Benjamin Cavender

Managing Director of CMR

Benjamin Cavender currently serves as Managing Director, Head of Strategy, and a Member of the Management Committee of China Market Research Group (CMR) and has over 14 years of experience in the China market. 

Cavender has oversight of CMR research teams focused on market entry and business growth strategies for retail brands seeking to grow their presence in China. He has expertise in strategic planning for companies conducting business in China with an emphasis on retail, brand, and marketing strategy, including evaluating competitor dynamics, defining competitor operational strategies, and defining growth objectives and strategy including extensive experience working with clients to define market structure. 

Cavender has regularly been asked to comment on emerging consumer, economic, and political trends in China and has been quoted in or written for major publications including The New York Times, South China Morning Post, AP, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, CNN, CNBC, Washington Post, LA Times, and Reuters. 

A frequent speaker at international conferences on China business and economy topics, Cavender has spoken at conferences hosted by the Financial Times, HSBC, Fragomen, Mercedes-Benz, Macquarie, and Bacardi, among others. He also has guest lectured for both international and Chinese graduate and undergraduate programs at schools including Harvard Business School, London Business School, Peking University, and Fudan University.

Cavender graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Government and Economics and has an Executive MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, London Business School, and the University of Hong Kong.