Jason Yat - sen Li

Jason Yat-sen Li is a businessman and a prominent member of the Chinese Australians community.. He first gained prominence during the lead up to the 1999 Australian republic referendum|1999 Australian Republic Referendum as one of the leaders of the Australian Republic Movement. Li is a successful entrepreneur and has made his way in the world of international business. He has also contributed to the public sphere with his voluntary work on the boards of various think-tanks and institutions, and pro-multicultural community groups. 
== Education ==
Li was born in Sydney and grew up in Bexley, New South Wales. He studied Arts-Law at the University of Sydney and after graduating with his law degree, moved to New York City|New York. In New York he completed a Master of Laws from New York University, highlighted by being recognised as Australia's Hauser Global Scholar. 
== Professional Career ==
Li began his working career as a solicitor for Corrs Chambers Westgarth, working for the law firm until 1999. During this time, Li also had a stint working at the United Nations, for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at the The Hague, Netherlands, working as an associate to H.E. Judge Lal Vohrah. During his time in New York in 2000, he was an Associate in the Corporate Division of Davis Polk & Wardwell. 
Upon returning to Sydney, he founded Professional Search Pty Ltd, working as executive director of the legal and accounting digital services platform. He sold this business in 2002. 
Li then continued his professional career at Insurance Australia Group (IAG). From 2002 to 2004 Li worked as the Head of Sustainability, with the responsibility of leading IAG's sustainability program for which IAG was named Sustainable Company of the Year in 2003. He was then promoted to Head of China Strategy from 2004 to 2005, working on IAG's acquisition of the China Automobile Association as well as strategic investment in China Pacific Insurance Company|China Pacific Insurance Co. In 2005, Li was appointed General Manager, Sales & Marketing for the newly acquired IAG subsidiary China Automobile Association in Beijing. As a Senior Executive, Li had proven himself in the international business sector. 
In 2007, Li founded Yatsen Associates, a boutique cross-border corporate finance advisory firm, specialising in complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions and capital raising mandates. As CEO, Jason established offices in Sydney, Beijing and Shanghai. Some of the industries that Yatsen Associates has successfully operated in are complementary medicines, education, mining, property and Pharmaceutical industry|pharmaceutical manufacturing. 
From 2013, he has been the Executive Chairman of Vantage Asia Holdings. Vantage Asia Holdings manages a broad portfolio of investments both in Asia and Australia, including resources and technology firms, retail hospitality, student accomodation and vitamins/supplements firms. 
== Boards ==
Li has been heavily involved at his alma mater the University of Sydney as a Fellow of the University of Sydney Senate. He has served on the Strategy and Risk Committee, the People and Culture Committee, and is currently Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee. Since 2021, Jason is a Pro-chancellor|Pro-Chancellor of the University. 
Previously Li had served as a non-executive director for nine years at the George Institute for Global Health, the region's leading medical research institute focused on non-communicable diseases. He has also served as a Director of the The Sydney Institute|Sydney Institute and is a previous Youth Chair of the NSW Ethnic Communities Council. Li has also been a non-executive director of the National Centre for Volunteering and a former Governing Member of the The Smith Family (charity)|Smith Family charity. 
From 2007 to 2013, he served on the board of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, Beijing|China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, Beijing including a stint as vice-chair from 2009-2011. He has also previously served on the board of the Asia Australia Institute. Li is an advisory board member of think-tank China Matters and is the current President of the Chinese Australian Forum since 2019. Li is also currently on the board of Asialink|AsiaLink and the advisory board of HaymarketHQ. 
Li is a member of the World Economic Forum, serving as a Young Global Leader as well as on the Forum's Global Agenda Council on China. 
Since 2017 Li has been the Chair of Refugee Talent, a leading software company that uses technology to assist refugees and migrants in Australia to secure meaningful employment. 
== Australian Republican Movement ==
Li was a prominent member of the Australian Republic Movement|Australian Republican Movement, actively campaigning in the unsuccessful 1999 Australian republic referendum|1999 referendum to establish an Australian republic. He was heavily profiled in the media during the campaign. 
== Politics ==
Li was selected by Kevin Rudd to run as the Australian Labor Party|Labor candidate for the seat of Division of Bennelong|Bennelong at the 2013 Australian federal election|2013 Australian Federal Election. His selection came late in the campaign, following the withdrawal of original Australian Labor Party|ALP candidate and local councillor Jeff Silvestro-Martin due to an Independent Commission Against Corruption (New South Wales)|ICAC investigation. Bennelong had previously been won by Labor in 2007 Australian federal election|2007 when former ABC TV (Australian TV channel)|ABC journalist Maxine McKew made history defeating sitting Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister John Howard when Kevin Rudd swept to power federally with the Kevin Rudd|Kevin07 campaign. At the 2010 Australian federal election|2010 Federal Election, the Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party regained Bennelong when former Australian tennis star John Alexander (Australian politician)|John Alexander defeated McKew. Despite a spirited campaign, Li was defeated by Alexander at the 2013 Australian federal election|2013 Election. 
At the 2019 Australian federal election|2019 Australian Federal Election, Li was preselected by the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party to be a candidate on the NSW Australian Senate|Senate ticket. Although preselected in a spot on the ticket with a highly unlikely possibility of success, Li again rolled up his sleeves for the ALP, helping to increase Chinese community support for Labor. As expected, Labor only won 2 Senate seats in NSW, which did not include Li