Amer Sports has been awarded the Top Employer China 2026 certification by the Top Employers Institute, a global body that benchmarks HR (human resources) practices across nearly 2,500 organisations worldwide. The recognition, announced Jan. 20, is the second consecutive year the multi-brand group has met the institute’s standards — evidence that its people practices in the region are maturing beyond ad hoc initiatives.
The certification assesses companies against a unified framework covering talent development, organisational culture, and employee experience. For Amer Sports, which owns brands including Arc’teryx, Salomon, and Wilson, earning the standard for a second time suggests its HR infrastructure in Greater China is keeping pace with the group’s commercial expansion.
How employees connect sport to culture and growth at Amer Sports
China’s labour market for international brands has grown fiercely competitive. Amer Sports is pitching itself not just as an employer, but as a workplace rooted in the culture of sport itself.
Jeffery Ma, President of Amer Sports Greater China, who joined the company last year, offered his own experience as evidence. “Since joining the company last year, I’ve participated in diverse employee club activities and — encouraged by my colleagues — accomplished my first-ever 25-kilometre trail run,” Ma said. “These moments truly demonstrate how Amer Sports fosters an environment where employees can engage, grow, and push boundaries, turning sports into a shared language that bridges personal achievement and company development.”
Tina Zhou, Senior Vice President of HR and Corporate Affairs for Greater China and APAC, described the company’s approach as focused on long-term engagement rather than short-term retention fixes. The aim, she said, is to ensure employees “at different stages and from various backgrounds” can find both visibility and a clear path forward within the organisation.
Why This Matters
For international brands operating in China, employer reputation has become a competitive advantage — not merely an HR credential. The ability to attract local talent with regional expertise, digital fluency, and consumer insight is now essential as brands navigate a market reshaped by domestic competitors, evolving e-commerce platforms, and shifting consumer expectations.
Amer Sports’ second consecutive certification reflects a maturing HR infrastructure in Greater China — one that is developing alongside the group’s commercial operations in the region. That trajectory is worth noting as the company continues to invest in China as both a sourcing hub and a high-growth consumer market.
