Zhang Yong on Corporate Governance

Zhang Yong's role is documented as: founder and Chairman of Haidilao; resumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in a leadership shake-up announced late January 13, 2026 Confirmed per Caixin Global's January 14, 2026 report that Zhang 'has resumed his role as chief executive officer,' with the change announced late the prior day, January 13, 2026 (research date: 2026-08-23).

At the time of Zhang's return, Haidilao's revenue from non-hot pot restaurants had risen 227% year-over-year to 597 million yuan, but total revenue fell 3.7% to 20.7 billion yuan and net profit dropped 13.7%; the company reduced its store count by 21 to 1,322 and added only three franchised outlets in early 2025, reflecting cautious expansion amid a cooling Chinese dining sector.

As of the reported figures, Haidilao's non-hot pot revenue had grown sharply (227% year-over-year to 597 million yuan) even as total revenue and net profit both declined and store count contracted slightly, indicating the diversification strategy was underway but overall turnaround results were not yet resolved as of the report.