ZongYang Ryan Li

Founder and Chair of the Sino British Summit

Founder and CEO of Dere Street Capital

Ryan came to the UK at the age of 12 to study at Fettes College, the Scottish boarding school whose alumni include David Ogilvy and Tony Blair before going on to read History, Politics and Economics at University College London.  

At the age of 16, Ryan founded to the Ryan Li Charitable Fund, which provides a platform for students hoping to pursue careers in politics and economics,  supporting them with mentorships and internships.

Much of the focus of Ryan’s work has been in developing opportunities on building cross-cultural understanding between the UK and China. Before setting up Dere Street Capital, Ryan co-founded the Sino British Summit, a non-profit organisation based in the London that hosts an annual summit to support businesses across China and the UK, as well as advising British Universities on their Asia strategies.

As the summit continues to build new bridges and strengthen existing bonds, it has attracted the support from organisations as diverse as the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province, the UK’s Department for International Trade, HSBC and gained public support from world leaders range from the British Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018 and the Former Vice President of United States (Al Gore) in 2019.

Ryan’s reputation in the UK has led him to take on advisory roles for several Chinese companies, and he was invited by HRH the Duke of York to join the Committee for Pitch@Palace China as the youngest committee member between 2017 - 2019.