Zhang Mei, founder of WildChina, hails from Yunnan and boasts a rich background in business and sustainable travel. With an MBA from Harvard and a storied career at McKinsey & Company, Mei’s vision led to the creation of WildChina in 2000, a company celebrated for its innovative approach to luxury adventure travel. Her accolades include being recognized as a top travel specialist by prestigious publications and her role in pivotal sustainable tourism boards. Mei’s ongoing journey in sustainable tourism is further enriched by her academic pursuits at UC Berkeley. For more about her achievements and influence, visit Zhang Mei’s history on the WildChina’s website.

Albert has over twenty years of experience growing and operating businesses in the transportation, logistics and travel sector.
Albert is presently a partner at Ontegos where he advices established and start-up companies on complex challenges in the logistics and supply chain industry. Key assignments include developing a derivative market for index-based cargo pricing for a major stock exchange in Asia and helping one of South East Asia’s largest conglomerates develop a standalone logistics business. Albert also serves as the Head of Strategy at 20Cube, a tech-driven logistics start-up that delivers a more modern and better freight forwarding experience in the trillion-dollar freight industry.
Prior to Ontegos, Albert served in senior management roles at APL and APL Logistic, where his portfolio included procurement, strategy and marketing. In his role, Albert orchestrated the sale of APL Logistics which resulted in a US$1.2B sale to KWE.
Albert is also co-founder and board member of WildChina, China’s pre-eminent travel operator, providing cultural, adventure, and ecological programs to unique destinations in China. WildChina is the only China-based firm recognized by National Geographic Adventure as “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth”, and by Travel &Leisure and Condé Nast as an “A List / Top Travel Specialist”. It was also named by Fast Company as one of the world’s most innovative travel companies.
Albert started his career in consultancy at McKinsey where he advised clients in the transportation, logistics and retail sectors. A native of Hong Kong, Albert received his MBA from INSEAD and BA from Columbia University.

MJ Wang is a seasoned professional with over a immersive experiences that deepen their understanding of emerging trends in China. Coverfacilitating engagements in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, MJ possesses a unique talent for most remote and culturally significant locations. From hosting senior meetings in Tibet to Prior to joining WildChina, MJ served as an Assistant to the CEO at Chin-Eaes Corp, a Destiditional engagement strategies. These innovative approaches provide foreigners with Associates, family offices of prominent Chinese chairperson of Chi Fan For Charity, one of the most significant charity events spanning major has raised over $13 million to support meaningful causes.zations such as McKinsey, BCG, Bridgewater high-level engagements for board-level delegaentrepreneurs, and various US/Canada state govnization SITE, further demonstrating his commitment to excellence in the field.decade of experience in the corporate event University. MJ’s life chronicle underscores his steadfast commitment to excellence and esteemed clientele includes prestigious organiMoreover, MJ has pioneered the integration of gamification into events, revolutionizing traing topics such as the digital economy, rural development, manufacturing 4.0, clean energy, and the sharing economy. Additionally, MJ is a member of the incentive travel industry orgaPA to a partner at PwC China. Outside of professional endeavors, MJ is the co-founder and ernments.cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Hong Kong. Over the years, the organization nation Management Company in Beijing. Furthermore, MJ gained valuable experience as a Renowned as a trailblazer in the field, MJ is known for curating events in some of China’s MJ holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Beijing International Business navigating diverse landscapes and cultures to meet the distinct needs of their clients.tions and trade missions visiting China. His industry in China. Currently serving as a Director and Co-Head of the Corporate Service Practice at WildChina, MJ specializes in orchestrating adaptability.

Aki Yang’s journey in the travel and hospitality industry epitomizes remarkable achievements and a steadfast commitment to innovation and positive transformation. From the inception of the WildChina Shanghai Office in 2016 to its current standing with over 30 employees, her leadership has been instrumental in fostering growth and success.

Notably, Aki established the corporate MICE practice at WildChina, cultivating a substantial portfolio catering to elite clients in private equity, luxury brands, and consulting firms. Through this endeavor, she has spearheaded transformative corporate experiences, leveraging nature and ancient wisdom to cultivate leadership and designing immersive programs that offer insights into China’s rapid evolution.
Her comprehensive approach to enhancing the industry from the ground up makes her an exemplary candidate for this award.

Career Overview and Professional Achievements:
Aki Yang’s journey in the travel industry began with a vision to make a positive impact on individuals’ lives through transformative experiences while fostering connections between people.
Leaving her role as a brand manager at Unilever, a Fortune 500 company, nearly a decade ago, Aki embraced the challenge of establishing and expanding WildChina’s Shanghai office. Under her leadership, the office witnessed remarkable growth, evolving from inception to a thriving team of over 30 staff today.
Aki’s passion for bridging cultural gaps and deepening understanding led her to spearhead the development of WildChina’s corporate service/MICE practice. Her goal? To provide executives with insightful experiences that fostered a deeper appreciation and understanding of China.
As the head of Corporate Services in Shanghai, Aki introduced innovative approaches to team building and learning. From leveraging nature and ancient wisdom with horse leadership programs in Inner Mongolia to incorporating gamification such as mystery murder into team retreats, she pushed the boundaries of traditional corporate experiences.
Even amid the challenges posed by COVID-19, Aki demonstrated remarkable resilience. She pivoted the business focus to cater to domestic customers, achieving revenues surpassing pre-COVID levels while maintaining a high-performance team with zero turnover.
As executives returned to China post 2023, Aki has passionately championed immersive programs, unveiling innovative initiatives to offer them profound insights into the country’s evolution. These initiatives spanned a spectrum of on-the-field programs, from digital immersion experiences to explorations of clean energy and manufacturing 4.0, as well as investigations into Generation Z consumer behavior and deep dives into rural economies. Through these immersive journeys, executives gleaned invaluable perspectives on China’s dynamic transformation, equipping them to navigate and excel in an ever-evolving landscape.
Today, as the head of WildChina’s Corporate Services, Aki leads a dedicated team committed to creating life-changing experiences for executives and businesses. Through innovative storytelling and fresh perspectives, they redefine MICE travel, offering unforgettable programs that inspire, educate, and connect. Aki’s unwavering dedication to excellence continues to shape the future of the industry.

Reasons for Choosing Aki Yang as the Positive Disruptor Award Recipient:
Specific programs that redefine the MICE landscape.
Innovative programs including “Nature as a Mirror” executive development program: In 2023, based on her personal experience of learning to ride a horse, and the profound insight into herself this experience provided, Aki designed and launched, along with her team, an innovative experiential leadership program, something that was completely new in China – equestrian leadership. By bringing corporate executives out of their busy corporate lives in bustling cities and into the pristine nature of Inner Mongolia’s countryside, we created an experiential self-awareness and self-discovery digital detox program for leaders. The participants were taught the ancient Mongolian wisdom of horse companionship by a local horse master. The process of grooming, learning to build trust, co-work, and ride horses provided participants with insights into their own leadership and management styles, and inspired changes that would apply to all aspects of their lives.
“A Day with a Smartphone” – Full digital experience of China’s consumer landscape through a digital experiential program:
In China, daily life is lived on the smartphone. Over 80% of daily transactions are made through mobile apps here. Aki and her team designed and created an immersive gamified digital experience that provides visiting businesses with the complete insider experience of what it is like to be a digital consumer in today’s China and provide an insight into what the market holds for those wishing to explore new grounds in this fast-growing market. The team created a digital program that allowed visitors to get-hands on experience of China’s tech platforms such as WeChat and Alipay, heretofore inaccessible or partially restricted to them due to the geographic restrictions and language barriers. By fulfilling a series of tasks given to them throughout the day on the specially prepared phones with all the apps available in English, such as purchasing grocery through cashless transactions, navigating around the city to calling a cab or sending a digital hongbao (traditionally, money in a red packet) participants got a peek behind the curtains and got to see firsthand what China’s ever-expanding digital landscape with its very distinct ecosystem of homegrown apps and solutions offered both on and offline.

4) Description of Aki Yang as a Role Model for Other Professionals:
In her own words:  ”Our mission is to create life-changing experiences. However, if our goal is to truly change lives, the design of the experience cannot be product-centric; it must be customer-centric. It is only when the experience resonates with the client’s own perceptions, inspiring new thinking, that it has the potential to bring about meaningful change.”
Leaving the beginnings of a conventional “successful” career to pursue a path of meaningful self-actualization, Aki has been an advocate for the transformative power of travel.
In 2023, she represented WildChina at the Shangdong Travel Development Conference, and spoke about her philosophy of travel being a profound spiritual experience that can broaden horizons and change lives. Under her leadership, the WildChina Corporate Services team aspires to create “aha” moments of exciting realization, understanding and connection with each experience they design.
Aki’s commitment to creating transformative experiences for clients and her focus on customer-centricity exemplify the qualities of a true industry leader, and sets a new standard for the industry as a whole.

Ziying is the Director of Corporate Service at WildChina, Shanghai, focusing on innovative product development，with a “deep dive” into on-trend experiences and destination resources.

She had been studying engineering and travelling home and abroad for many years, served for top international Energy &Automation Company on project management, Ziying is working on building crossover experiences with professional project management skill, and tailor-made product methodology, to provide a one-stop solution for corporate clients.

Shelly Wu, graduated from East China University of Political Science and Law and worked for a Fortune 500 tourism group before joining WildChina. A native Shanghai girl who likes to take her son to various popular museums, art galleries, or parks on weekends and holidays.

With over 12 years rich experience in MICE industry, strong skills and senses to deliver professional services for clients across various industry sectors, including but not limited to automobile, finance, medicals, IT, fashion, association, universities, FMCG, luxury brands and etc. Have worked for huge events over 7000 people in Hong Kong; operated over 200 event projects.

Jojo Ren is a distinguished professional with over 8 years of expertise in communication and marketing within the fashion and luxury industries. Currently, Jojo serves as a Sr. Project Manager at WildChina starting from 2023.In this role, Jojo specializes in organizing high-level meetings and events for clients like McKinsey, Time dotCom, and WeBank, managing everything from board meetings to outbound study and business trips. Jojo launched her career at Hill and Knowlton Strategies Beijing in 2019, where she expertly managed public relations and event coordination for Rolex, including the renowned annual Baselworld media preview events across Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. Following this, Jojo advanced to Farfetch, where she developed and implemented integrated communication strategies for luxury brands such as Harrods, Moon Boot, and David Yurman, excelling in both online and offline brand collaborations and launches within China.Jojo’s academic achievements include a Master’s degree in Fashion Marketing and Branding from the University of Southampton, with her dissertation being published at the 2019 Global Fashion Management Conference in Paris. Jojo’s comprehensive background, blending strategic communication with high-level event management, makes her an invaluable asset in the luxury and fashion sectors.

Ella is a master of Human Resource Management with years of overseas study experience and HR experience, focusing on product design combining corporate culture and talent development.  Prior to WildChina, She worked for a Fortune 500 automotive company and a leading international airlines company.  Ella is a travel explorer who has traveled to more than 30 countries. She likes to discover the beauty of the world during her travels.  At the same time, she is also a public welfare practitioner. She has devoted herself to public welfare for ten years, and once went to Ghana in Africa to carry out public welfare projects.  With ideals, passion and love, Ella is looking forward to creating more diversified and stylish activity experience for customers.  

Originally from Inner Mongolia, Christine has been with WildChina since 2007. Christine has an expertise in group travel throughout China, and has managed experiences and programs for some of the worlds most reputable institutions and universities including Disney. She has travelled to most parts of China and is a passionate photographer, she loves capturing all the beautiful moments that occur on our programs & when she is travelling. 

Kevin is a senior project manager in WildChina, specialized in the inbound MICE market, graduated from French Public University, majoring in finance. The hobby of travel has changed his career, after 7 years of work at a French DMC-EXO Travel company, he joined WildChina in 2021. Under the epidemic situation, it now serves high-end customers in China and looks forward to the recovery of the inbound market.