Book excerpt: Contrary to what we might expect, China has a higher proportion of women in senior executive roles than almost any other country in the world, far outstripping Western countries such as the USA, France or Germany – even though there’s not a gender quota in sight. What makes these female Chinese top managers different? To find out, Bettina Al-Sadik-Lowinski interviewed 35 Chinese women who she came into contact with through her work as an executive coach in China. The result is a unique research project, the “Shanghai Women’s Career Lab”, which analyses the mechanisms, attitudes and carefully planned career paths that allowed these women to rise to senior positions at multinational corporations in China. The analysis concludes that successful Chinese women and their careers can serve as role models for women around the world. Women can use the results of the research to make their own career planning more successful. By following these examples, they can build on their own strengths and rise to top management. The Shanghai Women’s Career Lab also offers strategies for company leaders who want to promote talented women to top management positions.