Wei Christianson (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Sun; born August 21, 1956) is a Chinese-American businesswoman and lawyer, former CEO of Morgan Stanley's China operations and Co-CEO of its Asia Pacific division.

Early life and education

Wei Sun Christianson was born on 21 August 1956 to a

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

officer father and doctor mother as part of the Frontier Generation from China's

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

. She grew up in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

as the youngest of four daughters. She took the Gao Kao in 1978 and was accepted by the

Beijing Language and Culture University } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

, with the intention of learning English and working as a translator for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. Encouraged by her

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

professor Randle Edwards, Christianson applied to a dozen liberal arts colleges in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 1983 she transferred to

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

and became its first student from mainland China to study in the United States, following China's re-opening to the Western world in the early 1980s. She graduated ''cum laude'' with a B.A. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

in 1985. She continued her studies in

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

, receiving her J.D. degree in

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

in 1989, and meeting her future husband Jon Christianson.

Career

Following Columbia Law School, Wei Christianson worked as an attorney in the New York offices of

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Orrick is an international law firm founded in San Francisco, California. The firm advises on transactions, litigation and regulatory matters for venture-backed companies, public companies, E&I funds, financial institutions and governments. Histo ...

. After moving to Hong Kong in 1992, she attained a position as Associate Director in the Corporate Finance Department at the

Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong is the independent statutory body charged with regulating the securities and futures markets in Hong Kong. The SFC is responsible for fostering an orderly securities and futures market ...

(SFC) where she was responsible for drafting the regulatory structure that would enable the companies of People's Republic of China to be listed outside China. Christianson joined

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...

in 1998, where she was an executive director, Beijing chief representative, and a senior team member of its Resources, Power and Transportation Group, where she met her mentor John Mack. When Mack was ousted from Morgan Stanley in 2002, Christianson followed him to

Credit Suisse Credit Suisse Group AG is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, it maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world and is one of the nine global " ...

First Boston, where he held positions as a managing director, chairman, and country manager. After that, Christianson joined Citigroup as a managing director and chairman of China,

Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking ...

Global Markets (Asia) Ltd., where she was responsible for the securities and investment banking businesses in China. Since returning to Morgan Stanley in 2006, she had been the chief executive officer for China. Christianson has led

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...

s of

Sinopec China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (中国石油化工股份有限公司) or Sinopec (), is a Chinese oil and gas enterprise based in Beijing. It is listed in Hong Kong and also trades in Shanghai. Sinopec Limited's parent, Sinopec Gr ...

China Life China Life Insurance Company Limited (short China Life, ) is a Beijing-headquartered China-incorporated company that provides life insurance and annuity In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals.Kellison, Step ...

and SMIC, and oversaw the $4.2 billion acquisition of Gas Kazakhstan by

CNPC The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) () is a major national oil and gas corporation of China and one of the largest integrated energy groups in the world. Its headquarters are in Dongcheng District, Beijing. CNPC was ranked fourth ...

. Christianson retired from Morgan Stanley in 2022.

Personal life

Christianson is married to American Jon L. Christianson, a retired former partner of

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is an American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1948, the firm consistently ranks among the top U.S. law firms by revenue. The company is known for its wor ...

in its Corporate Department in Beijing.https://www.skadden.com/professionals/c/christianson-jon-l They have three sons, Erik ('14), Neil ('17), and Nicholas ('19). She lives with her family in Beijing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christianson, Wei 1956 births Living people Amherst College alumni Columbia Law School alumni American people of Chinese descent Members of Committee of 100 Morgan Stanley people Women corporate executives Women in finance Businesspeople from Beijing Chinese women chief executives 20th-century Chinese businesswomen 20th-century Chinese businesspeople 21st-century Chinese businesswomen 21st-century Chinese businesspeople Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe people