Night city skyline in Shanghai.

New vision for Cambridge EMBA alumni

9 July 2021

The article at a glance

Cambridge Executive MBA alumni and a Cambridge MBA alumna have come together to form New Vision International Group (NVIG) – a platform offering investment advice to Chinese high net worth individuals (HNWIs).

Cambridge Executive MBA alumni and a Cambridge MBA alumna have come together to form New Vision International Group (NVIG) – a platform offering investment advice to Chinese high net worth individuals (HNWIs).

NVIG is an integrated platform offering a one-stop shop for global asset allocation and investment advisory services for Chinese HNWIs. With a vision to become a world leading global asset allocation platform for Chinese HNWIs, the Group offers an integrated service across its business divisions, covering citizenship and residency, wealth management, tax planning, education, estate management, art and cultural activities, and social investment and philanthropy. The Group is focused on building trust and long-term relationships with clients, stating: “we want to be the advisers you are recommending to your grandchildren”.

Former Cambridge EMBA classmates Aaron Du (EMBA 2018), Amy Hon (EMBA 2018) and Ed Chan (EMBA 2018) decided to found the company in early 2020. They came from different professional backgrounds, but during conversations at Cambridge they discovered they shared common interests and experience in investment in the global environment. Aaron Du, the Managing Director, has a background in engineering and consulting, while Strategy Director Amy Hon has expertise in international wealth management. Ed Chan, partner in Singapore, is a Singapore based lawyer specialising in banking, and trust and fund services, and brings his legal expertise to the team. They have since been joined by UK Chartered Financial Planner and Cambridge EMBA alumna Claire Walsh (EMBA 2018), fund manager and Cambridge MBA alumna Lingling Wu (MBA 2011). Ross Walker, a successful serial tech entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience, and who studied economics at Cambridge, advises the Group as a board member.

As well as meeting though the EMBA programme, the executive team at NVIG have reported that the programme has equipped them with a comprehensive framework, from theoretical knowledge to industry insights. The Cambridge network has played a crucial role in bringing the team together, and also giving them access to global alumni networks and groups. The Group has founded a charity project, New Vision Cambridge Foundation (NVCF), linking the next generation of young university entrepreneurs with prospective investors, partners, and advisers, through collaborative projects and mentorship.

Managing Director Aaron Du said, “The EMBA was an incredible opportunity to work with colleagues from a wide range of industries and backgrounds from across the world and was the impetus to set-up NVIG drawing together this breadth of expertise. CJBS is the place where the world’s top entrepreneurs converge and the entrepreneurial spirit sparkles.”.

NVIG’s core team members come from a variety of related industries. With diverse experience, professions and expertise, they successfully integrated into the current group. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic for an international business, the Group has continued to grow. NVIG is headquartered in London but with colleagues working around the world, including in Cambridge. Oxford, Dublin, Singapore, Beijing, and Shanghai. Responding to buoyant growth in the art market in 2020, the Group has merged with Artall Culture limited, a London based fine art consulting business, forming the Group’s fine art business division, namely New Vision Artall (NVA).

They have also set up a number of not-for-profit divisions in addition to NVCF, including their industry best practice knowledge-sharing platform. The Group is embarking on an ambitious business and development plan, which will include further expanding their teams in the UK, Singapore and China, welcoming global talent who have an entrepreneurial mindset to the New Vision family. They also plan to set up an Investment Club in the UK to act as a bridge between young entrepreneurs and Chinese investors. The Group is also looking forward to supporting a variety of projects at the University of Cambridge in coming years.