I was born in China and was raised just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I graduated from MIT with a degree in Management Science and a minor in Economics. My first job out of university was with Morgan Stanley as an investment banking analyst in Hong Kong. Subsequently, I worked at start-up and established hedge funds in research and trading roles pre-GFC and became increasingly unfulfilled by a career solely built on moving up the corporate ladder.
During 2009, I took a hiatus from the finance world and qualified as a yoga teacher and began to travel and teach around the world. I pioneered community events and led a number of charity treks to Everest Base Camp, raising money for orphanages in Nepal. At the same time, I transitioned into real estate investment, developing eco resorts in Japan and Thailand and combining my passion for doing good whilst remaining intellectually challenged.
I moved to London with my husband and our first son in 2015 and found myself in another transition: mid-career and pregnant with no professional network in Europe, recruiters told me that I would not qualify for mid-level investment positions despite having transferrable experience and skillset. I simply did not tick enough boxes. Pivoting into investor relations and fundraising was my way combining my technical background, global network and affinity for working with people and building relationships.
Today, I am Head of Investor Relations & Business Development at ESO Capital, a London-based investment manager. I oversee over 700 investor relationships globally and raise capital for the firm’s corporate and real estate strategies. My non-linear path in the investment industry still raises eyebrows to this day, however I am a firm believer that diversity of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets is huge determinant of a company’s resilience and future success.
I am a mentor with the E2W Women in Finance organisation, a member of the Young Leaders Circle with the Milken Institute and an international advisor to The Investment Diversity Exchange.