Brian Drout

Background

About Brian Drout

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, attending Kettle Moraine High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Studying abroad in Peru sparked a global curiosity and, after graduation, I left the USA and moved to China, where I worked in education, studied Mandarin, and learned about Chinese history and culture. In 2017 I accepted a Schwarzman Scholarship to attend Tsinghua University in Beijing, studying economics and business. After graduating, I moved to London, where I worked at BTS Consulting before returning to China to join The Hutong, China’s most sought-after experiential education company. As The Hutong’s General Manager, I lead the company's operations and drive strategic execution across our programs and teams. I am responsible for ensuring operational excellence, strengthening business processes, and cultivating a vibrant culture. I oversee organizational capacity planning, cross-functional alignment, and the implementation of high-leverage systems that enable sustainable growth. I specialize in designing and delivering complex, strategic projects that address critical challenges and unlock new opportunities. The initiatives I lead - ranging from overhauling onboarding, to implementing company-wide IT migrations, to building real-time KPI dashboards - become core business processes that shape the company's operating system. As part of The Hutong’s Senior Management Team, I identify root challenges, align strategy, and translate ideas into practical, lasting solutions. I am passionate about empowering high performing teams, building resilient systems, and bringing a can-do, professional approach to every challenge and opportunity. Outside of work, I’m an avid runner, swimmer, cyclist, and I love to learn about culture and language through travel and adventure. I am skilled in the following competencies: Leadership & Strategy • General Management • Strategy & Change Management • Business Unit Leadership Operations & Performance • Operations Management • Project & Portfolio Management • Business Process Improvement • Sales Operations • Financial Analysis People & Growth • Talent Acquisition & Development • Learning & Development (Training Design & Facilitation) • Organizational Culture Building