Li Yifei: 30 Dollar Venture President

When he went to America in 80s, Li Yifei spent only 30 dollars on the phone. He didn't call home in a year, because an overseas call would cost a month.

At that time, she might not have thought that she would become the cover figure of the famous financial magazine fortune in 2001.

This year, Li Yifei was re elected as the most influential 25 businesswoman in China in 2011.

During the interview, she showed the cover photos of her mobile phone ten years ago.

At that time, as president of MTV China, she was selected as fortune global magazine's new generation business leader.

Ten years later, President Li Yifei's experience in China has expanded a lot: not only has he covered the media industry from the media, public relations to advertising, but also has begun to move to the financial sector.

Before this publication, she was invited by MAN Group as chairman of the company in China.

In the interview, Li Yifei, who had a unique sense of humor, shared some of her workplace intelligence with clear logic and diplomats' general expression ability. Some of them influenced the company, others blended into the education of the next generation to help their children grow up.

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The new office she has not yet entered is at the top of China World Trade Center, Beijing's old business center.

There is a good view outside the west window. It can overlook the whole of Chang'an Avenue and overlook the Western Hills in the setting sun.

At this point, she has completed career explorations in the media industry, and pointed out that the current financial field is different from any other industry, which is full of speed, courage challenge and game stimulation.

In her words, the industry has assembled a group of super talented people, and the joy of life lies with this. "Life without challenges is boring and lonely."

According to a recent Reuters report, as the largest listed hedge fund in the world, the British group is beginning to deploy strong capabilities in Asia to develop regional markets.

By the end of March, 1/4 of the company's $70 billion assets came from the Asia Pacific region.

Among them, the company's main strategy funds met strong demand in Japan.

Li Yifei's accession should be an important part of the company's Asia Pacific Plan.

At present, the world financial structure is undergoing profound changes. The assets of the international market management are over 20 trillion yuan, and China's asset management market is more than 3 trillion yuan, which has enormous room for growth.

However, senior positions in the financial sector have always been dominated by men and are called "vacuum zones" of women leaders.

In this year's fortune, the list of the 50 "most influential business women" in the United States is full of strong figures: a former CIA agent who sells destroyers to the US Navy, and has jointly controlled the 70% income of Lockheed Martin company, and is trying to develop the three vice president of the space shuttle "substitute product".

However, there are few people in the field of financial investment.

95% of the top executives in the hedge fund are men.

However, Pierre, Lagrange, a senior manager of the Bank of England and a foreign media who reported the hedge fund of a tiny Buckingham Palace in Oxford, England, once joked: "in China, women can hold up half the sky, and here we are not half the sky."

This reminds us of Li Yifei's last job.

In 2009, when she was invited to be president of the largest advertising and communication group in France, Yang Shi Rui Greater China, David Kenny, the global director of the company, called her the "unique" leader found by the company.

What people do not know is that the company interviewed more than 80 elite managers in the advertising field, but finally entrusted the mission to the "outsider" in the advertising industry.

After careful analysis, the two companies belong to different industries and have different needs.

However, they have a crossover point, that is, they all need breakthrough thinking and can release huge influence to exploit the Chinese market.

It needs to pform in the rapidly changing media industry, so that many branches can form greater synergy to face the evolution of the industry.

An athlete, a swordsman in the movie, Li Yifei, who graduated from China Foreign Affairs University, has become an ideal candidate.

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Li Yifei, who is familiar with diplomatic history and international politics, believes that a win-win relationship is needed inside and outside the company.

But two years ago, she knew that the work of the public lion group would be challenged in this respect: the management of many subsidiaries had already had more than more than 10 years of experience in the advertising industry, but due to historical reasons, there was a lack of communication between many business branches.

At the first luncheon meeting, she found that some branch executives had not seen each other for three years.

The ice breaking tour began with the CEO round table forum she personally planned.

During the period, the president of China, including Zhang Weiying, Cao Yuanzheng, and Li Kaifu, including Procter & Gamble, L'OREAL and Samsung Corp, gathered to explore the new economy, from the interpretation of "12th Five-Year" to frankly "entanglement" in their respective minds.

Prior to this, the dialogue team of the senior staff of the company's main branches stayed in the marketing department of these giant companies, and such a forum enhanced the perspective of internal problems.

"Our team is concerned not only with the broadcasting of the next round of advertising, but also about the changes in the industry."

She said.

In addition, in the new media field, Li Yifei opened the video advertising mode research and precise "swimming pool" plan.

With the rise of Facebook, micro-blog and video websites, the media environment is fragmented, and advertisers are at a loss.

Li Yifei's previous team is to make advertising more scientific and simple through professional subdivision functions.

Another problem she faced in two years is the challenge of overall size and staff growth after the company has the right development direction.

Among the women leaders selected by fortune, there is no shortage of "experts" in this respect. Zhong Binxian, President of Avon Co, has successfully recruited 200 thousand people in one quarter.

The complex and pboundary industry that Li Yifei faces is also very difficult: from 200 people in MTV to 5000 people in the Yang lion, the number of people and the industry are very different.

This may be the reason why headquarters initially sought leaders who had the entrepreneurial spirit outside.

Like any company builder, her plan also includes "carrot and stick".

Under the guidance, she joined the "collaboration and skill sharing" in all the key performance indicators of her CEO, and the gradual formation of corporate culture made the process quite smooth.

When CEO, a branch company, accepted the new corporate culture and brought it to its subsidiaries, the culture expanded to all levels like water waves until all people were affected.

Finally, in the letter to Li Yifei, the top executive of the public lion group said that she had "completed one hundred percent achievements in China" and fulfilled her personal reward.

In the past two years, her company has achieved two digit growth.

According to reports, in the first quarter of this year, Yang's revenue in the same store in China, Brazil, India and Russia increased by 11.4%.

Morris Levi, chairman and CEO of public lion group, said it hopes to double the business of these four countries by 2013.

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Li Yifei, who advocates performance, has just finished reading the book "influence".

From her point of view, the negotiation of buying and selling around a pair of trousers to Xiushui Street is a process of influence control.

She herself was influenced by her parents and Redstone, Noam Gottesman, and so on, and began to shift these influence to her sons and daughters.

"These people's casual words, behavior or decision-making process will have an impact on me."

She thinks that careful observation and learning ability are very important.

While working at MTV, she accompanied an international president who graduated from West Point and liked to collect Lei Feng's souvenir to go to Panjiayuan to find treasure.

In the process, she talked about herself as a woman and had psychological pressure when negotiating with strong men. I hope this International President will point out her negotiating skills.

As a result, the response of the other person was surprisingly simple: "tell yourself that you can afford it."

The two men came to experience this interesting psychological game in bargaining with vendors.

When it comes to major decisions in the future, she will think of this sentence when she is most anxious and hesitant.

"When I was prepared for the worst, it all came true."

Li Yifei not only used the fine perspective of women to sum up the philosophy of life around them, but also incorporated these into her children's education.

"I want my children to have a sense of social responsibility."

Her daughter is longing to study political philosophy in the highest institutions in Europe and America.

Every time she came back from Europe and America, she would talk with her children about news, such as European debt, Medvedev and Putin's campaign, instead of talking about beautiful fashion and fashion parties in France.

With no noise, his children gradually began to become interested and often focused on news and questions.

For these, Li Yifei answered carefully.

For example, why does the Greek people not pay taxes?

With some unknown answers, she will take them to Google to look for it.

During the collapse of Lehman Brothers, her son even interviewed Li Yifei, whose daughter was a cameraman, and asked questions that were full of children's perspective.

Ten years ago, the question that impressed the Americans was: how can a woman CEO be able to get around the government, audience and media environment in the high threshold of foreign cultural products? Let the Viacom music TV channel soon become the sexy brand of the young generation of the open generation.

Actually, behind this is not a model professional manager trained by textbooks.

Li Yifei has his own philosophy of life and logic of action.

After leaving MTV, she briefly worked in the financial industry for a year and a half.

At that time, the founder of her hedge fund company GLG was Israeli American Gottesman.

In the meantime, Li Yifei set up the China International Alternative Investment Association to rapidly expand the market for this industry known for its mystique.

This time, GLG has merged with the British group and become the world's leading Asset Management Co.

At the end of the interview, Li Yifei stood at the window. The empty office behind was not yet opened. Some corners were already filled with data, some of which were marked with her name.

It will not be a big suspense to see how her influence will be released this time, but in the future, it must be a business story that people are looking forward to reading.