John Lu

John Lu is Stavatti’s Vice President of Business Development for Asia. Specializing in Stavatti business development throughout Asia, John has over thirty years of international business development and operations experience, John has a proven track record of driving growth, forging strategic partnerships, and guiding complex cross-border negotiations. He combines strategic vision with hands-on leadership to help companies, investors, and governments achieve ambitious objectives in Asia, North America, Europe, and Latin America.

Focusing upon New Business Development, Investor & Client Relationship Building, Strategic Vision & Mission Planning, Market Positioning & Business Growth, Corporate & Government Negotiations, Tactical Alliance & Partnership Development , Team Coordination & Leadership and Time & Efficiency Management, John has been instrumental in the advancement of Stavatti civil aircraft projects including the SM-920 Commercial Airliner and SM-100 Intermodal Transport and Fire Bomber.

With an expansive career spanning three decades, John was the Vice Chairman of Montgomery Capital Investment of Shanghai, China. While with Montgomery he spearheaded a landmark joint venture with the Yangtze River United Economic Development Group—an investment consortium backed by 31 major cities along the Yangtze River economic corridor. Under his leadership, the firm provided M&A, IPO and investment advisory services that bridged Western capital with China’s largest economic power base.

John was the Vice President and Director for TICO S.A., of San José, Costa Rica where he managed high-level negotiations between the Costa Rican government and Chinese engineering, construction and financing firms. His efforts laid the groundwork for a major ocean/land transportation infrastructure project, aligning multi-stakeholder interests and securing critical financing.

John was also the Vice President and Director of Skytruck Inc of New Orleans, USA where he cultivated strategic relationships with leading aircraft manufacturers in the US, China and Taiwan to develop a revolutionary multi-function transport aircraft. His partnership model accelerated product development and opened new market channels and forged the relationship with Stavatti.

As the Executive Director for Business Development for Thomas Planning Services, Boston, USA , he led the successful bid and oversight of the award-winning New City Center master plan in Guangzhou—a 6 km² urban development recognized at the national level in China. He also directed the design of Dabang Garden in Nanjing and an international business center near Shanghai, both celebrated for architectural innovation.

While the Managing Director & Senior Consultant/Adviser for Pacific e.Net, Oakland, USA, John
Secured an €80 million transaction for a steel galvanizing line at Beijing Shougang Steel Corp on behalf of CMI Group (Belgium/France). He also Expanded Pirelli Cables & Systems’ footprint in China by establishing key telecom and power-generation partnerships. John Launched overseas travel protection programs with China Pacific Insurance and C.E. Health Group (UK), providing medical and emergency assistance for Chinese travelers and Facilitated Motorola’s ADSL modem marketing in China, obtaining telecom equipment certifications and forging relationships with Shanghai Telecom and Beijing Telecom. John Coordinated feasibility studies and joint‐venture engineering for super-fine synthetic micro fabrics with China State Planning Commission, China International Engineering Corp. and FIAT’s Snia Engineering.

He also advised numerous government and academic clients, Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Voice of Germany, State of South Carolina, City of Las Vegas, Boston Port Authority, Boston University, UC Berkeley and others, on China-related market entry and policy.

John was the Director of International Operations for Market Survey Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences where he grew a global client portfolio that included AT&T, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daewoo, Fujitsu, GM, Johnson & Johnson, LG, McKinsey & Company, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Samsung, Unilever, Whirlpool and many more, leading market research, strategy and localization initiatives.

John was the Executive Director for Zhong Qiao USA and Hong Kong where he orchestrated financing, planning and construction of World Plaza: a US $100 million mixed-use development in Shanghai, and served as master developer of Jingui Vacation Village, a 300-villa resort on the coast of Dalian. As a co-founder and director of the China Council for the Promotion of International Quality Assurance, he pioneered industrial quality certification operations in partnership with the World Bank and Chinese government. He also launched Shanghai Zhong Qiao College, directing financing, program design and international faculty recruitment.

John has served as a Senior Adviser, Special Committee for Tokyo’s 2016 Olympic Bid and as a Volunteer Adviser, Michigan Diving Academy (University of Michigan) & Tsinghua Diving Club (Tsinghua University). John has been the organizer of international exchange programs and events for diving teams.

John has a Master of Economics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, USA (1990) and a Bachelor of History degree from Southeast University, Nanjing, China (1982). John’s personal interests include music, reading, hiking, bicycling, swimming and travel