Sotheby’s veteran Kevin Ching joins Christie’s as chairman of Asia

Kevin Ching has joined Christie’s as the auction house’s Asia chairman, following a long tenure at Sotheby’s as chief executive officer in Asia from 2006 to 2021.

Ching will start the new role on Wednesday (24 May), based in Hong Kong and reporting to Francis Belin, the president of Christie’s Asia Pacific. He replaces Rebecca Yuancao Yang, a media industry veteran who only took on the Christie’s Asia chairman role in August 2021, based in Shanghai, but has since left.

During his time at Sotheby’s, Ching was instrumental in the auction house’s expansion into Mainland China, overseeing sales such as that of Zhang Daqian’s Mesmerising Landscape painting for a record $47m last year (after Ching had left full time employment at the firm). Before Sotheby’s, Ching was in the legal profession—a board executive director and group legal counsel of Dickson Concepts, and prior to that a partner in the law firm Johnson Stokes & Master.

“Asia’s market momentum continues to be strong and globally influential, and Kevin’s appointment is part of Christie’s long-term and strategic commitment to enhancing our business in the region, as we prepare for the pivotal relocation of our Asia Pacific headquarters to The Henderson in Hong Kong in 2024,” Belin says.

Ching says his “passion for the industry is steadfast and this role will allow me to further foster and cultivate relationships with Asia’s esteemed collectors.”