AL LI
Vice President of Global Trade Finance
Regions Bank
A St. Louis native, Al Li, is committed to making St. Louis a more attractive place to work and play through his role as vice president at Regions Bank and as the immediate past president of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis.
In his capacity with AACC and the bank, he has hosted several trade missions to Vietnam, resulting in a signed agreement with the president of the CEO Club Vietnam to promote trade and investment between St. Louis and Ho Chi Minh City. He also partnered with several organizations to host reverse trade missions, attracting Asian companies to invest in St. Louis or import products from St. Louis companies.
Li serves on the boards of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Missouri District Export Council and the Southwest Illinois Trade and Investment Council. He supports the St. Louis Mosaic Project to help St. Louis become the fastest-growing city for foreign-born residents.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s in economics from the University of Missouri, and an executive MBA from the Olin Business School at Washington University.
Career Path
I am the classic jack of all trades, master of none. I toyed with many things, from technology consulting to corporate finance, but it wasn’t until my early 40s that I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do and what I could do best. But the earlier years weren’t lost. I learned as much as I could, knowing that the knowledge gained would benefit me down the road – and it has.
Biggest Mentor
My biggest mentor was an institution, rather than a single person – the executive MBA program at Olin Business School. For the first time, I was able to see possibility and opportunity (in myself and the world), rather than shortcomings and limitations. It changed my life.
Biggest Impact
Leading the AACC for the past four years has been the pride of my professional life. From bridging the various Asian ethnicities (Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Pakistani, Korean, etc.) in St. Louis to a common goal of commerce and community building, we’ve lent our separate whispers to form a larger unified voice. There is still more to achieve and relationships to be grown, but the Asian community is being invited to diversity discussions more than ever before.
Future Goals
I’ve always prided myself in my approach to work – finding ways to bring value to others. It’s counterintuitive, but I’ve seen firsthand how much more I have received when I’m committed to bringing value to others. I am continuing this philosophy, while narrowing my focus to seek ways to monetize my network and build equity stakes, domestically and abroad. I love being around like-minded people and discussing ideas and strategies to accomplish great things. The creative energy is life-giving and keeps me motivated to grow personally and professionally.
Memorable Life Moment
Spending three weeks in Shanghai, China, during my executive MBA program. My eyes were opened to what was happening on the other side of the world and the scale in which it was happening. I understood for the first time that U.S. hegemony was going to be challenged by China, and I had to integrate Asia into whatever professional ambitions I have.
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