But thanks to his Chinese wife, Breard is able to understand Chinese thinking and translate it into Western mindset.

His rich working experience in different cultures - he worked in Athens, London, and Seattle for many years before coming to Shanghai - also contributes to his ability to adapt quickly, says colleague Dennis Raymond John Scott, an assistant chief designer at Comac.

One of the challenges in China, Breard says, is the lack of training on the importance of process management.

He brought that up during the recent meeting with China's top political leader Xi Jinping. He suggested bridging the gap between university curricula and industry needs.

Breard has recently been appointed as a consultant of Zhejiang University in Zhejiang's capital Hangzhou, and says he will make sure that project management is included in the curriculum.

"It's our mission to inspire young people in carving a new page of history here in China," he says.

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