TikTok gets new product head from Douyin in latest ByteDance reshuffle between China and international businesses
- Fiona Zhi Ying moved from vice-president of Douyin to head product development at TikTok, as ByteDance tries to further monetise its massive user base
- Amid heightened political scrutiny in the US, questions have been raised about connections between ByteDance’s China and international operations
ByteDance has appointed Fiona Zhi Ying as team lead for TikTok product development, moving her over from her former role of vice-president of Douyin, as the tech unicorn tries to replicate its success in generating revenue on the Chinese version of the popular short video app in overseas markets.
A ByteDance representative said Zhi will work across Singapore and the US in her new role and report to the head of product and engineering for TikTok, Zhu Wenjia. Zhu reports to TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi, who is based in Singapore.
However, TikTok is facing greater headwinds overseas amid growing political mistrust, especially in the US.
Zhi was born in 1992 and joined ByteDance in 2016, according to Chinese tech media outlet 36Kr, which first reported the executive’s new role. Prior to that, she worked at the auditing firm PwC and ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies. She graduated from the Tianjin University, 36kr reported.
Her subordinates at TikTok include Gill Tan Siqi, head of core product, Mabel Wang Shuaiding, who oversees content and creators, and Wang Yinglei, the head of live streaming, a person familiar with the matter at ByteDance told the South China Morning Post. All three previously reported to Zhu, the person said.
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity and previously worked with Zhi, referred to the new TikTok product head as “hard-working”.