Lian Life Insurance changes leadership: Huang Jian takes over from Zhou Junshu, Jiangsu Guoxin takes the helm

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On March 30, 2026, Lian’an Life Insurance released a major personnel announcement. At the company’s 25th meeting of the 4th Board of Directors, Huang Jian was elected Chairman of the 4th Board of Directors; his qualifications are pending regulatory approval, and until approval, he will perform his duties on an interim basis. Meanwhile, the former Chairman Zhou Junshu, who had served for more than three years, officially retired, stepping down from both the Chairman and Director positions.

This personnel reshuffle signifies that this Jiangsu state-owned life insurance company has completed the handover of its core management team. After “stanching the bleeding and stabilizing operations,” it has officially entered a new stage—deeply controlled by Jiangsu Guoxin and focused on high-quality development.

Zhou Junshu Steps Down as the “Firefighter,” Achieving a Full Exit and Turning the Page

Zhou Junshu’s stepping down is a complete wrap-up of Lian’an Life’s “crisis recovery period.” In September 2022, she was entrusted with the role of Chairman of Lian’an Life in a critical moment. At that time, the company was mired in a performance slump— in 2022, it suffered a massive loss of 2.757 billion yuan, its solvency came under pressure, and development fell into a low point.

During her tenure, she centered on “steady operations and risk control,” leading the team to carry out sweeping reforms and gradually guide the company out of its difficulties.

In the nearly four years she was at the helm, Lian’an Life achieved a “major turnaround” in performance. Starting in 2023, it returned to profitability for three consecutive years; in 2025, its net profit reached 2.27 billion yuan, representing a sharp year-on-year increase. By the end of 2025, the company’s total assets reached 1346.13 billion yuan, with core and comprehensive solvency adequacy ratios of 138.63% and 213.97%, respectively—both far exceeding regulatory red lines, and its operating fundamentals were fully stabilized. From massive losses to profitability, from hidden risk worries to steady operations, Zhou Junshu—acting as a “firefighter”—laid a solid foundation for Lian’an Life’s subsequent development. Her retirement and resignation can be said to be a successful exit.

Huang Jian Takes Office—A 70s-Era Guoxin Cadre with a Capital and Finance Composite Background

The newly appointed Chairman Huang Jian is a typical veteran financial executive from the “Jiangsu Guoxin system.” Born in June 1978, his career spans multiple areas including finance, securities, futures, and capital operations; his professional capabilities and resource endowments are standout.

His career began at the Finance Department of Jiangsu Guoxin Group, and he subsequently focused on finance and capital operations at the front line: he previously worked in the Finance Department of Jiangsu Shahe Pumped Storage Power Generation Co., Ltd., and held related positions at Xintai Securities and Huatai Securities. For many years at Jintai Futures, he served as Finance Director, Secretary to the Board, and Deputy General Manager, and he also served as General Manager of the Jiangsu Branch of Tianfeng Securities, accumulating extensive practical experience in securities and futures.

After returning to Jiangsu Guoxin Group, he served as Deputy General Manager and General Manager of the Capital Operations Department, and concurrently served as General Manager of the Financial Department. He deeply led the group’s capital operations and the layout of the financial sector. Since August 2025, he has served as Vice Chairman of Jiangsu Trust, which is the largest shareholder of Lian’an Life, holding 22.7857% of the shares. In January 2026, Huang Jian was transferred to serve as Party Secretary of Lian’an Life; in March, he was elected a director of the company. Within just two months, he completed the transition from “representative of the controlling shareholder” to “core management.” His election as Chairman is an even more crucial step in his comprehensive assumption of leadership over Lian’an Life. With combined experience in “capital operations + full-license financial services,” he is seen as a suitable candidate to help Lian’an Life shift from “survival and stabilization” to “high-quality development.”

A Deep Signal: Jiangsu Guoxin’s Full-Control Strategy Shifts to “Improving Asset-Liability Quality and Laying Out Healthcare and Senior Care”

This personnel adjustment, in essence, is a landmark move by the controlling shareholder Jiangsu Guoxin to shift Lian’an Life from “financial holding” to “deep operational control.” Lian’an Life was established in 2011. In its early days, its ownership combined state-owned and private capital, and private capital had long been the dominant force. After Jiangsu Trust increased its stake to become the largest shareholder in 2018, state capital gradually gained control, but coordination was still needed at the governance level.

After Zhou Junshu’s retirement and Huang Jian’s taking office, Lian’an Life formed a core management team of “Huang Jian (Party Secretary, Acting Chairman) + Yan Weijin (General Manager).” Both are deeply tied to the Jiangsu Guoxin system, indicating that Jiangsu Guoxin’s governance and control over Lian’an Life has been comprehensively strengthened. According to Huang Jian’s plan, 2026 has been designated as Lian’an Life’s “asset-liability management quality improvement year,” and the company’s strategy will shift from “turning around losses and stanching the bleeding” to “value enhancement,” with the goal of building a value-oriented, senior-care-oriented regional leading insurance company.

On the one hand, leveraging Huang Jian’s advantages in capital and finance, it will strengthen asset-liability management, optimize investment returns, and improve the quality of profitability. On the other hand, leveraging Jiangsu Guoxin’s resource support, it will deepen its focus on the Jiangsu local market, lay out the senior-care industry, and build differentiated competitive advantages.

New Journey: Achieving Performance Targets and Strengthening Compliance and Risk Control Still Require Breakthroughs

Despite performance stabilizing, Lian’an Life still faces considerable challenges. In 2025, the company’s insurance business revenue was 252.51 billion yuan, only completing 80.57% of the annual target of 313.4 billion yuan. Its return on net assets was 3.59%, far below the planned target of 10%. At the same time, there have previously been issues such as high levels of policy surrenders and compliance penalty orders for branch institutions, meaning internal control and business quality still need to be improved. After Huang Jian takes office, how to leverage the advantages of capital operations to make up for business shortcomings and enhance value creation capability; how to strengthen compliance and risk control and solidify the foundation for steady development; and how to coordinate Jiangsu Guoxin’s resources to advance the implementation of the senior-care strategy—these will be the core questions he faces.

With regulatory approval now in place, this 70s-era new leader will officially take charge of Lian’an Life. The high-quality development path of this Jiangsu state-owned life insurance leader is well worth continued attention from the industry.