Guangzhou Development District to have first foreign 'special government employee'

The Guangzhou Development District is expected to have its first foreign 'special government employee' (SGE), according to the latest announcement on SGE candidates on the district's official website.

Early last October, the Guangzhou Development District started recruiting SGEs from across the world to propel the development of the Guangzhou International Science and Technology Innovation Hub.

On March 14, the district published its latest list, which consists of a number of candidates including senior management personnel, returned overseas talents, and top foreign talents. Peter Helis, a German national, was included on the list and may become the first SGE to work for the Guangzhou Development District.

Helis will work at Guangzhou's foreign investment and trade promotion bureau as a global investment promotion director. Able to speak German, English, Mandarin, and Cantonese, Helis is very familiar with foreign trade affairs in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He lived and worked in the Pearl River Delta for 15 years before applying for the position. During his time in the region, he promoted a number of trade deals between Germany and China's Pearl River Delta, facilitating many projects in the Pearl River Delta region related to industrial services and industrial city alliances.

Since last February, four similar lists have been published on the Guangzhou Development District's website. SGEs will play a key role in improving the city's management quality, attracting foreign investment, and improving the district's reputation.