Professor MENG, Zhaoli is a Professor of Business Practice in the Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management. She holds a Ph.D. from the National University of Singapore and brings nearly two decades of interdisciplinary expertise spanning the internet, fintech, philanthropy, and corporate management. Combining academic rigor with extensive industry experience, she advances innovation and delivers strategic impact.
Professor Meng has an extensive professional background, having established research institutes at leading Chinese tech companies such as Tencent, JD Finance, and Micro Connect, where she engaged in pioneering research related to the internet and fintech. She has also worked at globally renowned consulting firms such as Deloitte and Accenture, where she gained deep insights into integrating industry expertise with consulting and research. She also has been devoted in public welfare research for many years, serving as the Deputy Secretary-General of Tencent Charity.
She led the research team at Tencent Research Institute in defining the concepts of “Internet+” and the digital economy, producing a series of influential reports that informed national policy discussions and guided industrial transformation across China. Her pioneering research on “Internet+” and the digital economy positioned Tencent as a leading industry advocate for this vision, driving the implementation of digital initiatives across dozens of provinces and cities. She also analyzed JD Finance’s innovations in fintech and collaborated with the World Bank research team to feature the JD Finance case in the World Development Report 2019, the World Bank’s flagship publication.
Professor Meng has published over a hundred opinion articles in leading domestic industry journals and media during her decade-long career. She led the writing of the book The Internet Changes China, which was presented by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In 2021, the book was selected by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee as one of the national exemplary materials for party member education and training. It has been translated into multiple languages and distributed across more than twenty Belt and Road countries. The book received the Fourth World Chinese Popular Science Award and was also nominated for the Fifth China Publishing Government Award.
Academic Qualification
PhD National University of Singapore
Work Experience
2025~Present
Professor of Business Practice, Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics, and Operations Management, HKUST Business School
Associate Director, Center for Technology and Business Ecosystem, HKUST Business School
2023~2024
Dean of Micro Connect Research Institute
Managing Director, Head of Research
2020~2023
Dean of the Yidan Education Research Institute
Research Advisor of the Chen Yidan Foundation
2018~2019
Dean of JD Finance Research Institute
Dean of JD Digital Technology Research Institute
2014~2017
Chief Economist at Tencent Research Institute
Vice Dean of Tencent Research Institute
Vice Secretary-General of Tencent Foundation
2012~2014
Head of Deloitte TMT Industry Research Center
2011~2012
Research Lead for Accenture Institute for High Performance China Region
2008~2011
Chief Researcher at Samsung Economic Research Institute
2006~2008
Assistant Professor at Renmin University of China
Published Works
- The Internet Changes China, Zhaoli Meng, Yuanjia Han, et al., China Industry and Information Publishing Group，2019
- Digital Finance, Zhaoli Meng, Caiyong Yang, et al., CITIC Publishing Group, 2019
- Internet+ Manufacturing, Xiao Si, Zhaoli Meng, et al., Publishing House of Electronics Industry, 2017
- Digital Economy, Hua Teng Ma, Zhaoli Meng, et al., CITIC Publishing Group, 2017
- Information Rules, Carl Shapiro, Hal Varian, Zhaoli Meng (Chinese version translator), Renmin University Press, 2017
- Internet+ Governance, Peng Tang, Zhaoli Meng, et al., China Industry and Information Publishing Group, 2016
- Managerial Economics, Ivan Png and Zhaoli Meng, Renmin University Press, 2013
Current Services
2020~now National Information Technology Standardization Technical Committee on Artificial Intelligence
2023~now Board member of the Shenzhen Mingwan Education Foundation
