F an Xiulian is a Chinese businesswoman who is a co-founder and a major shareholder of Zhejiang Supor, one of China's largest and best-known manufacturers of cookware and small kitchen appliances. She founded the company with her husband, Su Zengfu, in the 1990s. They built Supor into a household name in China, famous for its pressure cookers, woks, and other kitchen gadgets.
In a major strategic move, the founders sold a controlling stake in Supor to the French cookware and appliance giant, Groupe SEB (the maker of Tefal/T-fal), in a multi-stage deal that made the family billionaires. Fan Xiulian's wealth is derived from the family's remaining stake in the publicly traded company and the proceeds from the sale. The deal is a classic example of a successful Chinese family business partnering with a global multinational to further its growth.
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