Executive Committee
Who runs Viva?
The Viva Committee meets on a regular basis and is represented by a group of professional women from different backgrounds and countries, based in Beijing. The committee is responsible for the strategic and operational success of the group and currently comprises the following individuals.
President Sarah Cooper
Sarah co-founded Viva with Vice President Jasmine Keel, motivated by a strong desire to help women reach their professional potential.
Originally a solicitor in a commercial City of London law firm, Sarah later developed a career in marketing and project management. On moving to Beijing nearly three years ago, Sarah re-trained as a career and personal coach. Through her business Cows from my window, she specializes in working with people who want to put their passions at the heart of what they do. Many of her clients make radical career changes or set up their own businesses.
Sarah also enjoys chronicling her experiences and misadventures as mother to her two-year-old daughter in her TBJ Kids column Me, Myself and Elsa.
Contact Sarah at: president@vivabeijing.org or on 1369 318 0227
Vice President & Programme Manager Jasmine Keel
Jasmine Keel moved from Switzerland to Beijing in 2006 with her husband and her two children.
As most women do, she wears different caps at different times. As a mother, she is proud to be the one nurturing the family, but delegates the running of the house to her ayi. As a contractor, she is completing a healthcare project for her previous employer BAXTER. As the founder of INSPIRED, she strives to help expat spouses in Beijing by providing them with useful workshops and seminars.
Jasmine holds a Masters in Strategy and is a UK Chartered Management Accountant. She has seven years experience working for multinationals in Paris, London and Zurich and speaks French, English and German. Jasmine used to be very active in Zurich Professional Women’s Group and very much believes in empowering women to help them achieve their potential.
Contact Jasmine at: programme@vivabeijing.org
Events Manager Tahsin Bhanji
Tahsin moved to Beijing after graduating with a BSc in Mathematics with Economics from UCL. She has been in Beijing for a year and a half, first specialising in business development for a Chinese software company and now as Events Manager for the British Chamber of Commerce. With a keen
interest in current affairs, Tahsin is responsible for the Chamber’s event programme and strategy, and she also writes regularly for British Business in China magazine.
Contact Tas at: events@vivabeijing.org
Finance Manager Cristina Sima
Originally from Romania, Cristina Sima, has over eight years experience in Finance & Accounting, Business Development and Shipping attained through projects in Eastern and Western Europe, working in a variety of teams and environments, in shipping and Non-profits sectors. She moved to Beijing in January 2008 and she is Finance Manager for a telecommunication company from Finland. Beijing is her 3rd expatriation after Moscow and London, where she worked for a Danish shipping company as Finance Manager. Cristina loves learning foreign languages and she takes much pleasure in being surrounded by smart, carrier-minded, ambitious people and good citizens.
Contact Cristina at: finance@vivabeijing.org
Marketing Manager Kate Alden
Kate Alden moved to Beijing in 2006 and is currently Marketing Manager for the British Chamber of Commerce in China. A marketing specialist, she has over 6 years experience in communications and strategic marketing for both multi-nationals and non-profit organizations, as well as significant freelance experience. She is an enthusiastic writer and is the Editor of British Business in China magazine. She speaks English and French, and has a keen interest in Chinese language and culture.
Contact Kate at: marketing@vivabeijing.org
Membership Manager Loretta Myers
Loretta Myers moved to Beijing from Abu Dhabi, UAE, in June 2007. She holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from Strathclyde Graduate Business School (UK). Loretta has a varied professional background, within multi-cultural business settings, having had to move with her husband and adapt to several international locations (USA, Middle East, Asia-Pac and the subcontinent). Her work experience includes, among others, GM of a corporate training company, HR/market research for one of the Big 4, strategy/ business planning and market analyses for a multinational oil services company, as well as local counselor/tutor for Strathclyde's Executive MBA, Strategy Module. Loretta speaks English, French and Swahili, and she is currently studying Mandarin. She enjoys meeting professional women to share ideas and learning about new cultures.
Contact Loretta at: membership@vivabeijing.org
Communications Manager Monica Horak
Monica moved to Beijing in 2006 from Sydney, Australia. As a marketing and communications specialist, Monica’s experience lies across a variety of industries and business types including Publishing, IT, e-Commerce & Health Care, from start-up to multi-national. She holds a degree in Marketing & e-Business and has recently taken up the challenge of delving into a new industry as the Marketing and Promotions Officer at Yew Chung International School of Beijing. Along with Viva, Monica is a committee member for the Australian & New Zealand Association of Beijing where she manages their website and monthly newsletter. In her spare time, Monica enjoys studying for her diploma in Interior Design and Floristry and has recently upped the ante in her quest to learn Chinese.
Contact Monica at communications@vivabeijing.org