On 22 January 2026, the results of the "2025 Forbes China Yangtze River Delta Industry Influence Awards", jointly launched by Forbes China and Ruipan Dianfeng, were officially announced. WeCarbon's China Partner Ms. Mia Zheng was named a "Yangtze River Delta Influential Young Entrepreneur" for her sustained work, professional influence and international practice in sustainable development (ESG) and green industries. She was also the one woman among the winners in this category.
The "2025 Forbes China Yangtze River Delta Industry Influence Awards" are rooted in the Yangtze River Delta and focus on the core forces of industrial transformation, recognising companies and individuals that have performed outstandingly across a range of sectors. Beyond current economic contribution, the awards aim to uncover what makes the "Yangtze River Delta model" work, tracing the path from single breakthroughs to ecosystem-wide collaboration, offering reference cases for regional development and building consensus and momentum for industrial growth.
The awards focus on companies and individuals in the Yangtze River Delta with notable influence and outstanding contributions in sectors including logistics and supply chain, new consumer, finance, biopharmaceuticals and synthetic biology, industrial parks, artificial intelligence, new materials, new energy, cross-border e-commerce, software, gaming and short-form drama. Individuals are assessed across four dimensions: industry influence (25%), professional achievement (25%), leadership (25%) and social responsibility (25%).
At a time when ESG is rapidly reshaping industries, Ms. Zheng's deep expertise and systematic practice in sustainability reflect the many facets of what a young entrepreneur contributes today, and earned her this important recognition.
Photo: Ms. Mia Zheng, named a "2025 Forbes China Yangtze River Delta Influential Young Entrepreneur"
Ms. Mia Zheng is a Special Research Fellow (full-professor level) at the China FTZ Digital Economy Research Institute, an ESG Expert at the AIFC Institute for Global Enterprise Development, an expert with the ESG research group of the SASAC Research Center, a Chinese ESG expert with the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), and ESG Affairs Representative on the Shanghai Climate Week Executive Committee. She also carries out academic and research work at universities and government-affiliated institutions including Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Xiamen Strait Sustainable Industry Federation. Her work focuses on sustainable product and service design, corporate ESG transformation and industrial upgrading, China's narrative and sustainability influence, and green globalisation and the realisation of sustainable value, advancing the practical application of ESG across different industries.
In research and practice, Ms. Zheng brings more than ten years of experience working across disciplines and sectors, covering international policy response, urban and social policy analysis, and investment in global capital markets. She has long taught and researched ESG, lecturing at institutions including Peking University, Bank of China and Sinochem Group. She continues to drive the adoption of ESG among Chinese companies and industries, having taken part in and led a number of policy studies, industry standards and international sustainable investment assessment frameworks, and has long provided ESG knowledge and decision support to universities, financial institutions and government departments.
Going forward, Ms. Zheng will continue to deepen her research and practice in sustainability and ESG. WeCarbon will take this recognition as an opportunity to work with industry partners across the Yangtze River Delta on green compliance, industrial transformation and technology enablement, building a new sustainable industrial ecosystem and bringing new green momentum to the region's high-quality development.