Kay first went to China on an extended two year ‘gap year’ in 2001 to teach English and travel. She then returned to the UK to study for a BA in Contemporary History at the University of Sussex, whilst studying Chinese in evening classes. After several more trips to China and a stint backpacking through various countries around the world, she completed an MA in Chinese and Business at Leeds University. Kay then worked at a UK university as an international recruitment officer, before joining the team here at CRCC Asia. She continues to pursue her interest in Chinese by studying evening classes at SOAS.

Laura completed an undergraduate degree in Advertising and Promotions Management at the University of Buckinghamshire, in addition to a Masters in Corporate Brand Management at Brunel University, West London. She lived in Beijing whilst taking part in the CRCC Asia China Internship program and gained a deep interest in Chinese business culture. She worked as a marketing intern, developing the online social gaming brand, Kabam. Prior to joining CRCC Asia, she interned at the advertising agency Initials Marketing and is very much committed to promoting UK-China links at CRCC Asia.

Having grown up in Hong Kong and Britain, Dominic studied for a BA in History at the University of Sheffield, during which time he also spent a year at McMaster University in Canada. After graduating in 2010 he moved to Guangdong, China on a British Council programme where he taught English in a Chinese secondary school for a year. Having recently returned from China, Dominic is now keen to further develop his Mandarin skills and to increase his involvement in all things China related from here in London with CRCC Asia.

Alice first visited Asia on her gap year, travelling through Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. She has also visited Japan, parts of Africa, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. She graduated with a BA in English Literature from UCL in 2009, and then worked and travelled in South America for a year. While in South America she studied Spanish, volunteered in disaster reconstruction, and visited areas around the continent from Colombia to Patagonia. Alice has been working for CRCC Asia, assisting Kay with the application procedure, since August.

Daniel read Modern Languages at Keble College, Oxford University and obtained a Masters of Science in International Management for China from the University of London (SOAS). He taught at the University of Hebei before working with Exxon Mobil. Daniel co-founded CRCC Asia in 2006 and was involved in successfully setting up education partnerships between UK and Chinese institutions. More recently he has been working with the IFC, and has been sponsored by the World Bank to co-develop a program to assess and evaluate corporate governance in Chinese companies, prior to listing overseas Daniel has been profiled in The Guardian (UK) and Sunday Times (UK) for his work with China and took the main role in a documentary on doing business with China for American TV. He is a UK Government connector, with the role of encouraging entrepreneurship amongst young Brits. He was the Vice President of the Oxford Cambridge Club Beijing and one of the founding members of the UK based China Advisers Network.

Jenny is from Shanghai and studied Mandarin at Fudan University. She subsequently studied in The Netherlands and received a Bachelors Degree in International Business and Management from The Hague University. She lived in Paris for two years, working for a French Executive Training company and returned to Shanghai in 2007 where she worked for a Spanish Real Estate and Architecture company for three years. Jenny enjoys travel and meeting with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Angela is from Vancouver, Canada and graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, concentrating in International Business and Human Resource Management. She also studied Global Enterprise Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2008 and Chinese Language at Tsinghua University in Beijing in 2009. Prior to moving to Shanghai, she gained over two years of experience working in the Vancouver real estate industry. Angela enjoys traveling, good food, and is interested in the development of China’s economy and culture.

Luika is most recently from Los Angeles, but has lived all over the world and calls many places home. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and International Business. She studied Mandarin at Fudan University and spent two years working for an international sports and entertainment company in Los Angeles and Shanghai before joining the CRCC Asia team.

Kelley is from Shanghai and graduated from Shanghai Maritime University with a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering. She also studied at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and partook in an Exchange Program with Lehigh University in the US. Kelley previously worked for the Human Resources Organization, FESCO and enjoys travel, reading and cross cultural training.

Eric graduated from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in International Economics and Trade. Eric enriched his college life by taking various social activities including drama and soccer. Prior to joining CRCC Asia, Eric worked at an immigration consulting firm which helps Chinese entrepreneurs to migrate to Quebec, Canada and was a coordinator at NBC in Beijing during which time he worked on the Beijing Olympics.

Hannah is from Suffolk, England and graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Human Biology. Her first year in industry was working for a luxury international events company based in London. Hannah relocated to China thereafter to join the CRCC Asia team in Shanghai.

Maysha was born and raised in Groningen, The Netherlands. She received her Masters degree in Psychology, with a first major in cognitive neuroscience and work psychology and a second major in statistics and methodology. After graduation, Maysha has worked in the fields of HRM consultancy, corporate training (E-Learning) and organizational development consultancy in multinational companies like Dutch Telecom and Microsoft, in both The Netherlands and China. As a Dutch born Chinese Maysha’s link with China has always been very strong, and from 2007 on she has spent most of her time working and living in China. In her free time, she loves everything related to music and plays bass guitar in her Beijing based band.

Mingming obtained a BA in Business Management at The University of Wales In Cardiff and gained an MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management from The University of Birmingham. After studying French in Paris, Mingming worked for a British consulting company involved in pensions and employee benefits, and then became the European department manager in a consulting company in Beijing. Mingming has a rich experience of living and working in both Europe and China, and also has strong professional knowledge in the education sector.

Neil graduated from Loughborough University with a B.A. in Politics and International Relations while his undergraduate dissertation addressed the topic of ‘Sovereign Wealth Funds and the Rise of State Capitalism’. Neil’s dissertation introduced him to China’s strategic global position and influenced his decision to study Mandarin at Beijing Language and Culture University. Prior to joining CRCC Asia, Neil worked at Threadneedle Asset Management as well as with a London based mechanical engineering firm. Neil recognises the importance of maintaining and strengthening British-Chinese relationships and is involved with the British Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network. Neil is interested in promoting Corporate Social Responsibility within China through the work and promotion of youth, NGO and corporate platforms.

Rui Qi was born in and grew up in Beijing. After obtaining her first degree in Tianjin Normal University, she went to UK to get her Masters Degree in Tourism and Leisure Management Development. After living, studying and working in the UK for nearly four years, she came back to her home town and worked in the Educational Industry. She worked in a joint-venture programme as the internal verification leader to ensure the highest academic quality for all programmes. She then became the project manager for the China Office of Roehampton University-London and was in charge of student recruitment and cooperation with Chinese educational institutes.

Michael studied Politics and International Relations at Lancaster University, in the cold North West of the United Kingdom. After arriving in Beijing at the start of 2011 as an intern on the CRCC Asia Internship Program he was bitten by the “Beijing bug” and developed a strong interest in Chinese business culture since. Working as a Marketing Intern for the popular social networking service Renren. In his spare time Michael can often be found furthering his Chinese Mandarin language study, or knee deep in HTML as he codes/design websites.

Andrew graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Connecticut. As an undergraduate he spent his time playing Ultimate Frisbee and taking semesters studying Mandarin Chinese at the Beijing Institute of Education in China. He has always had a keen interest in Chinese language and culture and before joining CRCC Asia he continued his language studies in Beijing while working as a General Manager for a Great Wall touring company.

Chicka Chai has been working in Beijing for three years. She received her BA in English from the University of Hebei Province. After graduation, she worked as a tour guide during the summer holidays and in an educational recruiting company in Beijing doing marketing, recruiting and visa service. She loves travelling, music, foreign literature and communicating with people from all over the world.

Sara grew up in Santa Barbara, California before graduating with a BA in International Relations from American University in Washington, D.C. As an undergraduate, she spent her junior year abroad in Beijing at Peking University, sparking her initial interest in Mandarin language and Chinese culture. Outside of CRCC Asia, Sara spends her spare time playing soccer, traveling, and practicing origami.

Tom was born in Thailand in 1967 and educated in Singapore, Pennsylvania and England. He has an MA degree in Oriental Studies (Chinese) from Cambridge University and wrote his Master’s dissertation on “China’s Oil & Gas Development Strategy”. Tom began his career at the emerging Markets Group of Wall Street investment bank, Wasserstein, Perella & Co. In 1991 he moved to China where he established several businesses in oil & gas, property, telecommunications and investment. He is the owner of Kirkwood & Sons LLP, a board member of Sino Geophysical, a shareholder in Yeepay and an adviser on energy matters to KW&Co. Tom is fluent in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese and his interests include family time, oil and gas exploration, geophysics, fly-fishing, ice hockey and tennis. Tom and his wife Kate have been involved in co-sponsoring China’s first private charity for the blind (The Bright Angel Fund) and are active supporters of the Peace Corps and Special Olympics in China.

Brian obtained a BS from Lynchburg College in Virginia; he has more than 10 years of Management experience in the Insurance and Real Estate industry in the United States. Brian has also worked on Oil and Gas projects in Canada and the US. Brian has a keen interest in Chinese culture, language, and business practices. Brian’s interests outside of CRCC include spending time with his family, cycling and playing bass guitar

Connie joined CRCC Asia with many years of administrative experience in such fields as Wall St. and the stock market, TV Broadcasting, and law where she was part of the Attorney General’s office of New Jersey. She resides with her husband and a beagle named Toby. Her son Alexander is presently enrolled in a Culinary Arts course and hopes to be a world class chef.

Edward read Oriental Studies (Chinese) at Trinity College, Cambridge and obtained a Masters of Science in International Management for China from the University of London (SOAS). He spent six months at Beijing University and three months in Singapore studying Mandarin. Professionally, Edward was as an assistant manager at China Eastern Airlines before working in an asset management company with over US$2Billion under management and specializing in investments into China. Edward co-founded CRCC Asia in 2006 and has been heavily involved in various M&A projects, company due diligence and strategic analysis. Edward is a founding member of the China Advisers Network and has been interviewed for TV and radio for his expertise on China. He is also involved in supporting charities in Thailand and China.

Jill was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has lived in Los Angeles, Barcelona, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in History and Global Studies. She has an immense love of traveling and travels at every opportunity. Future plans involve the Trans-Siberian Railway and visiting India. She enjoys yoga, reading, and trying new exotic restaurants around town.