Out Team
We combine seasoned and experienced management with our diverse international team. We leverage our varied backgrounds, experiences, languages and cultures to provide you with flexible, high quality, and cost efficient services. Our team is committed to building lasting partnerships by understanding and catering to the needs of your business.
Our Leadership
Franklin YaoChief Executive OfficerFranklin Yao is responsible for the overall strategy, marketing, and talent development at SmithStreetSolutions. In addition to his work at SmithStreetSolutions, Franklin is a Partner at Glocal Strategy, China’s leading PR agency, a Strategy Advisor for JUCCCE, a joint US-China NGO for clean energy development, and Deputy Chairman of the Shanghai Yangpu High-Tech District Overseas Chinese Committee. Franklin’s insights into the China market have been featured in both Chinese and English language media, including The Deal and FOX Business News, and he was a recipient of the 2010 Shanghai Overseas Chinese Entrepreneur Award presented by the Shanghai government. Previously, Franklin was at the global consulting firm Opera Solutions, where he managed the day-to-day operations of the Shanghai office and oversaw an eight-fold growth in its size. Prior to Opera Solutions, Franklin was a strategy consultant at the Mitchell Madison Group, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, and Inductis. Franklin received a B.A. in Economics and in East Asian Studies from Yale University. |
Robin KerawalaChief Operating OfficerRobin Kerawala is responsible for client delivery, client communications, and operations at SmithStreetSolutions. To improve client communications and the quality of customer service, he devised a customer satisfaction monitoring system that enables SmithStreet to better understand and respond to client needs and suggestions. Robin has been advising his North American clients in the areas of strategic procurement and outsourcing over the past 10 years. He has served clients in the financial services, professional services, manufacturing and government sectors. Previously, Robin was an Engagement Manager at Mitchell Madison Group where he delivered significant cost savings for his clients, advising them on global logistics strategy, raw materials sourcing, as well as legal services and HR outsourcing issues. Robin also worked as a consultant at Operations Management Group, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, and Silver Oak Solutions. Robin graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Economics. |
Steven C. Lee, CFAPrincipal, Investment Research and AnalyticsSteven Lee is responsible for the strategy and operations of SmithStreetSolutions’ financial advisory business. Steven has over 13 years of experience in investment analysis, structured products, and portfolio management. Steven’s insights into M&A in China have been featured by NHK News and in the China Daily US edition. He has also been a speaker at a China Institute Corporate Lecture: The Effects of the US and Chinese Stimulus Packages, and is the author of the white paper on the same topic. Prior to joining SmithStreet, Steven served as Managing Director for an opportunistic, multi-strategy hedge fund in New York focusing primarily on private investments. Previously, he was the Head of Structured Products at Refco Alternative Investments, where he was responsible for the creation, distribution and management of Principal Protected Notes and Total Return Swap structures. Steven has also formerly worked at Asset Alliance Corporation, Bear Stearns investment banking, and James D. Wolfensohn, Inc. Steven received a B.A. in Economics, with Distinction, from Yale University and is a CFA Charterholder. |
Ermo Ou, EMBA, CFAPartnerErmo joined the SmithStreet Financial Advisory team to spearhead its business development. Ermo was most recently an executive with Zeuspac Capital overseeing the portfolio’s capital market activities. He was also a founding member of the First Leaside Group of Companies, first as VP of F.L. Securities, a limited market dealer in Canada, then as COO of First Leaside Securities, one of Canada’s fastest growing full-service retail brokerage. First Leaside’s asset-under-management quadrupled during Ermo's stay with the group. As a CFA chart holder with a strong entrepreneurial streak, Ermo graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Business Administration and an EMBA from Jiaotong University. |
Niels SorensenBoard AdvisorNiels Sorensen has spent 15 years in management consulting in New York, London and Copenhagen. He has advised global companies such as American Express, Merrill Lynch, Wyeth, and Carlsberg on growth, market entry and supply chain strategy. Niels has considerable international executive experience, and is currently serving as Chairman of Allokton AB, a publicly listed Swedish Real Estate Company. He previously worked as Managing Director of Investments at CenterPlan with activities in Scandinavia, Germany and the UK, and Vice President and global service line head for supply chain at CapGemini in New York. Niels holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, along with a Bachelors of commerce in Marketing and a Bachelors of Science in Economics from Copenhagen School of Economics. |