Kevin Corbett, president of Liya International, founded the company as a China sales and trading entity in 1993. His unique talent in navigating Chinese business networks and culture has produced exceptional results for his clients, including several Fortune 500 companies. His leadership has grown Liya into a diversified yet nimble services company, with experience in many industries within China and the US. Liya's revenues have gone from $100,000 in 1993 to nearly $3,000,000 in 2001.
Prior to founding Liya, from 1988-1991, Kevin worked as a Project Manager and China Program Manager for Ambassadors International, Inc. (AII), a Top 100 Washington State public company. Kevin utilized his fluency in the Chinese language and culture, structuring and facilitating numerous high-level professional exchanges between Western experts and their Chinese counterparts - often working with the highest levels of the Chinese government. Leveraging these relationships or "guanxi," Kevin branched out in 1991 and founded International Resource Supply Company which later became Liya in 1993.
During a brief lull in US-China relations following the 1989 Tian'anmen Square incident, Kevin ran the Moscow, USSR, office for AII. Again building relationships and structuring high-level professional exchange programs in the very challenging, ever-changing Cold War environment.
Kevin holds a bachelor of science degree in computer science and business from the University of Puget Sound. He also completed the Monterrey Institute of International Studies' Intensive Language Program in Chinese and did post graduate work at the University of Copenhagen and Beijing Normal University.
Michael Buckley was named Vice President of Liya International in September 1999, bringing a broad range of technical, research, development, management, and sales and marketing experience.
Before joining Liya, Michael was the sales and marketing manager for Praxair Specialty Ceramics, the highly regarded manufacturer of superconducting, solid oxide fuel cell and other exotic ceramic powders and components. Michael was instrumental in landing the company's largest and most profitable account and in facilitating their most lucrative research contract with a Forbes Private 500 company.
From June 1992 until August 1995, Michael served as a projects manager and research scientist for General Electric in San Jose, California, where he successfully managed an extensive number of advanced materials research and development projects ranging in size from small to multi-million dollar.
Prior to GE, Michael worked as a visiting scientist for the Joint Research Center in Petten, The Netherlands, where he successfully managed a six-figure industrial affiliate research contract for Rolls-Royce (Bristol) which significantly aided in their jet engine design.
Michael holds master's degrees in materials science and engineering and psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Seattle University, respectively.
Tero Kosonen, based in Guangzhou, recently joined the Liya team as a Partner and Manager for all sourcing and business development operations in South China. Originally from Finland, Tero is fluent in CHINESE and has been living and working in China since 1994. He started a mobile network cable business for NK Cables Ltd. (formerly known as Nokia Cables) in Shanghai where he successfully managed several sales offices around China, a distribution network and a joint venture factory in Wuhan.
Prior to starting the China operations for the mobile network division of NK Cables Ltd., Tero owned and ran a successful trading business that sourced products from the Guangdong area for the European and North American markets. He has also acted as the Chairman of the Finnish Business Council (Guangzhou) in 1997, and Vice Chairman in 2000 (Shanghai).
His special areas of competence include contract negotiations, product sourcing, company setup, management, marketing and sales, distribution channels, and partnerships.
Tero has a Master's Degree in Business Administration and has studied law at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
Conner Li, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Joanne Li, Director, Purchasing
