Our Trustees
Qun Yang
Qun is a Cambridge-based female entrepreneur and researcher. Graduated from the Queens’ College, University of Cambridge. She co-founded Biorbyt Ltd, a biotech company specialising in providing research-use reagents to life science research institutions. Biorbyt received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category in 2021. Qun started her professional career as an auditor with Deloitte and then worked for Goldman Sachs and later Deutsche Bank. Qun is a qualified chartered accountant and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). She is also a holder of other prestigious qualifications: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM). Between 2017 and 2019, Qun was the Executive Director of the Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre at the Cambridge Judge Business School (CJBS). During her term, she organised the joint women’s leadership conference between CJBS and the China Women Development Foundation to promote awareness of the modern development of Chinese women’s communities. She is also actively engaging in research and currently collaborating with the University of Cambridge and UCL on applying AI to biotech, sustainability and finance.
Qun is currently the president of the ICAEW East Anglian District Society and has been a committee member of the Business Law Committee at the ICAEW since 2020. In addition, she is the president of the European Alumni Network for the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and the school governor for the Inspire Education Group. As a mother of two and a successful female entrepreneur, her story was featured in Economica magazine. In recognition of her achievement, she received awards including National Business Woman Award and Techwomen100 award.
Having been working in the UK for over two decades, Qun wishes to support Chinese women in the UK to overcome their fear and culture of being quiet and invisible in social settings and the workplace. She took the initiative to establish the UK Chinese Women Connect Association (UKCWC) to encourage them to raise their profiles and enhance their social impact. UKCWC was shortlisted as the Charity of the Year by National Diversity Award in 2022.
Julia Shen
Julia is a chartered accountant (ACA) and an associate member of corporate treasury (AMCT) with more than 10+ years of finance and accounting experience in London. She is currently a regulatory controller in an investment bank. Julia graduated with a MSc degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Julia has been volunteering for various charitable activities and initiatives in her spare time, including helping the elderly and the young, and supporting women. Her other hobbies include cycling, dancing, and travelling.
Julia is keen to support UKCWC to connect and empower Chinese women in the UK and to make more impact. She is a Trustee and the Secretary-General at UKCWC, responsible for the charity’s operations, compliance, risks, etc.
Phoebe Wu
Phoebe has lived in the UK for more than a decade, after finishing her second Masters degree, she pursued a career in Audit and Accountancy. She trained with one of the top 5 accountancy firms, is now a qualified Chartered Accountant and working for one of the fastest growing tech startup in the Midlands area as an FP&A Manager. Phoebe is enjoying the fast pace of everyday life and loves to create order out of chaos. She is also the co-owner of Sum Thing Good Ltd, a company specialises in property development and aims to transform ideas and ambitions into realisable goals and actions.
When she’s not at work, Phoebe enjoys spending time with her husband and two furry children, cat Cotton and dog Gogo. She loves outdoor cooking (eating mainly:)) and is super passionate about dog training. She is keen to give back to the society and is currently the treasurer at UKCWC looking after the daily financial record keeping of the charity.
Yinan Zhu
Yinan first qualified as a Chinese lawyer having started her career at King & Wood shanghai office over 20 years ago helping international companies do business in China. She has since studied at UCL and then trained with Clifford Chance in London to qualify as an English lawyer and spent just under 10 years with them with two of those years in the Tokyo office. She was then head hunted to join Gingko Tree Investment (which is an 100% subsidiary of the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange part of the Chinese central bank) covering all acquisitions and investments across Europe. She was there for 4.5 years during which she also started doing angel investing and mentoring start-ups because she is passionate about technology and innovation. In the last 5 years Yinan has been focusing on helping “companies of the future” to grow and succeed and working with a portfolio of over 10 high growth companies as their strategic and legal and “whatever the board needs” adviser to help them get to the next level fast. She recently joined Shein Group as their EMEA general counsel to build their legal team in the region and help to drive the localisation of this international business.
She has done a lot of charitable and volunteering work over the years for different causes including legal aid clinics, work with homeless shelters and trustee for Music of Life, a charity providing access to music for children with special needs.
When Yinan is not working, she enjoys being a chef, she is also a podcast host, a marathon runner, a keen diver and a day skipper, AND she is an avid Arsenal supporter!
Faustina Yang
Formally Head of People in a commercial company, Faustina moved onto self-employment as an HR Consultant in 2020. Educated to Master’s Degree, CIPD level 7 qualified, a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Associate Member, she is a highly skilled, inspirational and diplomatic professional. She provides vital HR and employment support to voluntary sector organisations locally and nationally. From November 2021, she is appointed as a Community Specialist for CPFT NHS.
Faustina has track record of managing successful programmes and projects, leading transformation and service improvement programmes and ensure delivery of activities and value for money, develop and encourage innovative ideas.
Faustina has a passion for community work and making a difference. She is the founder and leader for four community groups: Chinese Community in Peterborough (CCIP), Chinese Women in Peterborough (CWIP), Peterborough Mums UK (around 6000 members), and Hampton Tiddlers (around 1000 families).
Her charitable roles includes the following
- 2018 to 2020, Board Trustee for PCVS
- 2021 to present, Governor for Inspire Education Group (Peterborough College, Stamford College and University Centre Peterborough) for Human Resource and Finance
- February 2022 to present, Board Trustee for Family Voice Peterborough
- August 2022 to present, Board Trustee for UKCWC.
- March 2020 to present, Community Champion for Peterborough City Council
As a woman from ethnic minority background, Faustina is passionate about tackling inequality, in employment, and in accessing health and social services. Faustina is keen to raise the importance of cohesion and integration. She uses her skills to engage, collaborate and influence at every opportunity to make a difference through national, international, local media and through community work.
She has undertaken BBC TV, ITV, BBC national radio and local radio, newspaper interviews and programmes, provided key messages for health and police systems which have been used countywide to address safety, health, and inclusion.
She has worked in national organisations such as Near Neighbours and have successfully demonstrated her work to the Ministry of Housing. She has also worked with Family Voice Peterborough to address issues nationally with Department of Education.
Awards Faustina received include Peterborough Hero 2022, the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) 2019, Organization of the Year 2019, Annual Voluntary Services Award 2016, 2017 and 2019, Community Involvement Civic Award 2018 and 2022, Five Star Focus Award 2017.