'Chaos Is A Ladder.'

In The Face Of Declining Camera Sales Worldwide, Sigma China General Manager Wang Hao Is Embracing The Challenge Of Growing His Business In A Tough Market.

- Jodie Darlington

There’s no doubt that Wang Hao is an optimist. He works in the camera industry and readily admits the market is “shrinking”, yet he sees the situation as an opportunity to be creative. Rather than lying down and admitting defeat, Hao is determined to rise up and fight back – and judging by his sales results to date, he has a very good chance of winning.

“This industry is shrinking due to mobile phone cameras, which is not good,” he concedes. “But risk always means some new opportunities. It just means we have to do more and be on the offensive, rather than the defensive.”

As General Manager of the Chinese subsidiary of Japanese camera and lens manufacturer Sigma Corporation, Hao recognises that he’s in a position to make a real difference.

“No-one really knows what to do; it’s a very confused industry. However, our decisions and actions can actually change the position of our company and perhaps even the future of this industry, which is very exciting. This is one of the reasons why I love my job. The camera industry is declining, yet I also feel like we have the power to change it,” he says. “It’s like they said in Game of Thrones, ‘Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder.’ That’s exactly how I feel.”

After majoring in thermodynamics at a Chinese university, Hao completed his masters in Japan. He then worked as a management consultant in Japan for five years. When Sigma decided to expand its operations in 2013, he was approached by the company and asked to head up Sigma China.