 |
Jane Lu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 June 1986 China |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales (BCom) |
| Occupation | businesswoman |
| Known for | founding Showpo |
| Television | Shark Tank |
Jane Lu (born 12 June 1986) is an Australian businesswoman. [1] [2]
Lu is the founder and chief executive officer of the fashion boutique Showpo. [3]
In March 2023, it was announced she would be joining Shark Tank on Network 10 as one of the "sharks". [4]
Lu is the only child to Chinese-Australian parents. After leaving school, she completed an accounting cadetship with KPMG before working as an analyst for Ernst & Young. She left Ernst & Young to establish a pop-up shop with a friend. It was an unsuccessful venture which led to Lu accruing a debt and being unemployed.
This led her to start her own e-retailing business where wholesalers supplied her with products on a consignment basis. [5] Founded in 2010, the business was initially called Show Pony, but the name was changed to Showpo after it emerged that the name was owned by an American business. [6] The business proved to be a success and has since increased in value each year. [7]
Lu was named as the Cosmopolitan Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015. [8] In 2016, she was listed in the Forbes Asia "30 under 30" list. [9] She was listed in Smart Company's "Hot 30 under 30" list in both 2016 and 2017. [10] In 2017, Lu was among the most viewed fashion professionals on LinkedIn. [11] That same year, she debuted on The Australian Financial Review "Young Rich List". [12]
In February 2023, Lu apologised after underestimating the interest of a Showpo warehouse sale after issues arose from a larger than expected attendance. [13] There were complaints from customers about waiting in long queues in hot weather as well as the quality of the products. [14] Lu admitted she had been initially concerned about an apparent lack of interest in the event after less than 400 people confirmed their attendance on the Facebook event page. [15]
After some disgruntled customers complained about the issues, Lu gave an assurance that the issues would be rectified at the next event, and said there would be more stock, more changing rooms, more EFTPOS machines and more staff. [16]
In March 2023, Lu was one of five new "sharks" announced for a new series of Shark Tank. [17] Lu as well as Davie Fogarty, Sabri Suby and Catriona Wallace will succeed the previous cast of Janine Allis, Andrew Banks, Steve Baxter, Glen Richards and Naomi Simson when the program returns later in 2023. [18] American "shark" Robert Herjavec will also be joining the Australian series. [19]
The Big Four are the four largest professional services networks in the world: Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC. They are the four largest global accounting networks as measured by revenue. The four are often grouped because they are comparable in size relative to the rest of the market, both in terms of revenue and workforce; they are considered equal in their ability to provide a wide scope of professional services to their clients; and, among those looking to start a career in professional services, particularly accounting, they are considered equally attractive networks to work in, because of the frequency with which these firms engage with Fortune 500 companies.
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is considered one of the Big Four accounting firms. It primarily provides assurance, tax, information technology services, consulting, and advisory services to its clients.
KPMG International Limited is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. The name "KPMG" stands for "Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler". The initialism was chosen when KMG merged with Peat Marwick in 1987.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, commonly referred to as Deloitte, is a multinational professional services network. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of employees in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with EY, KPMG, and PwC.
CPA Australia is a professional accounting body in Australia, originally founded as the "Incorporated Institute of Accountants" in 1886. As of 31 December 2020, it has 168,736 members in 150 countries and regions around the world. CPA Australia currently has 19 staffed offices across Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, New Zealand and the UK.
Shark Tank is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC. The show is the American franchise of the international format Dragons' Den, a Japanese TV series. It shows entrepreneurs making business presentations to a panel of five venture capitalists called "sharks" on the program, who decide whether to invest in their companies.
Deborah Mary O'Neill is an Australian politician who has served as a Senator for New South Wales with the Australian Labor Party since 2013. Before entering politics O'Neill was a school teacher and university academic. In her Senate role, she has been described as taking "a fierce approach to accountability." In June 2023, O'Neill was appointed to chair the newly formed Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services. In this role, the committee has largely focused on failures of governance and public accountability amongst the large consulting firms Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC.
Julie Marie Meyer MBE is an American businesswoman and the author of Welcome to Entrepreneur Country. She is the sole director of Viva Investment Partners. She founded Ariadne Capital Limited and Ariadne Capital Malta Limited, and was a co-founder of the networking forum First Tuesday. In 2009, Meyer was a guest on the online edition of the Dragons' Den TV series.
Dragons' Den is a Canadian television reality show based on the internationally franchised Dragons' Den format which began in Japan. The show debuted on October 3, 2006, on CBC Television, and is hosted by Dianne Buckner. Aspiring Canadian entrepreneurs pitch business and investment ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing business financing and partnerships. The show also has a Quebec-only spin-off called Dans l'oeil du Dragon.
Kendra Scott is an American fashion designer. She is the executive chairwoman, designer, and former chief executive officer of Kendra Scott, LLC. In 2017, she was named Ernst & Young's National Entrepreneur of the Year.
Naomi Simson is an Australian businessperson, entrepreneur, podcaster and blogger. After launching the Australian online success story RedBalloon in 2001, Naomi went on to co-found Big Red Group with partner David Anderson in 2017. Headquartered in Sydney's CBD, Big Red Group is the largest marketplace of experiences in ANZ, and home to leading brands including Adrenaline, Experience Oz, Experience Oz Local Agent, Lime&Tonic, and RedBalloon.
Steve Baxter is an Australian investor and entrepreneur. He was one of the 'sharks' on the Australian television series Shark Tank.
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Dovetail is an Australian software company.
Emma Findlay Grede is a British businesswoman, entrepreneur and fashion designer. She is the CEO and co-founder of the denim company Good American, a founding partner of Skims, and co-founder of Safely.
Catriona Wallace is an Australian businesswoman, TV personality, former police officer, identifies as a gender non-binary grandmother (she/they) and is a leader in the Psychedelic Renaissance.
Aman Gupta is an Indian entrepreneur and angel investor. He is the co-founder and CMO of Indian electronics brand boAt Lifestyle. He is a judge and investor in Sony TV's business reality show Shark Tank India.
Citations
Jane Lu, Showpo's founder and chief executive, says that working as an accountant at EY and KPMG in her early 20s...