Dong Mingzhu

Dong Mingzhu — founder profiled in the Chinese Founder Ledger — is documented as follows: widowed at 36, she left her young son with his grandmother, moved to Guangdong, and joined Gree's predecessor company as an air-conditioner saleswoman in 1990, rising to president by 2001 and chairwoman by 2012, building Gree from an air-conditioner maker into a conglomerate spanning smart equipment, industrial robots, and new energy. The profile is grounded in the 2 sources indexed for this founder.

Dong Mingzhu's role is documented as: chairwoman of the Board, Gree Electric Appliances; stepped down as President in April 2025, with Zhang Wei taking over that role Confirmed re-elected to a fifth three-year term as chairwoman as of April 23, 2025, while stepping down as president in favor of Zhang Wei, per Yicai Global (research date: 2026-08-23).

As of the April 2025 Yicai report, under Dong's 13 years as chairwoman (and 35 total years at the company), Gree had transformed from an air-conditioner maker into a conglomerate spanning smart equipment, industrial robots, and new energy, with annual revenue exceeding CNY 200 billion (approximately USD 27.4 billion).

In April 2025, Dong was re-elected to a fifth three-year term as chairwoman but stepped down as president, handing that role to 49-year-old Zhang Wei, who had joined Gree in 1999; Dong stated in a prior February television interview that three to four potential successors had been identified and were being rotated through roles to assess suitability.

Following Gree's 2019 mixed-ownership reform, the company no longer has a controlling shareholder; its largest stakeholder is a Hillhouse Capital-managed investment fund with a 16% stake, while Dong herself holds 1.8% and is the sixth-largest owner, with influence extending beyond her direct equity stake.

Stepped down as Gree's president in April 2025 while remaining chairwoman, handing the president role to Zhang Wei as part of a management rejuvenation effort, after having identified and rotated several potential successors through various roles.

Dong began her fifth three-year term as chairwoman in April 2025 while Zhang Wei took over as president, with succession planning ongoing.

Dong was widowed at age 36 with a three-year-old son; she left the boy with his grandmother, quit her government chemistry-lab administrative job, and moved to Guangdong province (settling in Zhuhai), joining Haley (Gree's predecessor) as an air-conditioner saleswoman.

Sent to a poor province, Anhui, Dong produced one-eighth of Gree's annual sales in her early sales role, which caught the attention of Gree's first general manager Zhu Jianghong; she rose to head of sales by 1994, deputy president by 1996, president by 2001 (per Yicai, 2007), and chairwoman by 2012.