remained as Managing Director until 2005. Across both roles he helped companies in a range of sectors, including services, invest over US$1 billion in China.
At Diageo he:
- built the corporate relations capability in 17 markets across Asia Pacific
- negotiated Diageo’s £200 million acquisition of a Chinese White Spirits business in Chengdu
- lead Diageo’s global public policy team after moving to London in 2014