Name: Rowan Simons
From: London
Living in: Beijing

"Bringing the People's Game to the People's Republic"

Born in London and raised in Surrey, Rowan arrived in Beijing as an undergraduate of Chinese language from Leeds University in 1987. Intrigued by the power of the media to promote cultural exchange and passionate about sport, he ditched his degree and has gone on to become a respected international expert with over 20 years experience in these sensitive and restricted sectors.

In 2000, Rowan established the OMI Group, which has interests in a number of private companies operating in China, including China Media Monitor Intelligence (CMM-I) and Chinalive Productions. OMI group clients are predominantly large Chinese and international media and sports groups and Rowan has advised several British organisations on their China strategy, including BBC Worldwide and the FA Premier League. Rowan's media credits include creating the first China Environmental TV Awards for Think UK, producing the media campaign for Tony Blair's first official visit to China and acting as co-production consultant on the BBC's "Wild China" series.

In 2000, Rowan led establishment of AFH Limited (Amateur Football Holdings) the first company to target direct foreign investment into China’s consumer football market. In 2001, AFH opened China ClubFootball FC Limited.  This was the first joint-venture amateur football club in Mainland China with a  mission to build China’s first commercial urban grassroots football network. ClubFootball Beijing is now the largest such organisation in China with FA-qualified British coaches delivering after-school courses to over 2,000 kids at 15 locations, over 100 adult teams participating in weekly 5-a-side leagues and 120 commercial club partners serving 90,000 online members in the capital city.

Having come to public attention as a commentator on Beijing TV’s popular broadcasts of FA Premier League and FA Cup through the 1990s, Rowan is a prominent and outspoken advocate of British-inspired grassroots sports inside China. He is a regular guest on Chinese television commenting on football affairs.

In 2008, he recounted his experiences and the challenges facing Chinese football in the critically acclaimed book, “Bamboo Goalposts”, which was short-listed for the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.