Geely Founder Li Shufu Steps Down as Geely Auto Chairman

Founder Li Shufu stepped down as chairman and executive director of Geely Automobile Holdings on August 18, 2026, as part of a long-term succession plan. While he remains chairman of the parent company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, and assumes the role of honorary chairman for life of Geely Auto, the move signals a shift from founder-led governance to a professional organizational system.

An Conghui, the CEO of Zhejiang Geely Holding and CEO of Zeekr, succeeded Li as chairman to centralize decision-making across the holding group and the listed platform. Gan Jiayue was appointed as the new CEO, replacing Gui Shengyue, who transitioned to the role of vice-chairman. This restructuring aims to move the company away from a family-centered model toward one driven by systems and talent pipelines.

The leadership change follows a period of mixed financial results for the first half of 2026. Geely reported record revenue of 173.6 billion yuan and a 158% surge in exports, though reports on profit vary; one source noted a 46% increase in core profit, while another reported a 2% dip in net profit to 9.1 billion yuan.

Under the new management, Geely intends to execute the One Geely strategy to address a lack of mid-range new energy products and accelerate light-asset globalization. The company is targeting annual European sales of 600,000 vehicles within three years and a total of 6.5 million vehicle sales by 2030 through partnerships with Ford and Renault.