Amee Chande, Managing Director for Alibaba is an inspiration for Britons. A true global citizen, she was born in London, grew up in Vancouver, Canada, where she studied business and psychology at Simon Fraser University, then came back to the UK to do a Masters at the London School of Economics and then finished an MBA from Harvard Business School, in the US.
Ms Chande's experience is wide ranging including stints at Tesco, Walmart and McKinsey, before starting to work in London for Alibaba in 2015. Alibaba is now the world’s most valuable global retail brand, a position it usurped from fellow e-commerce giant Amazon.
A resident of London’s Notting Hill area, Ms Chande is a board member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and a member of the Young Presidents’ Organisation.
In an interview, speaking to FT, she confessed that the most enjoyable part of her job is 'People'.
“At Alibaba in Europe, we spend a lot of time helping companies large and small think about their business opportunities in China. I love hearing the stories and motivations of entrepreneurs building fantastic British brands, and the passion they have for sharing their story and products with the world. Each one is so unique, and inspiring. I really enjoy the challenge of building a team from scratch; finding talented individuals and transforming it into a group with a collective purpose,” she said.
While Ms Chande enjoys travelling, photography and outdoor pursuits such as kayaking and trekking, she believes the best piece of advice a mentor would have ever given her was- if she did not feel scared before starting a new role, then the challenge was perhaps not big enough or the decision not brave enough.
Taking up that advice (perhaps), Chande is currently learning Chinese and has developed a deep understanding of Chinese ecommerce that goes way beyond objective Western views.
