Huang Jian está siendo considerado para el cargo de presidente de Lian Life Insurance, la compañía planea invertir casi 900 millones de yuanes en una adquisición con prima por la participación del 5% de Zhongshan Public, alcanzando la notificación de adquisición.

Blue Whale News, April 1st - Reporter Chen Xiaojuan

Recently, Lian Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Lian Life”) announced the election of Huang Jian as chairman. Zhou Junshu retired due to age and no longer serves as the company’s chairman and director.

（Image source: Lian Life announcement）

It is worth noting that Lian Life completed a change of CEO last year. With the new leadership team in place, the company’s future development path has attracted market attention. In 2022, Lian Life proposed the goal of “rebuilding a Lian in three years and striving for an early listing,” planning to surpass one trillion yuan in total assets in 2023 and actively promote the IPO process. Now, after three years, the company’s total assets have exceeded the threshold of one trillion yuan, but there has been no substantial progress in the IPO process. In terms of performance, Lian Life aims to achieve premium income of 25.251 billion yuan and a net profit of 227 million yuan by 2025.

Meanwhile, Lian Life has also taken new actions in external investments. Zhongshan Public Utility (000685.SZ) announced last night that Lian Life has become the final transferee of 5% of the company’s shares, with a transfer price not less than 12.19 yuan per share, and the transaction amount is expected to be no less than 899 million yuan. Based on Zhongshan Public Utility’s closing price today, the premium is roughly 9.6%, and Lian Life is also expected to increase its stake in another listed company.

The company welcomed a new CEO last year, with frequent compliance issues

From the resume, Huang Jian has a strong professional financial background, with management experience in securities, futures, and other fields, making him a typical “practical” finance expert.

He has served as an employee in the Finance Department of Jiangsu Guoxin Group; assistant to the Finance Department Manager at Jiangsu Shahe Pumped Storage Power Generation Co., Ltd.; manager of the Finance Department; assistant manager of the Custody Center at Xintai Securities; worked in the Planning and Finance Department at Huatai Securities (roles during restructuring unclear); Financial Director and Secretary of the Board at Jintai Futures; General Manager, Financial Director, and Secretary of the Board at Tianfeng Securities (rights protection); General Manager of Jiangsu Branch of Tianfeng Securities; Vice General Manager of Jintai Futures; Deputy General Manager of the Capital Operation Department of Jiangsu Guoxin Group, General Manager of the Capital Operation Department, and General Manager of the Financial Department and Capital Operation Department. From January to March 2026, he served as Party Secretary of Lian Life.

In June last year, Lian Life welcomed its new CEO, Yan Weijin. Yan Weijin is a founding veteran of Lian Life, involved in the preparatory work, and previously served as the company’s interim leader, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Investment Officer.

Therefore, Lian Life is about to enter a new leadership period with the “Huang-Yan pairing.” In February this year, Huang Jian attended the company’s “First Spring Meeting” as Party Secretary of Lian Life and pointed out that by 2026, the company will focus on improving asset-liability management, accelerating efficiency and value enhancement, consolidating risk defenses, and promoting steady and sustainable operations.

In terms of performance, Lian Life has achieved a turnaround in recent years. According to data, under consolidated accounting, from 2022 to 2024, Lian Life achieved premium income of 19.388 billion yuan, 22.016 billion yuan, and 24.457 billion yuan respectively; net profits for the same period were -2.757 billion yuan, 39 million yuan, and 48 million yuan.

According to the solvency report, in 2025, Lian Life is expected to achieve premium income of 25.251 billion yuan and a net profit of 227 million yuan. The annual net profit mainly came from the fourth quarter, with a single quarter net profit of 203 million yuan.

Additionally, issues related to the company’s compliance are also noteworthy. According to quarterly solvency reports, in 2025, Lian Life and its branches were fined a total of 1.6674 million yuan (excluding penalties on individuals). Penalty issues included falsifying data, unstandardized marketing training management, inadequate “dual recording” management, fictitious expenses, fictitious intermediaries, and fictitious policies.

Premium acquisition of Zhongshan Public Utility shares, with potential for increased holdings

While improving corporate governance, Lian Life’s investment footprint continues to expand.

The reporter noted that last night, Zhongshan Public Utility disclosed the latest progress in the transfer of shares by its controlling shareholder, Zhongshan Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd. (“Zhongshan Investment”). Lian Life has been confirmed as the final transferee. The announcement states that as of now, Zhongshan Investment holds about 719 million shares of Zhongshan Public Utility (48.73%).

According to previous announcements, Zhongshan Investment plans to transfer about 74 million shares of Zhongshan Public Utility through a public solicitation, accounting for 5% of the company’s total share capital, at a price not less than 12.19 yuan per share. Based on this, the transaction amount is no less than 899 million yuan.

Zhongshan Public Utility’s closing price today is 11.12 yuan per share. Based on this, the premium rate for Lian Life’s acquisition is approximately 9.6%. As of the end of the third quarter last year, Lian Life held a 3.53% stake in Zhongshan Public Utility. If the transfer is completed, Lian Life will reach the threshold for a takeover.

Market opinions suggest that the reason for Lian Life’s premium takeover may be related to Zhongshan Public Utility’s strong performance. The performance forecast shows that Zhongshan Public Utility expects to achieve a net profit attributable to the parent of 1.798 billion to 2.158 billion yuan for the year, an increase of 50%-80% year-on-year.

In fact, in recent years, Lian Life has frequently taken actions in the secondary market, increasing holdings and taking stakes in multiple listed companies. In July 2025, Lian Life bought 1.1 million shares of Jiangnan Water (601199.SH), increasing its holdings to 46.9954 million shares, raising its stake from 4.91% to 5.03%, triggering a takeover; in November 2024, Lian Life bought 500,000 shares of Shenzhen International (0152.HK), increasing its stake from 4.98% to 5.00%, triggering a takeover.

Additionally, Lian Life also holds stocks in Wuxi Bank (600908.SH), Changshu Bank (601128.SH), Anhui Natural Gas (603689.SH), among others, ranking among the top ten shareholders, favoring stable, high-dividend stocks in banking and utilities.

Data shows that in 2025, Lian Life’s cumulative return on net assets was 3.59%, total asset return was 0.18%, investment return was 5.56%, and cumulative comprehensive investment return was 2.46%. The average investment return over the past three years was 3.90%, and the average comprehensive investment return was 4.84%.