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HONG KONG, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CNN's head of Asia Pacific, Ellana Lee, has been elevated to the newly created global role of Group Senior Vice President, General Manager APAC, and Global Head of Productions, overseeing a brand-new team at CNN that will handle all aspects of multi-platform sponsored content at the network alongside her existing editorial responsibilities.
In a CNN career spanning 25 years, most recently as SVP, Managing Editor Asia Pacific, & Global Head of Features Content, Lee has pioneered its highly successful approach to feature content, including major initiatives such as its award-winning Call to Earth.
Effective immediately, Lee's expanded role will see her guide a new Global Productions team, focused on developing and producing sponsored content across all platforms, and see the creation of new roles in the United States to strengthen and expand the existing Features team, currently based across Atlanta, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and London.
Mike McCarthy, Managing Editor, CNN Worldwide, said: "Under Ellana's leadership, our Features team has consistently innovated, delivering award-winning, multi-platform, editorially robust and engaging feature content that has attracted commercial partnerships with some of the world's most dynamic and successful brands. She will now bring that experience, creativity and skill to bear across the network, working in tandem with our digital, TV, product, programming, marketing, communications, and commercial teams globally."
Lee, as the most senior executive outside the United States, will continue to be based at CNN's Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. As head of the Asia Pacific region, she will also continue to shape CNN's editorial output there, with overall responsibility for its slate of award-winning programming as well as its roster of correspondents and newsgathering teams across eight editorial operations.
HONG KONG, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CNN's head of Asia Pacific, Ellana Lee, has been elevated to the newly created global role of Group Senior Vice President, General Manager APAC, and Global Head of Productions, overseeing a brand-new team at CNN that will handle all aspects of multi-platform sponsored content at the network alongside her existing editorial responsibilities.
In a CNN career spanning 25 years, most recently as SVP, Managing Editor Asia Pacific, & Global Head of Features Content, Lee has pioneered its highly successful approach to feature content, including major initiatives such as its award-winning Call to Earth.
Effective immediately, Lee's expanded role will see her guide a new Global Productions team, focused on developing and producing sponsored content across all platforms, and see the creation of new roles in the United States to strengthen and expand the existing Features team, currently based across Atlanta, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and London.
Mike McCarthy, Managing Editor, CNN Worldwide, said: "Under Ellana's leadership, our Features team has consistently innovated, delivering award-winning, multi-platform, editorially robust and engaging feature content that has attracted commercial partnerships with some of the world's most dynamic and successful brands. She will now bring that experience, creativity and skill to bear across the network, working in tandem with our digital, TV, product, programming, marketing, communications, and commercial teams globally."
Lee, as the most senior executive outside the United States, will continue to be based at CNN's Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. As head of the Asia Pacific region, she will also continue to shape CNN's editorial output there, with overall responsibility for its slate of award-winning programming as well as its roster of correspondents and newsgathering teams across eight editorial operations.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Ellana Lee to take on expanded role as head of newly created CNN Global Productions team
SHANGHAI, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 8, 2026, CHAGEE released its 2025 Year-End Tea Friends Review. The Review outlines the company's growth over the past year, with its store network now operating in eight countries across two continents. Annual tea sourcing volume surpassed 10,000 tons, covering six major tea categories as well as key Pu'er-producing regions, supported by partnerships with more than 100 tea factories.
Global Footprint Reaches Eight Countries; Asia-Pacific Overseas Membership Climbs 177%
The 2025 Year-End Tea Friends Review shows that CHAGEE's store network currently operates in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and the United States. In April, CHAGEE completed its public listing on the NASDAQ exchange (Ticker: CHA), becoming the first freshly made tea beverage brand from China to list on a U.S. stock exchange and one of the largest food and beverage IPOs globally since 2022, according to publicly available market data.
Overseas growth has supported the expansion of CHAGEE's customer base. According to the Report, membership in Asia-Pacific overseas markets rose 177% year-on-year in 2025, with 61% of members under the age of 30. Member counts in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines increased by approximately 4-fold, 5.4-fold, 20-fold, and 11-fold, respectively. Online engagement related to CHAGEE across international social platforms increased by approximately 250% compared with the prior year. Terms like "tea", "tea culture", and "tea-inspired lifestyle" have become popular among young local consumers, positioning tea as a shared point of cultural interest among younger audiences across markets.
BO•YA JASMINE GREEN MILK TEA Gains Worldwide Popularity
As CHAGEE's global presence grows, BO•YA Jasmine Green Milk Tea continued to gain recognition across international markets. Data from Frost & Sullivan shows that sales of the beverage surpassed 1.25 billion cups between January 2022 and June 2025. The Review indicates BO•YA Jasmine Green Milk Tea ranks among the top-selling products in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Preferences vary by region—for instance, consumers in Malaysia and Singapore show greater interest in Peach Oolong Milk Tea—reflecting the company's strategy of tailoring offerings to local preferences as international operations expand.
In the past year, more than 30 million customers placed single orders for two or more cups of BO•YA Jasmine Green Milk Tea, highlighting shared consumption occasions. Group orders rose notably, with orders exceeding 20 cups increasing by more than 15% and orders over 100 cups rising by more than 40% year-on-year.During the Spring Festival holiday, orders of 50–100 cups surged by as much as 259% year-on-year.
In 2025, BO•YA Jasmine Green Milk Tea received the Best Natural/Organic Beverage award at the World Beverage Innovation Awards. CHAGEE was also recognized in the Best Processing/Production Innovation category and named a finalist for several additional international innovation awards.
Annual Tea Sourcing Holds at 10,000 Tons; Modern Tea Approach Supports Supply Chain Development
Within the tea industry, CHAGEE continues to deepen partnerships with upstream producers. In 2025, the company's annual tea sourcing remained at approximately the 10,000-ton scale, with partnerships extending to more than 100 tea factories.
Product innovation further links industry capabilities with consumer preferences. Last year, CHAGEE introduced over 20 new products. Within the Fresh Milk Tea series, more than 50% of new releases featured floral or fruit elements. By applying its Fresh Brew technology system, CHAGEE has integrated contemporary extraction techniques into freshly made tea beverage preparation, bringing new flavor expressions to traditional tea leaves.
In 2025, CHAGEE also completed over 10 craftsmanship and process innovation initiatives in collaboration with tea gardens, factories, and research institutions.
The 2025 Year-End Tea Friends Review further notes that CHAGEE now operates more than 25 pet-friendly stores, has supported the construction of 23 children's playgrounds this year, opened 14 deaf-inclusive silent stores, added 219 new 24-hour locations, and opened new stores at an average rate of one every 1.7 days. Approximately 1340 stores joined CHAGEE's Night Clean Project, supporting 18,000 store partners complete end-of-day operations on schedule.
"Making Friends Through Tea" is more than a tagline—it reflects CHAGEE's ongoing approach of building lasting, respectful connections centered on shared tea experiences. Each day, CHAGEE brings people together through a cup of tea.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
CHAGEE Releases "2025 Year-End Tea Friends Review": Global Stores Span 8 Countries Across 2 Continents, Annual Tea Procurement Exceeds 10,000 Tons
