Li Zhao Mandelbaum is a senior advisor with the Branstad Churchill Group. A world citizen, Li spent 25 years in China before living in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. With over 20 years of international trade experience, she is recognized as an expert on China and specializes in facilitating trade between the U.S. and China, leveraging her extensive background and relationships to deliver exceptional results for her clients.
Before joining the Branstad Churchill Group, Li founded China Iowa Group, an international trade and advisory firm specializing in sourcing, export sales and investment between the U.S. and China. Prior to that, she held positions at Agricredit and De Lage Landen, subsidiaries of Rabobank Group, one of the world’s largest agricultural banks. Her earlier career includes roles at several international companies in China including New Oriental, Shanghai Phoenix Bicycle Import and Export Company and American Greetings.
Li earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in International Trade and Economics from Central South University in Changsha, China. She serves on the Bankers Trust Community Board and the Board of Trustees for Grand View University. Her accomplishments have garnered numerous accolades, including the Business Record’s Woman Business Owner of the Year award, the Iowa International Center’s Passport to Prosperity award, and recognition in the Business Record’s Forty Under 40. She has also received the Governor’s Volunteer Award.
In 2017, Li was the youngest and only female member of President Trump’s delegation of business leaders to China. Her expertise has been featured in the Des Moines Register’s “Feeding China,” a deep dive into China’s growing demand for food, as well as on CNBC’s Closing Bell and the international Chinese network CGTN.