Mei Zhang—Founder

Mei is a native of Yunnan province in southwest China. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and worked for McKinsey & Company until she found her true passion in sustainable travel. While serving as a consultant to The Nature Conservancy, Mei witnessed the push and pull between economic development and conservation of both nature and culture in Yunnan. She strongly believed that there was a for-profit solution to this: providing sophisticated interpretation of Chinese culture and nature, and therefore creating experiential travel that was unheard of in China.

That led to the creation of WildChina in 2000, based on the simple mission to assist travelers to experience China differently. Together with the current CEO Albert Ng, Mei has transformed WildChina into an award-winning business: National Geographic Adventure - "Best Adventure Travel Company on Earth;" National Geographic Traveler - "Tours of a Lifetime;" Travel & Leisure - "A+ Agent for China;" Conde Nast Traveler - "Top Travel Specialist." The WildChina story has been covered by CNN, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, TIME and more. WildChina has also established many partnerships with villages, nature reserves and NGOs.

Mei is a frequent speaker on tourism and entrepreneurship in China and serves on the boards of nonprofit organizations. She served as a judge for the World Travel & Tourism Council's Tourism for Tomorrow Awards and is on the advisory boards of Adventure Travel Trade Association, The International Ecotourism Society and the UN Foundation's Tourism Sustainability Council. Mei lives in Washington, DC with her family, but maintains a social media identity true to her origin: Yunnangirl.

Albert Ng—CEO

Since his youth in Hong Kong, Albert has been bitten by the travel bug. His parents took him on biannual trips around the world, and these formative experiences captivated him. He built model airplanes as a child, memorizing international flight schedules and reproducing the configurations of different major airports with his planes on his bed. After graduating from Columbia University, he worked for McKinsey & Company in the Travel, Transportation and Hospitality Industries group. Having worked on sustainability projects in China, Albert recognized both the inadequacy of current practices and the potential to shape travel in China. In 2000, he took a sabbatical from McKinsey and founded WildChina with Mei. In the company’s early years, he pioneered trips that explored China’s hidden treasures. He took leave to attend INSEAD in France, where he earned an MBA, and worked another term for McKinsey. In 2006, Albert rejoined WildChina as CEO. In addition to managing the firm’s daily operations, he is shaping a new strategy for the company that uses technological advances to enhance the travel experience in China.

Bao Xun—Accounting

A Beijing native, Bao Xun is a founding member of WildChina. She oversees the Accounting department, managing WildChina’s finances and transactions. Prior to joining WildChina, she served in the finance department of IBM China. She began her career in the marketing department at the China World Hotel. With over a decade of management experience in the travel industry, Bao Xun is an industry veteran with a head for numbers, a much-needed skill in a company full of wanderers. She received her BA in Accounting from Renmin University.

Veronique d'Antras—Europe

Veronique heads WildChina’s Europe team, leading business development initiatives for the European market. She has lived in China for 14 years, both in Fuzhou and Beijing. A veteran traveler, she achieved acclaim for pioneering travel in the Tibetan highlands, particularly a nomadic luxury camp in Qinghai province. She also designs bespoke itineraries for European clientele and brings her expertise to WildChina's gala dinners and special events. Over her three decades as a PR and corporate communications executive, Veronique has worked with many international corporate clients, including Rothschild, Coca Cola, Young Presidents’ Organization and JP Morgan-Chase. A native of Belgium, Veronique is fluent in French and English and is proficient in Dutch, Spanish and Chinese. She earned a Master’s in Journalism and Communications from Brussels University.

Sherry Dou—Group Journeys

Sherry manages the group journeys team, overseeing management and logistics for set group departures. She brings a wealth of operations experience to WildChina, having begun her career two decades ago as a national tour guide, during which time she traveled to the farthest corners of China. Ready to trade in the itinerant lifestyle and start a family, she moved to Beijing and managed operations for a national tour company. There, she coordinated travel logistics for both domestic and international clients. Sherry joined WildChina in 2005, recognizing the opportunity to shape a responsible travel industry in China. She attended university in Shanxi, where she received degrees in Foreign Trade and Commercial English.

David Fundingsland—Educational Travel

David leads the Education and Non-Profit Team, through which he has pioneered service trips to impoverished areas of China by partnering with local NGOs. As a graduate student with little more than ni hao and xie xie to his Chinese vocabulary, David spent two months backpacking through China, traveling from Beijing and Shanghai to the remote corners of Yunnan and Sichuan. He later returned to China for a summer Chinese language program and has remained ever since. Prior to joining WildChina, David worked in the U.S. hotel and restaurant industry, fundraised for arts organizations, volunteered at an NGO focused on cultural and historical preservation, and appeared as Marco Polo and a British soldier in Chinese documentaries. David has an MA from New York University.

Barbara Henderson—Private Journeys

Barbara is a founding member of WildChina. With over two decades of experience in luxury travel, Barbara coordinates bespoke journeys for individual travelers. A 15-year resident of China and a passionate traveler herself, Barbara has a unique knowledge of this beautiful country and tailors custom itineraries to each client's individual needs, whether they are first time visitors or weathered China hands. Prior to joining WildChina, Barbara worked with high-end boutique travel operators in China, Canada and South Africa.

Jia Liming—Operations and Business Development

Jia Liming is a founding member of WildChina, responsible for operations and new business development. Passionate about adventure travel, she has explored isolated areas in China and developed many of WildChina’s flagship trips. With more than a decade of travel industry experience, she pioneered new trips to remote areas of China, including a Tibetan pilgrimage to Mt. Kawagebo and a study of Yunnan’s glaciers. Jia has served in several prestigious roles, including NBC journalist during the Olympics; production coordinator for National Geographic China; and faculty member at the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies. Jia returned to WildChina in 2009 after receiving a Master’s in Anthropology from Manchester University.

Paul Moreno—Travel Adviser, New Businesses

Paul has over a decade of experience in adventure sports event management and now serves as a consultant for WildChina’s adventure travel trips and new business development. He assists corporate clients in designing retreats and planning tours. Paul’s forte is organizing special events in China’s remote destinations; he has conducted conferences in Yunnan’s Lashi Lake, philanthropy trips in poverty ridden Anhui province and a Nike team-building event in Guizhou. When out of the office, Paul evaluates new itineraries in unexplored areas of China. Prior to joining WildChina, Paul was Vice President of Event Management for the China Open ATP/WTA tour. Paul also worked as an Event Manager at IMG, a leading sports marketing company. His tenure at IMG included serving as Director of Logistics for the Mild Seven Outdoor Quest, a highly rated international adventure race.

Anita Narayan—Marketing

Born and raised in Taiwan to Indian parents, Anita has a unique and lifelong connection to East Asia. A founding member of WildChina’s U.S. office, she oversees marketing efforts, including public relations, web and online marketing and new media, and works with individual and institutional clients on their China travel programs. Prior to joining WildChina, Anita worked as a Staff Writer/Editor with China Online, a business news web site, and as Communications Coordinator/Tour Leader with Linden Educational Services, in which she led international student recruiting tours throughout Asia for U.S. universities. While in college, she interned for former U.S. Ambassador to China James Lilley. Anita has an MA in Asian Studies, specializing in China, from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

Pan Wei—Corporate Services

Pan Wei directs WildChina’s Corporate Services team, where she has pushed the boundaries of corporate meetings with the innovative events she has put together. Her proudest moments include creating a hospitality program for a key 2008 Olympic sponsor; logistics planning for the United Nations Foundation Board of Trustees Beijing summit; and organizing an investment fund’s investor conference in an ancient water town. Prior to joining WildChina, Pan Wei worked as a Project Leader at the Swedish Embassy in Beijing, where she managed public relations events and served Nordic celebrities, including the Swedish King and Queen. She received a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Media from People’s University in Beijing. In 1997, she published a book on Chinese PR etiquette.

Sunshine Shang—Travel Partners

Sunshine runs WildChina’s Travel Partners division. He works with the U.S. and Europe’s most prestigious travel agents and operators to design luxury itineraries for inbound tourists, such as private jet trips around China; VIP seats and a private tent at Qinghai’s Yushu Horse Festival; and a custom Yellow River cruise. Raised near Luoyang in Henan province, Sunshine worked in the travel industry in Lanzhou before joining WildChina in 2007. Known for the quality of his trips, Sunshine quickly began managing WildChina’s travel partner activities. He maintains WildChina’s relations with our partners abroad and ensures that their journeys go smoothly. Prior to joining WildChina, Sunshine worked in the import/export industry as well as for Haier Electronics, both of which contributed to a diverse worldview. Sunshine received a degree in Electronic Commerce from Lanzhou Petrochemical College of Technology.

Zhao Bei—Internet Technology and Business Development

Zhao Bei leads WildChina’s technology initiatives, implementing new technological developments in WildChina’s tours and operations to enhance the travel experience in China. A Beijing native, Zhao Bei has been with WildChina for over five years; prior to his current position, he led the Travel Partners team. He is a seasoned off-the-beaten-path traveler, having explored China's most remote regions, including overland journeys from Tibet into Sichuan and camping in the Taklamakan Desert. He helped develop innovative trips, including journeys examining China’s environment and its economic realities. Zhao Bei excels in institutional trips, having led programs for Peabody Museum, Yosemite National Park and the Chicago Field Museum. He graduated from Beijing’s University of International Relations with a degree in International Politics.