At NEVERLAND, growing up is optional—curiosity is essential.
We are creators, dreamers, and doers who refuse to be defined by age or constrained by boundaries.
Here, design sketches share desk space with fairy tale books, spreadsheets hide little heart icons, and meeting rooms may suddenly turn into craft workshops.
Welcome to the people who make NEVERLAB’s magic real.
Leadership Team
Max Zhang · Founder & CEO
Title: Chief Dream Officer
Background: Former Creative Director at international 4A agency, Guest Lecturer at Parsons School of Design
Joined: May 2023 (Founding Member)
Signature Quote: “If business doesn’t make hearts beat faster, how is it different from bookkeeping?”
Office Essentials: Vintage typewriter, never-repeating sock collection, wall of Peter Pan illustrations
Key Contributions:
Established the “emotional value consumption” brand theory system
Personally interviewed first 100 designers to ensure pure aesthetic DNA
Works half-day weekly in stores to stay closest to users
Social Media Style: Late-night design sketches, morning customer heartwarming stories
IVan Huang · Chief Design Officer
Title: Guardian of Aesthetics
Background: MFA Parsons School of Design, formerly at Hermès and Apple design teams
Joined: June 2023
Signature Quote: “Zero tolerance for ugly, infinite pursuit of beautiful.”
Design Philosophy: “Every product should be a miniature artwork and an amplified warm hug.”
Masterpieces:
NEVERLAB signature visual system (2024 Red Dot Award winner)
“Starry Bear” plush series (100,000+ monthly sales)
Fifth-generation store spatial design (40% higher sales per square foot)
Quirk: Inspects every product’s stitching with magnifier, Comic Sans font banned from office
Dr. Jacky · Global Artist Relations Director
Title: Creative Connector
Background: Former Contemporary Art Consultant at Sotheby’s, PhD in Art History
Joined: January 2024
Signature Quote: “Art shouldn’t live only in museums—it should live in people’s daily lives.”
Achievements:
Built NEVERLAB global artist network (50+ signed artists)
Curated “Art Into Life” exhibition series (12-city global tour)
Innovated artist royalty model ensuring creators’ continuous income
Office Vibe: More like gallery, constantly exhibiting works from global artists
Hobby: Sending inspiration emails at 3 AM, 87% success rate
Nicky Li · President of Supply Chain & Operations
Title: Magic Realizer
Background: 15 years multinational supply chain management, former Huawei Global Supply Chain Senior Director
Joined: August 2023
Signature Quote: “The most beautiful design is regret if it doesn’t reach customers on time.”
Core Achievements:
Built 120+ country supply network, 15% cost optimization
Achieved “zero inventory pressure” franchise model, 100% unsold product recall
Reduced logistics from 7 to 3 days, 99.8% accuracy rate
Management Style: Data-driven yet humane, remembers every warehouse manager’s birthday
Office View: Real-time global logistics map, green dots representing moving NEVERLAB products
Eamon Yi · Chief Technology Officer
Title: Future Architect
Background: Stanford Computer Science MS, former Google AI Lab researcher
Joined: March 2024
Signature Quote: “Code can have warmth, algorithms should understand hearts.”
Tech Breakthroughs:
Developed emotion recognition algorithm for personalized product recommendations
Built intelligent inventory management system, 92% prediction accuracy
Launched AR virtual try-on tech, 35% increase in online conversion
Team Culture: Tech team has weekly “unserious day” for developing fun but possibly useless features
Current Project: Teaching AI to understand “healing sensation”
Core Creative Team
Product Design Center
Team Size: 45 | Average Age: 28 | Nationalities: 12
Design Director · Midori Matsumoto
Japanese textile artist, specializing in healing design
Signature Works: “Forest Party” animal series, “Rainbow Daily” stationery series
Design Signature: Minimum 12 handmade processes per product, insists on eco-friendly dyes
Motto: “Happiness through needle and thread can be passed on.”
Senior Product Designer · Lee Hojun (OI Kong)
Korean dopamine art creator
Expertise: Resin and acrylic color experiments
Signature Series: “Prism Garden” furniture, “Liquid Light” lighting
Studio Rule: Wednesday is “Color Experiment Day”—failure allowed, boredom forbidden
Material Innovation Lab
Lead: Dr. Emma Schneider (German Materials Science PhD)
Achievement: Developed biodegradable “memory foam” material, international patent
In Progress: Extracting recycled fibers from ocean plastics
Spatial Experience Design Department
Team Size: 28 | Unique Trait: All designers must work in stores one day monthly
Flagship Store Design Team
2025 Shanghai Xintiandi Flagship: Integrated retail, gallery, café, workshop
Key Innovation: Transformable modular display system, completely changes ambiance quarterly
Design Philosophy: “Stores aren’t for buying things—they’re for creating beautiful memories.”
Pop-up Creative Unit
Record: 90 days from concept to execution
Masterpieces: Shanghai K11 “Summer Dreams,” Beijing Sanlitun “Winter Fairy Tale”
Secret Weapon: Team includes former theater stage designers
Artist Collaboration & Content Center
Unique Model: Each collaborating artist has dedicated “creative partner”
Content Strategy Director · Chen Sirui
Former Editor-in-Chief of Kinfolk magazine
Content Philosophy: “We don’t produce content—we document beautiful moments.”
Achievements:
NEVERLAB content accounts: 15 million global followers
User-generated content (UGC): 60% of social media content
Established “Beautiful Life Lab” content IP
Artist Incubation Program
Nurtured 20 emerging artists from studio to market
Provides: Creation funding, production support, copyright protection, global exposure
Latest Success: Post-00s artist Xiao Lin’s work reached ¥5 million monthly sales
Global Operations Team
Asia Business Unit
HQ: Shanghai | Coverage: Mainland China, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, Japan/Korea, Southeast Asia
Team Trait: Deep understanding of Eastern aesthetics, expert localization
Japan Market Director · Tanaka Masako
Achievement: Tokyo Ginza store broke first-month sales record
Localization Innovation: Japanese-style limited series blending traditional craft with modern design
Team Motto: “With Japanese perfectionism, create beauty loved worldwide.”
Europe & North America Business Unit
Dual HQ: London (Design Center), New York (Marketing Center)
Team Size: 150 (expanding to 500 by 2026)
European Design Center · Milan
Lead: Marco Rossi (former Armani Home Design Director)
Mission: Blend European century-old craftsmanship with NEVERLAB’s youthful energy
First Project: Italian hand-blown glass series, 72 hours per piece
North America Marketing Center · New York
Strategy: Tell Eastern aesthetic stories in TikTok language
Result: 5 million US Gen Z followers in 3 months
Innovation: Collaboration with MoMA for limited series
Emerging Markets Development Group
Current Focus: Middle East, Australia, Eastern Europe
Strategy: Light assets, strong partnerships, deep localization
Notable Members:
UAE Market Lead: Former royal advisor fluent in five languages
Australia Team: Retail experts who are former surf instructors
R&D & Innovation Lab
NEVERLAB Future Lab
Positioning: Brand innovation engine, allows 70% failure rate
Current Crazy Projects:
Emotion-Sensing Wearables
Status: Prototype testing
Function: Monitor emotional changes, recommend matching NEVERLAB products
Team: Neuroscientists + jewelry designers
Sustainable Materials Research Center
Achievement: 100% recyclable packaging by 2025
Goal: All products use renewable materials by 2027
Latest Breakthrough: Eco-leather alternative from mushrooms
Retail Technology Lab
In Development: AR Magic Mirror (virtual try-on for all accessories)
Live: Smart Display System (adjusts store ambiance based on weather)
Future Vision: Scent transmission technology (smell new fragrances online)
Office & Studio Culture
Shanghai HQ · “NEVERLAND Campus”
Address: Floors 68-72, Shanghai World Financial Center, Century Avenue, Pudong
Design Concept: “Office buildings should generate inspiration, not bury it.”
Signature Spaces:
Fairy Tale Library: Global children’s books and design manuscripts
Material Museum: Touch wall displaying 3,000+ fabrics
Failure Exhibition: Showcasing all unreleased designs, celebrating brave attempts
Rooftop Garden: Thursday afternoon tea turns into creative market
Silence Pods: For designers needing absolute quiet
Scream Room: For stress relief when needed
Global Studio Network
Milan Design Studio: Historic building with private courtyard garden
Tokyo Creative Space: Minimalist Japanese style, cherry blossoms outside window
New York Inspiration Lab: In SoHo, surrounded by galleries and cafés
Team Culture & Values
1. Forever Young
Practices:
Interview question: “Do you still believe in miracles?”
Monthly “useless but interesting” innovation day
Pets allowed, pajamas acceptable at office
Birthdays: Fulfill a childhood wish instead of cake
2. Extreme Aesthetics
Standards:
No “ugly” products launched regardless of cost
Weekly aesthetic training: Renaissance to street graffiti
Designers must pass “color sensitivity test”
Even email signatures have design specifications
3. User Empathy
Deep Connection:
Every employee speaks with 10+ customers monthly
Product testing: “Will this make you happy?” before “Is it practical?”
Customer service KPI: Smile index, not resolution speed
Quarterly “day in customer’s home” experience
4. Global Mindset
Diversity Integration:
Team from 28 countries, 5-language simultaneous translation in meetings
Every project requires cross-cultural team members
Annual “cultural exchange month” for inter-office rotations
Decisions consider: How would Tokyo/Paris/New York understand this?
5. Joyful Work
Happiness-Driven:
No clocking in/out, only goals
30 days annual leave + 1 month “inspiration exploration leave”
In-house psychologist
More success celebrations than problem reviews
Growth & Development
NEVERLAB University
Motto: “Here, you can become any version of yourself you wish.”
Core Programs:
Design Thinking Masterclass (with Parsons School of Design)
Global Retail Management (simulations + international rotations)
Artist Entrepreneurship Camp (commercialization for creators)
Emotional Value Studies (psychology + product design交叉学科)
Unique Systems:
Internal Startup Fund: ¥1 million for employee ideas
Career Reinvention Program: Apply for completely new role every 2 years
Lifelong Learning Account: ¥50,000 annual deposit for any skill development
Principle: Role determined by ability, direction by interest
Team Honors
Collective Achievements
2025 Great Place to Work® China Top 3
2025 LinkedIn Most Attractive Employer (Retail)
Employee Satisfaction: 4.8/5.0 (2025 internal survey)
Employee Retention: 92% (industry average 68%)
Individual Honors
Alex Chen: 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 (Arts & Style)
Zhang Wei: 2025 Women in Tech Awards Innovation Leader
Midori Matsumoto: Japan Traditional Craft Promotion Association Special Contribution Award
Employee Stories Wall
From Fan to Designer · Xiaoyu’s Story
“In 2023 I was a college student buying my first NEVERLAB bunny. When I shared customization ideas online, the brand discovered me. Now I’m the youngest designer in Product Design Center. Last week my ‘Library Bear’ launched—it’s the character I sketched in my diary at 19.”
Cross-Cultural Innovation · Marco’s Journey
“I did luxury design in Milan for 20 years, thinking I knew beauty. Joining NEVERLAB, the Chinese team’s understanding of ‘warmth,’ Japanese colleagues’ ‘detail obsession,’ Korean designers’ ‘color courage’ completely reshaped my design perspective. Now my work appears at Milan Design Week and Chengdu alley boutiques—it’s magical.”
Technologist with Heart · Jie’s Transformation
“Previously at tech companies, coding for speed and power. Now algorithms analyze what toy curvature feels most huggable, what scent combinations ease anxiety. My girlfriend says I’ve become ‘more human’—that’s the highest praise.”