Anta Brand CEO resignation: key takeaways
- Anta Brand’s CEO, Xu Yang, has resigned citing family reasons
- He presided over record growth at the company, but resigns at a challenging time
- His successor is a figure that can stabilise the ship
Anta Brand has confirmed that its CEO, Xu Yang, has resigned citing family reasons behind the resignation. They added that Xu will be appointed to another role in the company. Stepping in to replace him is Lai Shixian, Anta Group’s executive director and co-CEO.
Xu Yang took on the role at Anta Group in January of 2003 after a four-year stint leading Arc’teryx’s Greater China business. His task was put to him plainly: raise Anta’s value without giving up the scale or accessible pricing that made it China’s biggest mass-market sportswear brand.
Lai brings consistency at a time when growth is looking to be on shaky legs
In the first year of his premiership Anta’s revenue surpassed RMB 30 billion (US$4.4 billion). It rose another 10.6% in 2024. He sharpened focus on running and basketball, the overseas rollout of Kyrie Irving’s signature line aided sales and new retail concepts aimed at younger, more premium consumers did too.
But in 2025 momentum began to slow. Revenue grew only 3.7% that year, topping off at 34.75 billion (US$5.1 billion). Gross margin and operating profit margin also declined, and the company failed to hit the 10%–15% compound annual growth target Xu laid down at Anta’s 2023 investor day.
The rise of this sportswear giant is far from over
Since then, retail experiments like Super Anta, Anta SV and Anta Champion have been scaled back with Anta SV being folded into the brand’s sports-lifestyle footwear division. Super Anta has also announced a freeze on store openings for 2026. But the rise of this sportswear giant is far from over.
The Dao view: Anta has gone for recalibration
Lai Shixian’s appointment is a reassuring one. Lai has been working alongside Xu Yang as co-CEO since 2023 and knows the company inside out. In moments like this it can be tempting to appoint some flashy new visionary to the big seat, but that’s not what Anta needs.
The consistency that Lai brings makes him a strong candidate for steadying the ship, and the leadership value he has at the company gives him the ability to fix the financial turbulence that’s been rocking the boat since 2025.
