From East to West: Bridging cultures and driving global success

In today’s fast-evolving global business landscape, few stories embody the true spirit of cross-cultural collaboration as profoundly as that of Sean Upton-McLaughlin, founder of Shenzhen-based consulting company SageSight. Over the past 14 years, he has dedicated himself to helping Chinese companies make their mark on the international stage.

Upton-McLaughlin visited China in 2001 as part of a high school cultural exchange, which sparked a deep interest in the country and a strong connection to its culture. This formative experience led him to pursue Chinese studies in college and a master’s degree focused on international management in China.

Sean Upton-McLaughlin poses for a photo in Shekou, Nanshan District. Photos by courtesy of interviewee

After completing his studies, Upton-McLaughlin moved to China in 2010. Working in cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, he honed his expertise in marketing, public relations, and branding. His unique career is the result of dual perspectives gained from working for both international agencies and Chinese companies.

Why Shenzhen?

One of the pivotal moments in his career was his time at Huawei, which is one of China’s most prominent tech giants. “What drew me to Shenzhen wasn’t just the opportunity at Huawei, but also the energy of the city itself. It’s a place where talent from all over China comes to innovate,” he said.

Discussing the establishment of his own company, Upton-McLaughlin said that he chose Shenzhen as a base of operations because of his deep connection to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). “I’ve worked in this region for most of my career in China, so I have a strong understanding of the local business environment,” he said.

Upton-McLaughlin also values the city’s geographical advantages. “Shenzhen’s location is ideal — just a short train ride away from Guangzhou or Hong Kong — with easy access to many other cities. It’s a highly centralized area for business,” he explained.

For Upton-McLaughlin, Shenzhen provides a perfect environment to cultivate his expertise and make a distinctive impact.

“There are many companies and entrepreneurs building things from scratch. I see an opportunity for people like me, who can speak Chinese and work directly with Chinese organizations, to help them develop their overseas marketing. I aim to carve out a niche in the market as a foreign expert in overseas marketing, branding, and PR who can communicate directly with Chinese founders and CEOs.”

Expertise and professionalism

When founding his consulting company, Upton-McLaughlin had two primary goals. “First, I wanted to continue helping Chinese companies grow by working with a variety of businesses. Previously, I was focused on just one company at a time, and while that was rewarding, I was eager to take on new challenges and collaborate directly with founders, CEOs, and senior teams.”

His second goal was to provide a more specialized solution for Chinese companies compared to what traditional agencies offer. “Large agencies often have too many team members, many of whom are inexperienced junior consultants. This can lead to frustration, especially for a client’s senior-level managers who need expert support,” he noted.

Sean Upton-McLaughlin

Explaining the unique strengths of SageSight, he said, “My company doesn’t operate on the same scale as the big agencies. We’re a smaller team, but we bring in real experts with 10 to 15 years of experience. We may not have 10 people on a project, but the people we do have are seasoned professionals who understand both Chinese companies and overseas markets.”

Highlighting how his company brings both professionalism and expertise to bear, Upton-McLaughlin shared, “I once worked with a client who was using an agency for their web content. When I reviewed it, the content was clearly not written by a native English speaker, despite the agency’s claims. It was frustrating for the client, and that’s the kind of issue we aim to solve by providing real expertise and actionable results.”

“We always put our customers first, and we want to help Chinese companies succeed globally by offering solutions that bridge the gap between the needs of Chinese businesses and the realities of Western markets,” Upton-McLaughlin said of his company’s mission.