Wei Christianson
Wei Christianson | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 21, 1956 Beijing, China |
| Occupation(s) | Legal professional, business executive |
| Known for | Former CEO of Morgan Stanley China, co-CEO of Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific |
Wei Christianson (born August 21, 1956, as Sun) is a Chinese-American legal professional and business executive, recognized as the former CEO of Morgan Stanley's operations in China and co-CEO of its Asia Pacific region.
Early life and education
Raised in Beijing as the youngest among four sisters during the Cultural Revolution, Christianson was born to a People's Liberation Army officer father and a mother who was a medical doctor. She completed the Gao Kao examination in 1978 and gained admission to Beijing Language and Culture University to study English, with aspirations to join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Following encouragement from a professor at Columbia University, she pursued studies at U.S. liberal arts institutions and transferred to Amherst College in 1983. She became Amherst’s first mainland Chinese student after China reopened to Western countries, earning a B.A. in political science cum laude in 1985.
Christianson obtained her Juris Doctor degree specializing in international law from Columbia Law School in 1989, where she also met her future spouse, Jon Christianson.
Career
Upon completing her law degree at Columbia, Wei Christianson began her career as an attorney with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in New York. In 1992, she relocated to Hong Kong to serve as Associate Director within the Corporate Finance Department at the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), contributing to regulatory frameworks that facilitated Chinese companies’ overseas listings.
In 1998, Christianson joined Morgan Stanley as executive director and chief representative for Beijing, working within the Resources, Power and Transportation Group under the mentorship of John J. Mack. When Mack departed Morgan Stanley in 2002, she followed him to Credit Suisse First Boston, where he held positions as managing director and chairman. Subsequently, she held leadership roles as managing director and chairman of China at Citigroup Global Markets (Asia) Ltd., overseeing securities and investment banking operations across China.
Christianson returned to Morgan Stanley in 2006 to assume the role of CEO for China. During her tenure, she directed major deals including IPOs for Sinopec, China Life, and SMIC, as well as managing CNPC’s $4.2 billion acquisition of Gas Kazakhstan. She retired from Morgan Stanley in 2022 and was appointed to the board of luxury goods giant LVMH in 2024.
Personal life
She is married to Jon L. Christianson, who is retired after serving as a partner in Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom’s Corporate Department based in Beijing. The couple has three sons and resides in Beijing.