About Us

In a career spanning 30 years, Ray has lived & worked in China for 20 of them and before Gleeds worked for ABB, Johnson Matthey and ICI. Ray sits on the Advisory Board of the University of Nottingham Ningbo Campus. Ray was co-author of the inaugural Position Paper on behalf of all four British Chambers in China and was part of the London outreach delegation presenting the Paper to the UK government and other stakeholders.

Kirsten Johnston successfully brought her design firm, JWDK, to Shanghai in 2014 after 11 years in London. She specialises in branding companies across a wide range of sectors as well as branding property and places throughout China’s growing cities. Under her leadership, the JWDK team won no less than 14 international awards for their work across 2018 and 2019.

Ted is a seasoned corporate executive. He has a diverse industrial and automotive background in his past 20+ years’ experience serving leading global companies including JD Power, Danaher, Stanley Black & Decker and Smiths Group.

Born and brought up in Beijing, Ted and his family have lived in Shanghai for over 12 years. He is the Vice Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai.

Ted’s leadership philosophy is “The only way to make big things happen is to taking people with you”. His leadership style, rich industry background and extensive global and China local networks will bring great values to the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai and its members.

Steven moved to Shanghai in 2002, where he currently works as an Audit Partner at KPMG servicing European multinational companies operating in China. Steven is also responsible for KPMG China’s digital transformation programme.

Prior to 2002, Steven worked in Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea and is originally from London, where he trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1996.

Steven has previously been both the Treasurer (2009-11) and Vice-Chairman (2011-13) of the British Chamber Shanghai, being involved in supporting the Chamber’s business, social and back-office activities. Steven will continue to contribute to the Chamber, its sustained future, and to benefit its membership.

Alex Roberts has been working in Shanghai with British-headquartered law firm, Linklaters LLP, since 2012 and previously studied and worked in Beijing (first in 2005). Alex has been involved with the Chamber almost since arriving in Shanghai and am proud to have seen its development over this time with a dedicated group of staff and members. Alex is passionate about continuing to drive British and international business opportunities in China through his legal expertise and network, helping to organise framework for knowledge-sharing events and improving the dialogue between the UK and China for the good of all stakeholders.

Daniel Aylmer is currently the Managing Director of IHG’s Greater China region, based in Shanghai. In his role, Daniel leads the overall strategic direction of all IHG managed and franchised full-service hotel operations to strengthen the performance of the hotels of IHG’s fastest-growing region, which includes mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan. A native of the United Kingdom, Daniel has worked in Europe, the US and Asia. Prior to IHG, Daniel has accumulated a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry, including 19 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Having spent over 20 years in Greater China, including Shanghai. Daniel has extensive expertise within the region as well as a deep understanding of the Chinese market.

Martin is currently the President of Greater China for Sodexo, the international services company and has been based in Shanghai since January 2018. He has significant experience across multiple market segments given the nature of his business (food & facilities services) and the fact the company serves so many clients within China.

Martin has built a significant network within the international business community within Shanghai and this brings insight that can support the leadership of the Chamber to be a voice for British business and identifying opportunities to develop within the China market.

Dr Terry Creissen has worked in a variety of schools in the UK prior to leading international schools in China, Europe, and the Middle East. Between 1994 and 1997, he was a Board Member of the UK Training Development Agency for Schools.  He was a qualified UK and International School Inspector and advisor to school Governing Bodies. He was Managing Director of Nord Anglia schools in India before moving back to Shanghai as Regional Managing Director, China International Schools.

In addition to his degree and teaching qualifications, he has an MA, MBA, a Doctorate in Education and was awarded the OBE in June 1997 for Services to Education.  He is a keen musician, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts (FRSA), and a long-time member of Mensa. Terry is committed to support the work of the Chamber, enhancing Anglo-Sino partnerships for the benefit of all concerned. Terry is married to Deirdre with whom he has three grown sons.

Acting as the senior representative of University of Edinburgh in East Asia, Grace is responsible for raising the profile and advancing engagement across the region, looking after the strategic and ambitious partnership the university has with governments, private sectors, and research institutes. Grace plays a leading role in the China Strategy for the university. She also leads her team to develop diverse activities including alumni engagement, research collaboration, developing connections and opportunities for the university across East Asia.

Prior to the role, Grace worked for the British Consulate General Shanghai for over 7 years as the Senior Political officer, leading the UK Government’s Civil Society and value-based initiatives, while managing the Official Development Assistance fund in East China.  Grace has been nominated as a Global Scot by the Scottish Development International, for her continuous efforts in strengthening the links between Scotland and Asia.

Gayle Lacey has been with the HSBC Group for the last 19 years; working in the Middle East, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Latin America, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Gayle is currently the Chief Risk Officer for HSBC China and moved to Shanghai in June 2021.  HSBC China’s network, which has the largest number of outlets and the widest geographical reach of any foreign bank in China, continues to expand. Gayle leads the Risk function in proactively managing all of the risks across the bank, which has a +USD6bn PBT and +USD36bn loans and advances to customers, ensuring the business is sustainable, safe and positioned for growth.

Previously, Gayle was the UK Chief Operating Officer for Commercial Banking.  HSBC UK Commercial Banking supports businesses of all sizes; with a million customers and a PBT of c.GBP1.5bn.

Gayle graduated from the University of Bath in the UK with a B.Sc. in International Management.

In her spare time, Gayle loves to cook and to explore new places, especially trying new cuisines and learning about different cultures.

Linian Li is managing and developing Modern Water’s business in China and formulating company ‘s strategy. She has double master degrees, MBA in Natural Resources Energy & Environment from University of Alberta, Canada and Master in Management, Grande Ecole Programme from EDHEC Business School, France. An executive with more than ten years of management experience in sales, marketing, business development, project management, corporate strategy, personnel, P&L and general management in international companies, including JCDecaux, GM Europe GmbH, Carat, Rouse & Co., International. And a self-motivated strategic thinker with determination and effective leadership skills posses extensive real life experience in the business and social cultures of Asia, Europe and North America.

As the North Asia Regional Vice President of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA & CIMA), Vicky Li oversees the operation in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Mongolia, South Korea, and Japan.

She is also Secretary General, CGMA 100 – the North Asia Management Accounting Leaders Think Tank.

In her early career, she served as the China Chief Representative of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and was later promoted to the Country Director.

She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).  She holds an EMBA from the China Europe International Business School and a master’s degree from the University of Birmingham, UK.

Vicky has served as an advisor for MPAcc (master’s in professional accounting) program at Antai College of Economics & Management, Shanghai Jiaotong University, a guest professor at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, and a visiting professor at Xi’an International Studies University.  She was also a TV commentator of China Business Network (CBN) in Boss Town, Brainstorming and Unlock Financial Intelligence.

Stephanie Chen has been Chief Representative of Shanghai Office, John Swire & Sons (China) Ltd since August 2021. She is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with local governments and Swire’s stakeholders, coordinating Swire’s activities, and assisting in Swire’s new business investments and strategic developments in Shanghai.

Before taking up her current role, Stephanie worked as Senior Manager at John Swire & Sons (China) Ltd Hong Kong Office; prior to which she was Head of Business Development at Swire Environmental Services Ltd since 2007, where she oversaw the company’s investments and development of water supply and sewage treatments in China. Before Swire, she spent 10 years in the Chinese water industry. Stephanie has also worked and lived in Singapore.

Stephanie graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration. She holds public positions as a member of the CPPCC Shanghai Jing’an District Committee, an executive member of the Shanghai Women’s Federation, and an executive member of the Hong Kong Shanghai Chamber of Commerce.

Siyao is the Managing Partner for ERM China, the largest global pure-play sustainability consultancy. He brings a wealth of knowledge in ESG consulting, Climate Change advisory, and sustainability strategies.

Prior to ERM, Siyao spent nearly 20 years in corporate and investment banking, and central bank and public policy, lived and worked in Australia, UK, China mainland and Hong Kong.

Siyao is a historian and economics by training. Currently, he is pursuing part-time doctoral research in medieval global history, at the University of Oxford, on the pre-modern exchange of commodities, culture, and climate.

Specialised in global specialty insurance & reinsurance, extensive experience and leading roles with top tier global (re)insurance risk carriers cross continents and business disciplines, covering underwriting, strategy, operation, M&A, investment, platform consolidation and optimisation.

Previous roles include Underwriter at Lloyd’s of London; Head of Greater China for Catlin & XL Catlin Group, also member of Asia Pacific Executive Committee (covering 8 countries and 13 offices across APAC); Assistant President of Fosun Insurance Group; CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Lloyd’s China. Currently President of Thames Investment and Chief Advisor of Zillion Capital.

Graduated from Peking University, Cass Business School and London Business School. Degrees include MSc & EMBA.

Eric is the partner responsible for managing PwC’s government relationship and the services to government in Shanghai and central China. He has more than 20 years experience in professional services. Eric graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai. He lived and worked in New York.

Eric acts as advisors for many government agencies and has led or been involved in various sizable projects, including consulting, auditing and financial advisory. Eric has extensive experiences in providing strategy, management, financial consulting services and audits to government organisations and companies. Eric has in-depth knowledge in accounting, auditing and global capital markets.  He helped many companies to complete unique transactions including IPOs and M&As.

Eric is a member of China Institute of Certified Accountant. He is a member of the standing committee of Sichuan CICPA.

Nicky is a brand strategist with 18 years of success in both multinational and independent agency environments across Asia, advising leading global brands on their marketing and communications strategies.

She was a co-owner of the China-based communications agency Red Bridge with offices in Shanghai and Beijing. Built from the ground-up over 12 years to a 120-people award-winning business, the agency was fully acquired by WE Worldwide in 2021, with Nicky appointed as CEO to continue leading its China operation.

Nicky embodies the qualities of a next-generation leader – she leads by example, encourages cross-discipline collaboration, and advocates client consultancy over client servicing. The agency follows a non-traditional approach, inverting the top-down ways of working in China and championing diversity and inclusion across gender, nationality, and regional representation.

Under her leadership, her teams led the successful launch of many brands in China, fostering long-lasting client partnerships across a diverse range of sectors. WE Red Bridge has been consistently recognized by global and regional awards including Cannes Lions, Sabre and PRWeek Awards. Nicky herself was named a Woman to Watch in 2020, and Young Business Leader of the Year in 2019 by Campaign Asia.

A highly sought-after expert on China’s marketing landscape, Nicky is frequently invited to sit on regional award juries, including PRWeek Asia Pacific, Sabre Awards Asia Pacific, The Drum Global PR Awards and Greater China Digital Media Awards.

Attracted by Halma’s dedicated purpose of “growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day” and the unique business model, Aldous joined Halma in 2020 serving as Divisional CEO. Since January 2022, he has been appointed as the Chair and President of Asia Pacific, Global Executive Board Advisor, focusing on the development of more than 30 subsidiaries in Asia Pacific, as well as leading a dedicated M&A team to explore and drive inorganic growth in the areas of safety, environment and healthcare.

Prior to Halma, Aldous owns rich executive experience in leading multinational companies and start-ups, including General Electric, Honeywell, Oracle and HP, spanning across IT, science and technology to industrial and healthcare industries.

Aldous holds an MBA degree from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Born in Wolverhampton, Chris graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1981 and joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Previous roles with the FCO include as HM Consul-General Guangzhou (2003-6); Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Beijing (2008-12); and Director, British Trade and Cultural Office in Taipei (2013-16). Prior to his current role, Chris was Deputy Head, EU Delegation to China for the European External Action Service. Chris has also worked at the Cabinet Office and the Department of the Environment (from May 1997 Department of the Environment, Transport & the Regions).

Cat Sinclair-Jones is the Director of the British Council in East China, with responsibility for leading the UK’s cultural relations and educational exchange work in the three Eastern provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, as well as Shanghai Municipality. She holds the diplomatic rank of Consul where she manages the UK’s education and cultural relationship on behalf of the British Consulate General Shanghai.

She was appointed to the role in December 2022, following three years in Sub-Saharan Africa as Director Tanzania and previous posts in Pakistan and Turkey. Cat has a passion for equality, diversity and inclusion and is an experienced mentor. She holds a master’s in Medieval History and prior to joining the British Council in 2015 she worked in Public Affairs across the Education and Justice sectors in the UK.

James graduated from University of Manchester in 2015 and began his career with the British Chamber in Shanghai as the Business Development Manager. James comes with a truly international perspective having worked in three different continents throughout his studies and lived in China for over 6 years. James was the Chamber’s Executive Director from 2019 to 2022 and has a vast amount of knowledge on how British business operates within the China market with an oversight of their operational challenges and the market access barriers.

In his spare time, James enjoys watching Formula 1 and UFC, travelling and spending time with friends and family.

Janet graduated from East China Normal University in 2007 and began her career as a press & communications officer for a start-up Shanghai-based international rally team. Janet travelled with the SWRC champion team in China, Asia-Pacific, the Middle-East and Europe, promoting the international image of the team and interviewing top drivers, senior engineers and industry legends.

Joined the Chamber in 2011, Janet now oversees the Chamber’s marketing communications, events and business committee teams. Janet also manages the Chamber’s government outreach as well as special projects such as British Business Awards, ESG China Awards.

In her spare time, Janet enjoys travelling, visiting museums and exhibitions, classical concerts and musical theatre.

Caroline started her career at Corporate Services, Grant Thornton China in 2008 after graduation from Shanghai University of International Business and Economics with a bachelor’s degree in Finance Management. In 2011, Caroline joined New York University Shanghai Study Away Site, witnessing the establishment of NYU Shanghai Portal Campus and its Foundation, rotating from non-profit organization finance operations, policies design in procurement and assets management, corporate & legal affairs, etc.

Caroline became a member of the Chamber Team in 2016 and now as Finance Controller, is overseeing finance operations, HR, legal compliance, and assisting Executive Director and Treasurer with organisation development.  Caroline also provides various business support to membership and events teams.

Affections to English tea & classic musicals connect Caroline closely to the Chamber culture.  The Phantom of the Opera and Mary Poppins are the favourites that always echo in her heart.

Ira graduated from Shanghai Normal University in 2015 and began her career as a Trade Services Executive, assuming responsibility for resource allocation. In 2018, she was promoted to Project Manager with a focus on Retail and E-commerce. She took the lead in many large research projects and trade missions from the UK to help UK businesses find the correct pathway for market entry, including Santander missions, Great British Brands Festival events, UK-China Consumer Week, and China Beauty Expo virtual trade mission.

Ira joined the Chamber in 2021 as Membership Manager responsible for recruiting new members and giving established members full support with regard to membership engagement and enquiries.

In her spare time, Ira enjoys travelling, snorkelling and diving.

Diana graduated from Warwick Business School in the UK in 2019 with a master’s degree in Business with Marketing. She launched her career in marketing and communications in the private international education industry. Previously Diana also gained working experience in public relations and employer branding.

Diana joined the Chamber in 2021 as Media & Communications Executive. She is responsible for managing and operating the Chamber’s digital channels, and producing content in various formats.

Outside of work, Diana loves symphony, classicism art and baking. She is also a wine enthusiast and holds the qualification of WSET Level 3 Awards in Wines.

Nathalie was born and raised in Shanghai. She graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in Drama and Performance. Previously, she was an actress and singer. Nathalie began her professional career working at ICS TV where she worked in production and liaised with celebrity guests. She previously organised investor events for an international property agency and trade fairs for her own pet-fashion business.

Nathalie joined the Chamber in 2018 as Event Manager. Nathalie focuses on managing the Chamber’s Community-related events including social gatherings, signature events such as the Gala Balls, Football Tournament, 1915 Club Dinner, and also inter-chamber activities.

In her spare time, Nathalie enjoys travelling, cinema, floristry and looking after her pets.

Eloise Zhang graduated from the University of Western Australia (Master of Business Information and Logistics Management) in 2019. She worked as a content creation executive in an Australian Agri-tech startup company. After moving back to Shanghai, she joined an advertising agency, providing digital marketing services for a global leading FMCG brand. She has experience in project management, CRM and business analysis. She is passionate about working for international business and digitalisation.

Eloise supports a range of Committees and related activities including Creative Industries & Marketing, Financial Services, Small & Medium Enterprises, Technology & Innovation, Women in Business. Eloise also supports the Chamber’s Talent Development Programme 2022.