Our Team
Board
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RobinZhang Founding PartnerRobin Zhang
Founding Partner
Prior to joining VA, Robin worked in both non-profit and for-profit environment for 10+ years. His role as Director of Strategic Planning for Jet Li’s One Foundation gave him extensive exposure to China NGO and social enterprise sectors, as well as knowledge in best practices from world’s leading non-profit organizations and service providers Robin’s earlier professional background include being the Project Leader from Boston Consulting Group, and Director of Sales & Marketing for Kennametal in the U.S. and China.
In BCG, he worked in various industry/consumer goods sectors with focuses on business growth, sales & marketing effectiveness, as well as operation improvement and change management. In Kennametal, he was a key leader in launching the company's $30 million China investment plan.
Robin holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Material Science from Tsinghua University, and an MBA degree from The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
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GraciaGu Managing PartnerGracia Gu
Managing Partner
Gracia has 10+ years of experience in project management and financial evaluation. Her earlier professional experiences include Project Leader for the Boston Consulting Group, and Head of Portfolio Management, Premium Banking at Standard Chartered Bank China.
In BCG, Gracia worked in various industries including financial services, pharmaceuticals and medical devices etc. She also covered non-profit sector, where she helped an NGO set up project selection/ prioritization mechanism, developed partnership/ advocacy strategy and designed training curriculum. At Standard Chartered, she was responsible for portfolio growth in Premium Banking segment, and a major member of the bank’s retail strategy team.
Gracia holds an MBA degree from INSEAD and a B.A. degree in Economics from Fudan University.
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MichealTong Founding Partner, YuMicheal Tong
Founding Partner, Yu
Michael is an expert on venture/project evaluation and scale up advisory. He has led investments in industries including education, consumer goods and services, healthcare, and technology etc. Michael serves as director of the board for multiple portfolio companies.
Michael’s earlier professional experiences include Investment Director with Orchid Asia, Market Development Director at GE China, project manager for The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Product Manager for China Hewlett-Packard (HP).
Michael holds an MBA degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Peking University.
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FrancesZhang Founding Partner, YuFrances Zhang
Founding Partner, Yu
Frances has been an entrepreneur since 1997 in IT consulting industry. She was one of the key founders and senior executives of Vanceinfo – China’s largest Business / IT consulting, solutions, and outsourcing service provider. The company was listed in NYSE in late 2007.
Frances holds B.S. degree in Electronic Engineering from Tsinghua University, and M.S. degree from Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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JamesWei Founding Partner, YuJames Wei
Founding Partner, Yu
James is now Greater China board member and general manager of sales and marketing in Kluber Lubrication. James joined Kluber in 1997 and took charge for business development in China since 1999. Kluber’s business kept growing more than 30% every year since then and reached 400M RMB in revenue in 2010.
James holds MBA degree and B.S. in information system from Tsinghua University.
Partners
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YanqiuHou PartnerYanqiu Hou
Partner
Yanqiu Hou is the Partner of Venture Avenue with rich work experiences in international NGOs and private sector in China, Switzerland and the US for almost 20 years.
Yanqiu is very experienced with China grant making and management in the fields such as education, health care, livelihood and environment. She has a deep understanding of compliance matters regarding ONGO’s operation under China’s laws and regulations.
During her 8-year tenure at WWF, Yanqiu was responsible for operations of WWF International’s Conservation Division and running the Network’s Conservation Committee. She advised WWF-China’s Country Representative on various matters such as strategic planning, institutional relationship development and change management.
Before working for nonprofits, Yanqiu managed high-profile enterprise accounts in various industries and provided consultancy services for Fortune 500 companies in the US.
Yanqiu holds an MA degree from Brandeis University and an MIS degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She is a licensed public educator in secondary teaching in the State of Massachusetts.
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MaggieLou PartnerMaggie Lou
Partner
Maggie is a Junior Partner at Venture Avenue Shanghai Office, with over 8 years of work experience in the social sector focusing on research, evaluation and management consulting. She is a strong advocate for evidence-based practice, social innovation and integration of business and philanthropy.
At Venture Avenue, she has led abundant projects including strategic planning for charitable foundations and CSR, evaluation for non-profit and social entrepreneurial projects, policy and sectorial research, and Project Management Office. She is also a course instructor of Introduction of Social entrepreneurship at Tsinghua University, which is intended to inspire young leaders to think about how to make the world a better place and take action.
Prior to Venture Avenue, Maggie has accumulated both operational and project-based consulting experience in various nonprofits and social enterprises in U.S. and India, providing services such as feasibility study, impact assessment, database management, and operation optimization.
Maggie holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, and a B.A. degree in English from Tsinghua University.
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JingHuang PartnerJing Huang
Partner
Jing Huang is a Junior Partner at VA with a decade experience in non-profit sector, focusing on management consulting, research and evaluation, grant management, and psychological counseling in China and abroad.
At VA, she has led and participated in various strategic planning, evaluation, and research projects in the areas of environment, education, children and women, rural development, and arbitration. She was also responsible for research and strategic support for one of the global leading companies in media and entertainment industry.
Prior to VA, as a program manager in Give2Asia (U.S.) Beijing Rep Office, Jing became experienced with grant making and management under China’s ONGO Law and Charity Law. Her experiences with China Association of Social Workers also left her with a solid understanding of today’s social work and social welfare in and out of China.
During her time as a frontline social worker in Canada and Singapore, Jing accumulated experiences in marriage and family counseling, children with mental disabilities and elderly service. She was responsible for both psychological counseling and leading multi-discipline team to support clients in need.
Jing holds an MPM degree from Potsdam University, an MSSc degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a B.A. degree in Laws from Renmin University of China. She is a licensed social worker and psychological counselor in China.
Staff
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TaraLi PrincipalTara Li
Principal
Tara has more than 7 years of experience in strategic consulting and organizational development in philanthropy and commercial crossover industries. Tara is a strategic advisor who helps nonprofits improve organizational efficiency and achieve goals effectively. Tara has a strong understanding of the intersection of public welfare and business.
At VA, Li has led various strategic planning initiatives, including those for the China Population Welfare Foundation, the China Red Cross Foundation, and Standard Chartered Bank's CSR evaluation. She has also participated in evaluations for Nike, the Inner Mongolia Red Cross, and the Lao Niu Foundation. Additionally, she built the 'First Voice' Hearing Impaired Children's Aid Project from scratch.
Tara Li holds a Master's degree in International Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree from Zhejiang Gongshang University.
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DaisyRuan PrincipalDaisy Ruan
Principal
Daisy has worked for a number of multinational pharmaceutical companies, including Takeda and Roche, and has gained extensive experience in the medical and rare disease fields.
At VA, Daisy has led multiple impact investment, strategic planning, organizational change and program evaluation projects. She has more than 12 years of experience in strategic consulting and program management in the intersection of nonprofit and business sectors.
Daisy holds an MBA degree from the University of Michigan Stephen M.Ross School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree from Shanghai University of International Business and economics.
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ChaoGe AccociateChao Ge
Accociate
Before joining VA, Chao GE has accumulated diverse experience in the impact investing and finance. He has worked for China Global Philanthropy Institute for two years. During the period in CGPI, Chao did a lot research work in the field of impact investing, social enterprise and social impact bonds. Before that, he worked for Jinzheng Hutong Company and Mahong Foundation. Jinzheng Hutong is an investor relation management company. Chao provided independent case analysis report in field of IPO, mergers and acquisitions for the company. During his period in Mahong Foundation, he assisted in organizing the forum for the think tank and Civilian evaluation of government work.
Chao GE graduates from Institute for Advanced Study Wuhan University. He hold an economy and math B.A. degree and an economy master degree. He also hold an economy master degree from Toulouse School of Economy, Toulouse 1 Capitole University (France).
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ZhuoruiXu AccociateZhuorui Xu
Accociate
Prior to joining VA, Zhuorui worked for HSBC (China) as customer service assistant. Before then, he took an internship in UNCDF Myanmar office as a project assistant of Microfinance development project, mainly participated in the field study of local microfinance institutions, financial and non-financial data analysis, and evaluation reports drafting.
In college, Zhuorui actively engaged in various non-profit activities. He was a student volunteer of Adream Foundation and provided course training and advisement for multiple junior high schools in Hu Nan and Xi’ An province. He also organized and coordinated different non-profit projects in SiCheng Group (A self-organized student community), including the One-to-One assistance project of the Hope School in Gu Zhou province and Hall of Fame non-profit seminar.
Zhuorui holds a Master degree of Development Management (public economic management and finance) from Birmingham University and a Bachelor degree of Business Administration in finance from Hong Kong Baptist University.
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AbnerYang Senior Business AnalystAbner Yang
Senior Business Analyst
Prior to joining VA, Abner worked in VA as an intern, supporting non-profit and consulting projects.
In college, Abner joined AIESEC, the world’s largest student-led organization. He served as the vice president of the local committee, the coach of national supporting team and he also had the organizing experience of conference with 500 people.
He led Hainan's 'Happiness Micro-Dream' International Vocational Education Public Welfare Program. After joining VA, he participated in the Hearing Impaired Children Program of the China Women's Development Foundation. 'Seeing Love' Children's Visual Safety and Health Program, as well as conducting research on the density of social emergency volunteers for Tencent SSV.
Abner holds a bachelor degree in asset evaluation from Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.
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FeifeiChen Senior Business AnalystFeifei Chen
Senior Business Analyst
Before joining VA, Feifei had accumulated more than 4 years professional working experiences as a senior consultant at Deloitte Financial Advisory and a senior business analyst at Meituan. While working at Deloitte, she was mostly engaged in improving client’s internal data flow/system as well as managed client relationship. She once helped customize the company’s case management platform to enable the remediation efforts for all the wholesale accounts for a top 5 US bank. After that, she joined Meituan to work on the pricing strategy for the end-rider under intra-city delivery program and helped expand the program across mainland China.
She has a passion for the non-profit and philanthropic areas. She volunteered for several events previously, such as 2011 Shenzhen Summer Universiade. And additionally, she helped the Brooklyn Jewish community to install the smoke alarms along with promoting the fire safety awareness.
Feifei holds a MS degree in Business Analytics from Fordham University and a BA degree in Finance from Shenzhen University.
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WenyuanZhu Senior AnalystWenyuan Zhu
Senior Analyst
Before joining VA, Wenyuan worked for Meituan as a product manager, responsible for user research, competitive product research, and data analysis, and carried out digital construction work according to business needs and research conclusions.
During college, Wenyuan actively engaged in philanthropic areas. She interned at the Effective Philanthropy multiplier and participated in philanthropic program selection and monitoring.
She has also accumulated some expertise in the field of sexual and reproductive health. She served as a core member of the China Youth Network, a national youth volunteer organization, and led a team providing technical support for college students who carry out sexuality education across the country. She also served as a research assistant at the children's sexuality education research group at Beijing Normal University, where Wenyuan was involved in developing a part of intervention materials and assessment tools.
Wenyuan holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws from Peking University.
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HazelShen Business AnalystHazel Shen
Business Analyst
Prior to VA, Hazel has worked in Social Services and Program Evaluation in the US.
As a front-line social worker, she has a great passion for social services and philanthropy. She worked as a full-time employee and intern in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Botswana (Africa), gaining extensive experience in youth development, senior care, immigrants/refugees services, and affordable housing community support.
As an evaluator, she has a solid theoretical foundation and some practical experience in nonprofit evaluation. She participated in NGO internal program evaluations multiple times and carried out analysis work cooperatively or independently.
Hazel holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor of Law from East China of Political Science and Law. She is a licensed social worker in both California State and Pennsylvania State in the US.
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KikiWu Executive AssistantKiki Wu
Executive Assistant
Kiki Wu joined VA in January 2011 as executive assistant. She is responsible for assisting VA's general manager in financial and administration management. She is also assisting VA team in project support
In VA, Kiki has actively supported evaluation and strategy team by participating field survey and analysis. She has quickly accumulated knowledge about China social sector, and further reinforced her interest in VA's consulting projects
While in school, Kiki actively engaged in varieties of community building and volunteer activities. During Shanghai Expo' 2010, Kiki joined Finnish Pavilion volunteer team, responsible for visitor booking and guiding Nordic visitors. Through those activities, she accumulated valuable work experience and enhanced her social responsibility
Kiki holds B.S. from Shanghai Business College. She is a registered accountant
Advisor
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XiaojingFu Advisor, Xinhu-YuXiaojing Fu
Advisor, Xinhu-Yu
Xiaojing has 6 years of experience in management consulting, project management and evaluation. Her earlier professional experiences include Project Leader for the Boston Consulting Group, and Strategy Specialist for British Telecom.
In BCG, Xiaojing worked in various industries including telecom and technology, social impact, etc. She helped a global NGO to assess registration and fund-raising options in China. She was also one of the key members in BCG Greater China Social Impact team,and helped coordinating the cooperation between BCG and various organizations.
Xiaojing holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Control Science from Tsinghua University, and an MBA degree from The Stanford Graduate School of Business.
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MandyZhang AdvisorMandy Zhang
Advisor
Mandy Zhang is acquiring her MBA degree at Harvard Business School (HBS), and the president of HBS Impact Investing Club.
Prior to business school, Mandy was the COO of Tsinghua x-lab Social Innovation Hub and a Principal at Venture Avenue. She worked with social entrepreneurs in China to develop their business models and to introduce relevant resources to social entrepreneurs. Mandy also provided consulting services to the Asian Development Bank to search for inclusive businesses in China that create jobs for the bottom of the pyramid population and increase their income.
Prior to her role at Venture Avenue, Mandy was an associate with Morgan Stanley Hong Kong and experienced with equity electronic trading. Mandy spearheaded events for HK+Acumen group to promote impact investing in Hong Kong and to raise funds for local social enterprises.
In addition, Mandy has worked for the United Nations International Labour Organization in Geneva to conduct a quantitative research on the role of national development banks in job creation during periods of financial distress. Mandy has also worked for China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation Microfinance in Beijing, Domestic Workers United in New York, and Nomura Securities in Hong Kong.
Mandy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Labor Relations and Economics from Cornell University.
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XiaoweiZhou AdvisorXiaowei Zhou
Advisor
Xiaowei is an experienced governance, risk and compliance professional. His professional experiences include Amazon’s Internal Audit Director for the Asia Pacific region, and General Motors’ Audit Director for their International Operations. Earlier in his career, Xiaowei did technology and risk consulting with PWC and EY. He started his career as a lecturer in University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST).
Xiaowei holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from USST. Xiaowei is a Certified Public Accountant in Washington State.
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SueLiu AdvisorSue Liu
Advisor
Establishment and operation of private investment funds and mergers, acquisitions, equity offerings and public listings.
Sue is a long time supporter of corporate philanthropy and social entrepreneurship, and has engaged in pro bono legal service for non-profit and impact investing organizations through out her career.
Mr. Liu graduated from Peking University (LL.B.) and holds JD degree from Columbia University Law School and is New York qualified.
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AnnLi Financial AdvisorAnn Li
Financial Advisor
Ann is VA’s Financial Advisor based in Beijing office. With 10+ years experience from enterprise financial management and internal control management, Ann is committed to VA’s evaluation service, and financial advisory for social enterprises / NGOs.
In VA, Ann has led or participated many due diligence, monitoring and evaluation projects, as well as financial advisory services. Selected examples are:
- NGO award recipients of Jet Li One Foundation’s Philanthropy Grants
- social enterprise award recipients of British Council’s “Skills to Social Entrepreneurs”
Prior to VA, Ann worked 14 years in a few corporate as financial controller and financial advisor. She is experienced in various financial management topics such as investment management, IPO planning, merger and acquisition, governance and auditing.
Ann has been committed to China NGO sector since 2004. Highlights of her experiences include:
- Managed operation for “1 Kg” as a Project Officer
- Conducted investigation for “Light of Hope”
Ann is a certified senior accountant. She holds master’s degree from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.