Few leaders can keep pace and navigate the vessel in a world where change comes before rules. One such unique gift on the international car market is Fang Liu, Former Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at ZEEKR. Her relentless push in breaking new ground sometimes with little map to chart her course is what characterizes her more than titles or deals.
Her influence goes far beyond the silos of law. She is creating innovative legal and compliance structures for several of the globe’s most revolutionary EV makers, such as NIO and ZEEKR. They are not merely leading a technological revolution; they are transforming mobility norms, and she is at the forefront, ensuring each innovation is supported by legal acumen.
She has devoted her career to transforming complexity into possibility, from the credibility of academic rigor, the nuance of cross-cultural fluency, and the unyielding persistence that characterizes her. She has always placed legal strategy at the center of corporate innovation-from record-breaking IPOs on the NYSE to governance models that are redefining the involvement of customers.
But it is her leadership style based on clarity, collaboration, commitment and strong sense of purpose that most sets her apart. By combining visionary insight with management competence and encouraging others to meet challenges with understanding and integrity, she is leading by example rather than by giving orders.
Fang Liu is exemplifying the kind of leadership that the future requires in an era where the stakes are high and the pace is relentless: one that is adaptable, values-driven, bravely innovative and people centric.
Breaking New Ground: The Academic Pioneer
Liu’s journey began in 1997 when she graduated from Renmin (People’s) University of China, but what happened next would set the tone for a career defined by first achievements. She became the first graduate from her university to pass the LSAT and secure admission to a US Juris Doctor program, an adventure that required not just academic excellence but extraordinary courage to venture into uncharted territory.
The three years that followed were a masterclass in resilience. Battling significant linguistic barriers and financial hardship,
Liu didn’t just survive the rigorous American legal education system – she thrived. To support herself, she juggled four concurrent part-time jobs while maintaining her academic performance, a testament to the work ethic that would later drive her professional success.
Her perseverance paid off in 2000 with two pivotal achievements: graduating with a special scholarship and passing the New York State Bar Examination. Liu described this as the most crucial milestone in her academic journey, though it was merely the beginning of an extraordinary career trajectory.
Building Legal Expertise Across Continents
Liu’s early career at a medium-sized New York law firm provided her with foundational skills in international trade, real property, and intellectual property matters. However, her ambitions extended far beyond routine legal practice. She envisioned herself at the center of large-scale, complex crossborder transactions where her unique cultural fluency could bridge international divides.
This vision led her back to China, where she secured opportunities with top-tier law firms handling high-profile, multi-billion-dollar cross-border transactions in the areas of foreign direct investment, M&A, project financing, and venture capital funds, etc. These experiences became the crucible that forged her legal expertise, transactional acumen, and strategic business perspective.
Her subsequent tenure at Fortune 500 corporations including Daimler, Chrysler, and Ingersoll-Rand – provided invaluable insights into multinational operations and organizational structures.
This experience cultivated what she describes as “a robust, business-oriented mindset essential for a strategic legal advisor.”
The EVRevolution: Where Legal Meets Innovation?
The past decade represents the defining chapter of Liu’s career, serving as Global General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for both NIO and Zeekr. In an industry where traditional legal frameworks often lag technological innovation, Liu has been instrumental in creating the legal infrastructure that enables revolutionary change.
At both NIO and Zeekr, Liu spearheaded the creation and scaling of the company’s worldwide legal and compliance functions from inception. Her leadership secured two landmark NYSE listings: propelling NIO as the first Chinese premium EV brand to list less than four years after its 2014 founding and achieving Zeekr’s record as the fastest IPO in the
NYSE’s 200-year history at just 38 months post-incorporation. Beyond capital markets success, Liu’s team supported NIO’s pioneering of revolutionary technologies and business models, including battery swap technologies and the Batteryas-a-Service (BAAS) model. During NIO’s most critical financial crisis, she led the negotiation and execution of pivotal RMB 10 billion investment agreements with Anhui Province and Hefei City’s investment vehicles – a transaction now lauded as a benchmark in Chinese governmental investments.
Perhaps most innovatively, Liu’s legal team played a crucial role in translating NIO founder’s groundbreaking “User Enterprise” concept into reality for its 2018 IPO. The creation and implementation of the first-of-its-kind governance structure -NIO User Trust-also fundamentally reshaped OEM and customer engagement models within the EVsector.
Navigating Global Complexity at Zeekr
Liu’s tenure at Zeekr further demonstrated her capabilities as a strategic leader operating at the nexus of relentless growth and global complexity.
This role involved architecting legal and compliance strategies to support Zeekr’s uniquely accelerated trajectory aimed at rapidly launching competitive vehicle models and capturing market share while enabling breakneck international expansion across diverse markets simultaneously.
Operating in an environment of evolving regulations and complex geopolitical tensions, her approach required constant foresight and agility. “Leading the legal function through this environment requires the constant development of innovative solutions to mitigate risk and empower sustainable global growth.” she explains.
The Art of Balance: Professional Excellence Meets Personal Growth
Managing the intense demands of China’s rapidly evolving EV industry while maintaining personal well-being requires extraordinary discipline and time management. Liu’s approach to work-life balance reflects the same innovative mindset she brings to legal challenges.
Professional challenges in her field include not only navigating regulatory overload but also handling multidimensional roles that span litigation to international expansion, and supporting R&D in cutting-edge technologies like autonomous driving.
The continuous learning required – staying updated on “three intelligences” (smart gateways, cockpits, autonomous driving) and global standards – necessitates constant afterhours education.
Her balancing strategies include proactive stakeholder alignment, strict time planning, and leveraging digital tools and AI for legal and compliance management. “Success hinges on strategic and systematic planning, assertive prioritization, strong execution and team empowerment turning regulatory agility from a stressor into a strategic asset.” she notes.
This harmony between inner stability and outward achievement is rooted in Liu’s personal mantra, “Be yourself and follow your heart. Always remain positive. Stay anchored in the present moment and cherish every experience and person with gratitude recognizing that each encounter, whether joyful or challenging, contributes to shaping who we are and our journey.”
It’s this grounded philosophy that sustains her through turbulent times, allowing her to lead with purpose and clarity.
Values-Driven Leadership Philosophy
When asked about her appetite for business, Liu’s response reveals the values that drive her career choices: “I value working with visionary companies driven by a clear mission to lead and create – not follow. These organizations design products and services for the greater good, prioritize innovation over trends, and set long-term goals benefiting the company, society, and environment.”
This philosophy explains her attraction to the EV industry, where companies are literally reshaping the future of transportation while addressing environmental challenges.
Her passion for adventure and exploration, the same trait that led her in becoming the first student at her university to pursue US legal studies, continues to drive her career choices.
Pandemic Resilience and Adaptation
The COVID-19 pandemic tested Liu’s adaptability in unexpected ways. Her weekly 200-kilometer commute between Shanghai and Zeekr’s Hangzhou headquarters became particularly challenging with extensive health checks and testing requirements. Simultaneously, her KelloggHKUST EMBA (KH) studies, begun just one month before the Wuhan outbreak, shifted entirely online after a year-long suspension.
Immediately after the Wuhan COVID-19 outbreak, Liu proactively formed a six-member core team from her KH cohort. Partnering with Save the Children, they established a
Joint Relief Fund, mobilizing over 6,000 alumni to raise approximately HKD 1 million within one month. Despite global travel bans, disrupted logistics, and medical supply restrictions, the team successfully sourced and donated critical medical supplies including masks, protective goggles, gowns, and hygiene kits to hospitals, high schools, and communities across Wuhan, other mainland provinces, and Hong Kong, benefiting wide populations.
Rather than viewing these challenges as setbacks, Liu found silver linings: mastering efficient remote problem-solving skills, discovering the agility of virtual meetings, and unexpectedly gaining invaluable family time due to travel restrictions. “COVID-19 reshaped my resilience, teaching me to value agility, flexibility, and human connection in new ways.” she reflects.
Recognition and Industry Impact
Liu’s contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. Her impressive collection of awards includes being named Top 10 Asian Women Business Leaders by Women Entrepreneurs Review in 2025, winning multiple categories in the China Business Law Journal (CBLJ) awards, and receiving the Female In House Counsel of the Year award from Asian Legal Business twice (2020 and 2021).
Her teams have also received significant recognition, including the 2024 In-house Team of the Year award from CBLJ, the only team selected out of over 3,000 teams. These awards reflect not just individual excellence but her ability to build and lead world-class legal organizations.
Leadership Wisdom for Future Generations
For aspiring leaders, Liu’s advice is both practical and inspirational: “Strive for excellence in yourself and your team, unlocking your and your team’s full potential. Anchor yourself in professionalism and principle, setting clear boundaries. Solve problems and overcome obstacles through proactive communication and collaboration, seeking mutually beneficial solutions without sacrificing core standards.”
The Road Ahead
As the EV industry continues its rapid evolution, Liu’s role becomes increasingly crucial. Her unique combination of cross-cultural legal expertise, strategic business acumen, and innovative problem-solving position her as a key architect of the industry’s future. Her work doesn’t just ensure compliance, it enables transformation.
In an industry where legal frameworks must evolve as quickly as the technology they govern, she stands as proof that legal professionals can be more than advisors, they can be pioneers, innovators, and transformational leaders who support in shaping the very future they help to navigate.
Through her journey from academic trailblazer to industry leader, she is demonstrating that true leadership isn’t about following established paths but about creating new ones for others to follow. In China’s electric vehicle revolution, she hasn’t just been a witness to history she’s been one of its primary authors.
