Jason Yat-sen Li
| Jason Yat-sen Li | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972 |
| 🏳️ Nationality |  Australia |
| 🏫 Education | LLM, New York University |
| 🎓 Alma mater | New York University University of Sydney |
| 💼 Occupation |
|
Jason Yat-sen Li (Chinese: 李逸仙) (born 1972) is an Australian businessman and a prominent member of the Chinese-Australian community.[1]. He first gained prominence during the lead up to the 1999 Australian Republic Referendum as one of the leaders of the Australian Republican Movement. Li is a successful entrepreneur and has made his way in the world of international business[2]. He has also contributed to the public sphere with his voluntary work on the boards of various think-tanks and institutions, and pro-multicultural community groups.
Early life and education
Li's parents moved to Australia from Hong Kong in 1959.
Li was born in Sydney in 1972 and grew up in Bexley, Sydney. He studied Arts-Law at the University of Sydney and after graduating with his law degree, moved to New York. In New York he completed a Masters of Law from New York University, highlighted by being recognised as Australia's Hauser Global Scholar.
Business career
Li began his working career as a solicitor for Corrs Chambers Westgarth, working for the law firm until 1999. During this time, Li also had a stint working at the United Nations, for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at the Hague, Netherlands[3], working as an associate to H.E. Judge Lal Vohrah. During his time in New York in 2000, he was an Associate in the Corporate Division of Davis Polk & Wardwell[4].
Upon returning to Sydney, he founded Professional Search Pty Ltd, working as executive director of the legal and accounting digital services platform. He sold this business in 2002.
Li then continued his professional career at Insurance Australia Group (IAG)[5]. From 2002 to 2004 Li worked as the Head of Sustainability, with the responsibility of leading IAG's sustainability program for which IAG was named Sustainable Company of the Year in 2003. He was then promoted to Head of China Strategy from 2004 to 2005, working on IAG's acquisition of the China Automobile Association as well as strategic investment in China Pacific Insurance Co. In 2005, Li was appointed General Manager, Sales & Marketing for the newly acquired IAG subsidiary China Automobile Association in Beijing. As a Senior Executive, Li had proven himself in the international business sector.
In 2007, Li founded Yatsen Associates, a boutique cross-border corporate finance advisory firm, specialising in complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions and capital raising mandates. As CEO, Jason established offices in Sydney, Beijing and Shanghai. Some of the industries that Yatsen Associates has successfully operated in are complementary medicines, education, mining, property and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
From 2013, he has been the Executive Chairman of Vantage Asia Holdings[6]. Vantage Asia Holdings manages a broad portfolio of investments both in Asia and Australia, including resources and technology firms, retail hospitality, student accommodation and vitamins/supplements firms.
Boards
Li has been heavily involved at his alma mater the University of Sydney as a Fellow of the University of Sydney Senate[7]. He has served on the Strategy and Risk Committee, the People and Culture Committee, and is currently Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee. Since 2021, Jason is a Pro-Chancellor of the University.
Previously Li had served as a non-executive director for nine years at the George Institute for Global Health, the region's leading medical research institute focused on non-communicable diseases. He has also served as a Director of the Sydney Institute and is a previous Youth Chair of the NSW Ethnic Communities Council[8]. Li has also been a non-executive director of the National Centre for Volunteering and a former Governing Member of the Smith Family charity[9].
From 2007 to 2013, he served on the board of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce[10], Beijing including a stint as vice-chair from 2009 to 2011. He has also previously served on the board of the Asia Australia Institute. Li is an advisory board member of think-tank China Matters[11] and is the current President of the Chinese Australian Forum[12] since 2019. Li is also currently on the board of AsiaLink[13] and the advisory board of HaymarketHQ[14].
Li is a member of the World Economic Forum, serving as a Young Global Leader as well as on the Forum's Global Agenda Council on China[15].
Since 2017 Li has been the Chair of Refugee Talent, a leading software company that uses technology to assist refugees and migrants in Australia to secure meaningful employment[16].
Australian Republican Movement
Li was a prominent member of the Australian Republican Movement, actively campaigning in the unsuccessful 1999 referendum to establish an Australian republic. He was heavily profiled in the media during the campaign[17]
Politics
Li was selected by Kevin Rudd to run as the Labor candidate for the seat of Bennelong at the 2013 Australian Federal Election[18]. His selection came late in the campaign, following the withdrawal of original ALP candidate and local councillor Jeff Silvestro-Martin due to an ICAC investigation[19]. Bennelong had previously been won by Labor in 2007 when former ABC journalist Maxine McKew made history defeating sitting Prime Minister John Howard when Kevin Rudd swept to power federally with the Kevin07 campaign[20]. At the 2010 Federal Election, the Liberal Party regained Bennelong when former Australian tennis star John Alexander defeated McKew. Despite a spirited campaign, Li was defeated by Alexander at the 2013 Election.
At the 2019 Australian Federal Election, Li was preselected by the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party to be a candidate on the NSW Senate ticket. Although preselected in a spot on the ticket with a highly unlikely possibility of success, Li again rolled up his sleeves for the ALP, helping to increase Chinese community support for Labor. As expected, Labor only won 2 Senate seats in NSW, which did not include Li.
Li has been endorsed for the number 3 position on NSW Labor's Senate Ticket for the upcoming federal election[21]
References
External links
This article "Jason Yat-sen Li" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Jason Yat-sen Li. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "Who are the 16 Asian Australians Leading the #UnityOverFear petition?". Moonrise. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Executive Briefing | Jason Yat-sen Li on the Five Personalities of China". Asia Society. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Executive Briefing | Jason Yat-sen Li on the Five Personalities of China". Asia Society. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Jason Yat-sen Li, b. 1972". National Portrait Gallery people. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Jason Yat-sen Li: a real reflection of a global Australian". Advance. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Jason Yat-sen Li: a real reflection of a global Australian". Advance. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Our Senate Fellows". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Jason Li - Platinum Speakers and Entertainers Bureau". www.platinumspeakers.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Jason Yat-sen Li, b. 1972". National Portrait Gallery people. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Making China part of Australia's Future". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Advisory Council". China Matters. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Meet the Committee". chinese-aus-forum. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ Bond, Madeleine (2021-02-03). "Mr Jason Yat Sen Li". Asialink. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Jason Yat-sen Li". Haymarket HQ. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Jason Li Yat-Sen". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Refugee Talent – KEY PEOPLE – KEY PLACEMENTS". Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "AM Archive - Jason Li's final argument for the "yes" case". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "McKew loses Bennelong to Liberals". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2010-08-21. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Dumped Labor candidate quizzed at ICAC over political ads". ABC News. 2013-07-19. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ↑ "Electoral results for the Division of Bennelong", Wikipedia, 2021-08-18, retrieved 2021-10-12
- ↑ Middleton, Karen (2021-09-18). "Inside Kristina Keneally's preselection battle". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
