Management Team
| Adrian Li | Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder |
| Jonathan Palley | Product Research & Development VP, Co-founder |
| Marshall Chang | Product VP and Mandarin Product GM |
| Winnie Fong | EQEnglish Instructor Management VP |
| Michael Wiley | Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel |
Adrian is responsible for managing the overall operations for Idapted and overseeing the business development and sales for its flagship products, EQEnglish, StudioChinese and the Idapted Live Learning System.
Prior to starting Idapted, Adrian worked for Pepsi in Shanghai in a project management role where he was responsible for coordinating the launch of a new product. In 2001, Adrian worked with JPMorgan based in London where he advised on acquisition and growth strategy for financial institutions. Adrian then joined a social enterprise incubator, Globalegacy, in 2004 where he advised entrepreneurs starting for-profit social ventures.
Adrian has a passion for education and founded a UK based charity; CNYTrust; which has raised thousands of pounds (GBP) to support children in rural China pursue education. The Trust has provided scholarships to many Chinese students and has also built a primary school in the village of Da Miao, China. More information may be found at www.cnytrust.org.
Adrian completed his degree in Economics at Cambridge University and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese and enjoys training for marathons and ironman triathlon events in his spare time.
Jonathan is responsible for the design, development and deployment of Idapted's products and technology.
Jonathan has always had a keen and active interest in educational technology and languages. He has technological experience in developing software for the education market and a demonstrated ability to manage multi-discipline projects. He is the developer of Virtual FlashCards, a shareware electronic flashcard program that has been downloaded over 250,000 times and is used worldwide. Through interacting with hundreds of Virtual FlashCards users he has a strong understanding of how people interact with computer based learning systems.
He has also developed medical imaging and scientific instrument control software and can program computers in most modern languages and systems.
Jonathan served as the Executive Producer of a nationally recognized theater ensemble, where he managed a large team of actors, directors, designers and technicians in producing a full season of free Shakespeare plays viewed by thousands of people. He has training and experience in acting and improvising and is an avid student of how the theory behind improvised theater can be applied to creative and constructive teamwork. He holds a B.S. in Physics from Stanford University.
Marshall is responsible for the overall development and management of StudioChinese.
With a strong background in business development and sales, Marshall’s rich experience in China brings strong industry contacts and bi-cultural management skills. His passion for education grew from his experience at 1on1 Mandarin as General Manager. His aggressive, entrepreneurial thinking and a deep understanding of the local expatriate Beijing market were key factors to helping expand revenues by over 400% and increase student enrollment over 20 times in one year. Under his leadership, 1on1 Mandarin was able cut costs by 15% and increase revenues by a 40% average over each semester.
As a Business Development Manager for a local environmental equipment import/export agency, Marshall was responsible for delivering market-entry development of a nationwide distribution network for a principle account in the environmental industry. His business savvy led a small team to discover a 6% cost advantage over competitor products, which subsequently drove nearly US$1mn in sales.
Marshall is also actively involved with fundraising activities to assist an orphanage for disabled children in Hebei, China with daily necessities and education. He is fluent in English and Mandarin and has lived in Beijing since 2002. He holds a Bachelors Degree in East Asian Studies (China Concentration) from UCLA and attended the prestigious Inter-University Program at Tsinghua University.
Michael is Idapted's Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel.
Michael represents over 20 technology start-up companies as a legal and financial advisor. Prior to starting his own practice, Michael worked for Venture Law Group (and its successor, Heller Ehrman) as a corporate attorney negotiating venture financings and mergers & acquisitions, preparing and reviewing general contracts (including corporate documentation) and managing his clients' general needs. Prior to his work with Venture Law Group, Michael worked for KPMG Peat Marwick as a tax advisor/CPA.
Michael's interest in language training is largely due to his experience as a missionary in Guatemala from 1994 to 1996, and his interest in China began during the spring of 1998 when he spent a term in various countries in Asia, including China, with BYU's Marriott School of Management. Michael is fluent in both written and spoken Spanish. Michael received both his Juris Doctorate and his Accounting degree from Brigham Young University.
Xu Xiao Ping, Co-founder New Oriental School