Lindy Chen

Lindy Chen is the founder and Managing Director of ChinaDirect Sourcing Services, a company which she established in 2005. ChinaDirect seeks to assist Australian companies in seeing China not as a threat, but as their competitive advantage. In its few short years of existence, ChinaDirect has experienced exponential growth, guided by its driving mission to make clients prosperous and globally competitive.

Lindy's ambitious business goal is to grow ChinaDirect into the world’s leading sourcing firm and, considering her impressive start, there is every reason to expect her to achieve that goal. Because education was Lindy's own access out of a poor background, her personal goal is to provide education scholarships to 1,000 underprivileged children in China by 2011.

Lindy's strong leadership qualities are demonstrated by her ability to motivate and inspire employees to fulfil their potential. Last year, Lindy completed a seven month intensive leadership development program to further develop her skills and talents.

ChinaDirect Sourcing

Lindy’s contribution to the success of ChinaDirect has come from first developing a unique business model, then systemising the business. Through her hard work, Lindy has attracted to ChinaDirect prominent clients as MiniMovers and Merlo Coffee.

Due to her willingness to take risks and do things differently, Lindy has been able to overcome many obstacles to success. To begin with: she started ChinaDirect Sourcing on a budget of only $2,000, and she launched the business on a PC at an internet café.

Not surprisingly, given its founder's approach to life and the world, ChinaDirect operates differently from the average sourcing company. For example, the company is transparent in providing full details of Chinese suppliers they source for clients, and it refuses to take any commissions from Chinese suppliers.

Lindy's Journey

Lindy has an impressive track record in both China and Australia. She was born in China and came to live in Australia in 2002. Before she settled in Australia, she held senior management roles in both Chinese and Australian companies.

Lindy's career in Australia was not all smooth, however. When she first arrived in Australia, she could not immediately find a job. To make use of her talents and energies in her new home while she searched for work, Lindy took on a variety of volunteer roles. Her activities included raising awareness of China by organising community events for her local council, promoting the use of public transport, and running events showcasing the talents of multicultural youth.

Eventually Lindy got a big break: selling movie tickets door to door! After three weeks, she had made the grand sum of $100 and worn out two pairs of runners, but her job had earned Lindy more than money: while selling her tickets, Lindy learned how to read a map and she gained the confidence to speak English with ease.

Next Lindy spent seven months studying English intensively, and at the end of that time she taught Business Administration at The Australian Business College in Adelaide. Building on that experience, she soon accepted a position lecturing in International Trade at TAFE in South Australia.

While Lindy was working at her various jobs and studying English, her friends began asking her to source products for them from China. She soon discovered she had an extraordinary talent for sourcing and she soon turned her new-found talent into a successful business. The combination of the growing demand for her service and her lifelong willingness to work hard soon convinced Lindy that her part-time activities sourcing had the potential to become a full-time business.

Using her strategic project management skills and her strong business acumen, Lindy continues to assist other Australian companies grow through product innovation and bottom line savings. ChinaDirect gains most new clients either through word of mouth or from her talks at China business seminars. Lindy is passionate about building bridges between China and Australia, and she has given her time freely to speak for organizations such as the Australian Institute of Management, The Triton Foundation, Qld Police, and James Cook University.

Lindy is a creative and dynamic business facilitator who blends the best qualities of the East and the West. One of her greatest talents is her natural ability to connect people from diverse backgrounds with one another. She has a strong desire to raise awareness of China among Australians, and vice versa, in order for the two countries she loves to grow harmoniously together.