MOST INTRIGUING PEOPLE
Major Success In Finance Has Always Been In The Cards For VP BY BILL BEENE
Introducing Al Li
we need to invite to the table in regards to Diversity and Inclusion.
He is Vice President of Global Trade Finance at Regions Bank.
Li figures that Diversity and Inclusion are imperatives.
In that respectable role, he provides financing and risk mitigation solutions to corporations that transact internationally. That includes export financing to supply chain finance and everything in between.
“You never want to prevent the best of the best from coming to the table to help your team win,” Li says, adding that, “a culture of diversity always wins out over a culture of homogeneity.”
“I love to discuss world affairs and opportunities abroad for local businesses to – not only connect business partners but – cultures as well,” Li says. He also notes that within the global context that he operates, “It’s always engaging to hear his clients’ cross cultural experiences from which I can learn some about the world.” Li is also President of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce in St. Louis and has minority stake in Wasabi Sushi Bar. Li approach to all he does professionally? “I am a big picture and results oriented person; I ask a lot of questions in order to discover what the true problem is to ensure I am not simply fixing a symptom, but, also the underlying cause.” If there is a way to fix more than one thing or improve the organization in a more holistic manner, he says, the better. “My approach, he says, thus, is “to engage in those activities that will have the most impact for my client, company and myself, but also for the next company, my city and my co-workers.” A promising career in finance and accounting has always been in the cards for Al Li. As a youth, he was a baseball card fanatic and could memorize stats of every player in Major League Baseball. “While some had a love for words, I had a love for numbers and what story they told,” says LI who has always been in Finance and Accounting roles of some kind. Without doubt, he said, his greatest privilege has been to run and grow the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. “This has not only brought the diversity of the Asian community together, but it’s growth has shown the mainstream community that
The busy and accomplished corporate-ladder-climbing executive discounts work/life balance, explaining that he does not believe in it. “I believe more in pursuing your passion and finding a way to get paid for it, and working for a company that has a strong culture and leads from there to produce results; I have a passion for what I do and because Regions believes in community involvement, my work and personal ambitions tend to blend together.” When he can, Li loves to travel the world — mostly to Asia. At home, rides a Harley Davidson Road King that he likes to ride to work on and around town or across the country. He was born in Flushing, New York. His formal education includes a BA in Communication from Mizzou (the University of Missouri), where he also earned a Master’s in Economics. He summed up his academic lettering with a MBA from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. His professional advice: 1. Always know the value that you bring to an organization. If you don’t know, take a step back to either equip yourself for value or find another organization 2. Spend some time in sales no matter what your end goal is because at the end of the day, your organization needs customers and this will allow you to be focused on the customer no matter what role you end up playing. 3. Organizations run on influence – not formal hierarchy – so understand your own power-base and how it fits into the power pyramid of your organization. Your employer may just care more about how you get it done than your ability to get it done.
who’s who diversity in color
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