A Case Study in Family Business Succession

Through Kolon Sport, Descente and Arc’teryx, the second generation of the Ding family has already begun attracting attention on the global stage.

 

On October 16, Amer Sports, the parent company of Arc’teryx and Salomon, filed a notice with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announcing the appointment of Ding Shaoxiang, born in 1995, to its board of directors, effective immediately.

 

Ding Shaoxiang is the son of Anta Group chairman Ding Shizhong. He currently serves as chairman of Descente (China) Co., Ltd. and oversees the group’s women’s activewear brand Maia Active.

 

 

On the same day, Amer Sports director Tak Yan (Dennis) Tao resigned. The filing stated that Tao had no disagreements with the company over its operations, management policies or accounting practices during his tenure, indicating a routine departure. Meanwhile, Lin Wei, vice president of Anta Group, was appointed to the board’s compensation committee.

 

The changes did not affect Amer Sports’ day-to-day management team. Rather, Ding Shaoxiang’s appointment marks the formal entry of a second-generation member of Anta’s founding family into the core governance structure of the U.S.-listed company. It also gives Anta-affiliated directors 6 of the 11 seats on the Amer Sports board.

 

Notably, Amer Sports announced another significant leadership appointment on October 19. Atomic and Armada, 2 of its winter sports equipment brands, will appoint Michael Absmaier, currently Atomic’s chief financial officer and vice president of business development, as president of both brands. He will also join Amer Sports’ global leadership team, with the appointment taking effect on January 1, 2027.

 

Taken together, the 2 appointments point to a broader strategy: Anta Group and the Ding family are continuing to reshape the group’s governance structure, advance its global strategy and strengthen the family’s influence.

 

Over the past decade, Anta Group has expanded through acquisitions and joint ventures, bringing international sportswear brands including Fila, Descente, Kolon Sport, Arc’teryx and Salomon into its portfolio.

 

At the same time, the group has gradually introduced the next generation of the founding family into leadership roles across key brands. Ding Shaoxiang oversees Descente; Ding Sirong, the son of Ding Shijia, Ding Shizhong’s elder brother, leads Kolon Sport; and Ding Siqing, Ding Shizhong’s daughter, is responsible for Anta Group’s investment business.

 

By assigning family members to different businesses according to their capabilities, the Ding family has sought to avoid internal friction while allowing each brand to pursue more focused development within its respective segment.

 

Now, Ding Shaoxiang, the most publicly visible member of the family’s second generation, is joining the board of Amer Sports, whose portfolio includes Arc’teryx, Salomon and Wilson. The move further strengthens the Ding family’s influence across Anta Group’s extensive operations.

 

According to public information, Ding Shaoxiang was born in 1995 and joined Anta Group in 2015. Early in his career, he rotated through the group’s retail stores, supply chain operations and other departments before moving into the Descente business.

 

He subsequently rose to become chairman of Descente (China) Co., Ltd., taking overall responsibility for the brand’s strategy, product development, retail management and channel expansion across Greater China.

 

In 2016, Anta Group established a joint venture in China with Japan’s Descente and Itochu Corporation. At the time, Descente had relatively modest annual sales in China and a limited store network.

 

Under Ding Shaoxiang’s leadership, the brand pursued a different strategy from Fila. It built its identity around 3 professional sports — skiing, golf and triathlon — while extending its sports technology, performance fabrics and design language into everyday settings, including urban commuting.

 

On the retail side, Descente prioritized directly operated stores in premium shopping malls, using specialized sports experiences and membership communities to broaden its customer base.

 

In 2025, Descente China’s annual retail sales exceeded 10 billion yuan (about $1.41 billion) for the first time, making it the third brand within Anta Group, after Anta and Fila, to reach that milestone.

 

In a decade, Descente evolved from a specialist sportswear brand with a limited presence in China into a major pillar of Anta’s premium brand portfolio.

 

 

As Descente expanded, Ding Shaoxiang’s responsibilities began to extend beyond a single brand.

 

Earlier this year, Anta Group placed the operations of Maia Active, the women’s activewear brand in which it acquired a controlling stake in 2023, under his management.

 

Unlike Descente, which has already established a mature operating model, Maia Active is still adjusting its brand positioning, distribution network and operational efficiency. For Ding Shaoxiang, it represents a new management challenge.

 

His appointment to the Amer Sports board now requires another shift in perspective: from overseeing Descente’s China business to participating in the governance of a global brand portfolio that includes Arc’teryx, Salomon and Atomic.

 

There are substantial differences between Amer Sports and Descente China. The former is a publicly listed company with global investors, independent directors and an international management team. While managing Descente China primarily tests a leader’s ability to operate a brand, governance at Amer Sports involves more complex questions of corporate oversight, capital allocation and long-term strategy.

 

Ding Shaoxiang must now make the transition from managing a brand with annual retail sales exceeding 10 billion yuan to helping govern an international group generating more than $6.5 billion in annual revenue.

 

However, Amer Sports’ October 16 filing covered only the board appointment and changes to the compensation committee. It did not announce any role for Ding Shaoxiang in day-to-day operations or disclose new plans for cooperation among the group’s brands.

 

Whether he will eventually take on greater responsibilities in the global strategies or China operations of Arc’teryx, Salomon and other brands remains to be seen.

 

What, then, can Ding Shaoxiang bring to Amer Sports?

 

For now, his most obvious contribution may be the operating model he has developed at Descente China, combining premium retail experiences, marketing to affluent consumer communities and commercially successful products.

 

That approach could potentially be applied to Amer Sports’ brands in China and, more broadly, to the development of its direct-to-consumer business.

 

Although Amer Sports is a global company headquartered in Europe, China has become one of its strongest growth engines.

 

Having a second-generation Anta executive directly represented on the board could bring a closer understanding of the Chinese market into the company’s highest level of decision-making, while shortening the decision-making process and accelerating the implementation of global strategies across Greater China.

 

The other members of the Ding family offer another perspective on this succession strategy.

 

Born in 1992, Ding Sirong is the son of Anta Group vice chairman Ding Shijia. He currently oversees the China operations of South Korean outdoor brand Kolon Sport.

 

Unlike Descente, which emphasizes specialist sports such as skiing and golf, Kolon Sport focuses more on the intersection of outdoor performance and urban lifestyles.

 

Its products are developed around activities including camping, hiking and city commuting, while its retail experiences, outdoor events and community initiatives help expand its consumer base.

 

 

In 2025, Kolon Sport China’s retail sales exceeded 6 billion yuan (about $845 million), an increase of approximately 70%, making it one of Anta Group’s faster-growing brands in recent years.

 

In the first half of 2026, the group’s “All Other Brands” segment, which includes Kolon Sport, generated revenue of 10.691 billion yuan (about $1.51 billion), up 44.2% year on year. Operating profit increased 43.9% to 3.54 billion yuan (about $499 million), maintaining strong growth momentum.

 

The 2 second-generation members of the Ding family, 3 years apart in age, now oversee premium sportswear brands with distinct positioning. Both have delivered measurable business results.

 

Although it may be premature to discuss who will eventually succeed Ding Shizhong, both have become important figures to watch in Anta’s generational transition.

 

Understanding the complexity of that transition requires a closer look at the Ding family behind Anta Group.

 

Anta’s story began in Jinjiang, Fujian province, where Ding Hemu founded the brand in 1991. Over time, the family established a relatively stable division of responsibilities. Ding Shizhong primarily handled sales, brand building and external expansion, while his elder brother Ding Shijia focused on manufacturing and supply chain operations.

 

Lai Shixian, the husband of their younger sister Ding Yali, joined the group in 2003 and gradually became involved in financial management, brand operations and other functions.

 

Today, the Ding family continues to exert significant influence over Anta Group’s management and ownership structure.

 

Ding Shizhong serves as chairman, Ding Shijia as vice chairman, and Lai Shixian and Wu Yonghua, who has worked for the group for more than 2 decades, serve as co-chief executives.

 

As Anta Group’s business portfolio has expanded, its management structure has gradually moved beyond that of a traditional family-run enterprise.

 

In addition to its 2 co-chief executives, the group employs several executives with international sportswear industry experience.

 

For example, Zheng Jie, who previously worked at Adidas, joined Anta Group in 2008 and has long been involved in managing international brands and overseas operations. He currently serves as chief executive officer of Amer Sports.

 

In 2023, Anta Group made a significant leadership change.

 

Ding Shizhong stepped down as group chief executive while remaining chairman, handing day-to-day management responsibilities to co-chief executives Lai Shixian and Wu Yonghua.

 

The move further distinguished the board’s strategic decision-making responsibilities from the management team’s operational duties.

 

Viewed alongside the leadership change at Atomic, these developments reveal a relatively clear strategy behind Anta’s management of its extensive portfolio: Anta leads strategic capital decisions, brand operations retain their European expertise, and Anta Group provides support for retail operations in China.

 

Ding Shaoxiang’s appointment gives Anta-affiliated directors a majority of seats on the Amer Sports board.

 

This not only reinforces Anta’s decisive influence over the company’s strategic direction but also suggests that Amer Sports’ future global strategy will remain aligned with Anta Group’s approach of focusing on sportswear, developing multiple brands and expanding globally.

 

Meanwhile, Atomic’s decision to appoint Michael Absmaier, an executive developed within the business, as president reflects respect for the specialist expertise of Amer Sports’ brands and their established European management teams.

 

Anta has therefore gradually developed a governance structure that combines family control with professional management.

 

The founding family maintains its influence through shareholdings and board representation, while professional management teams oversee operations across different markets and brands. Second-generation family members gain experience in specific operating roles before gradually assuming broader responsibilities.

 

This means that succession at Anta is not simply a matter of transferring authority from father to son. It requires a new division of responsibilities among family members, professional executives and the governance structures of publicly listed companies.

 

Ding Shaoxiang’s appointment to the Amer Sports board comes after the international sportswear group completed its listing and entered another phase of growth.

 

Amer Sports maintained its growth momentum in 2026.

 

According to its latest half-year financial report, revenue reached $3.578 billion in the first 6 months, up 32.1% year on year. Net income attributable to shareholders rose approximately 77.9% to $272 million. Second-quarter revenue reached $1.633 billion, up 32.1%, while net income attributable to shareholders was approximately $107 million.

 

By business segment, revenue from Technical Apparel, which includes Arc’teryx, reached $1.559 billion in the first half of 2026, an increase of 33%. Outdoor Performance, which includes Salomon, generated $1.282 billion in revenue, up 40%, while Ball & Racquet Sports, represented by Wilson, recorded revenue of $737 million, an increase of 18.8%.

 

Greater China remained a key growth market for Amer Sports. Revenue in the region reached $1.201 billion in the first half of 2026, up 40.2%, accounting for approximately 33.6% of the group’s total revenue.

 

During the same period, the group’s direct-to-consumer revenue increased 42.4% to $1.898 billion, representing 53.1% of total revenue.

 

 

The continued growth also signals a new phase in Anta’s investment in Amer Sports. The initial priorities were completing the acquisition, integrating the business and improving profitability. Now, with a broader base of international investors, the group must continue to address how to balance the independent development of its brands, capital investment and long-term shareholder returns.

 

The division of responsibilities between the 2 generations of the Ding family has changed considerably.

 

Ding Shizhong and Ding Shijia divided their responsibilities between sales and manufacturing. Ding Shaoxiang and Ding Sirong, by contrast, oversee Descente and Kolon Sport, respectively.

 

The first generation built the group primarily through manufacturing, distribution, brand development and acquisitions. The second generation is establishing its credentials through specialist brand management within a business that has already expanded globally, while beginning to participate in higher levels of corporate governance.

 

Yet Anta’s extensive family relationships, relatively concentrated ownership structure and long-established system of professional management mean that this generational transition is unlikely to be as straightforward as succession in a traditional family business.

 

Under the management arrangements disclosed so far, both Ding Shaoxiang and Ding Sirong have assumed significant operating responsibilities, while the Ding family behind Anta Group has continued to expand its influence.

 

How the group’s governance structure will evolve, and how responsibilities will be further divided between family members and professional executives, will depend on the company’s development needs and future formal appointments.

 

What is clear, at least for now, is that the second generation of the Ding family is no longer defined simply by its relationship to the founders.

 

Its members are gradually becoming active participants in Anta’s operations and corporate governance, occupying increasingly complex positions within the group.

 

This combination of international governance and generational succession inevitably invites comparisons with the succession plans of the Arnault family behind French luxury conglomerate LVMH, a process that has attracted considerable speculation and public attention.

 

Bernard Arnault has gradually placed his 5 children in senior positions across brands and businesses including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Tiffany & Co. and Tag Heuer.

 

By giving the next generation responsibility for managing individual brands within their respective areas, he has sought to develop their experience while ultimately building an exceptionally strong structure of global family control.

 

The Ding family behind Anta, rooted in southern Fujian, represents a different version of this approach, one shaped more distinctly by local business traditions and commercial pragmatism.

 

In the business culture and clan-based governance traditions of southern Fujian, there has long been an informal understanding that family members divide responsibilities while remaining united in pursuing common interests.

 

After the first generation of entrepreneurs built an extensive business through manufacturing advantages and strategic acquisitions, the second generation of the Ding family has avoided the internal succession disputes often associated with traditional family enterprises.

 

Instead, its members have focused on developing distinct businesses such as Descente and Kolon Sport, establishing their individual standing through measurable operating results.

 

Ding Shaoxiang’s entry into the Amer Sports board is a reflection of this approach to family succession rooted in southern Fujian’s business culture.

 

From a shoe factory in Jinjiang to a global sportswear business listed in both Hong Kong and New York, Anta has evolved from a family-founded enterprise into an international multibrand group.

 

With Ding Shaoxiang joining the Amer Sports board, the Ding family’s succession story is now extending beyond brand management in China and into international capital markets.

 

For the second generation, growing an individual brand is no longer the only test. The more significant challenge ahead will be learning how to participate in governing a sportswear group with numerous international brands and a complex ownership structure.