From Queenstown to Suzhou: Kiwi in China tech investment

For Jamie Wood, learning Mandarin wasn’t love from the outset, but that all changed. After growing up loving the snow of her home in Queenstown New Zealand, a hunger for academic challenge led her to board at a high school in Dunedin. There she had to take a second language and chose Mandarin. “At the start I found it extremely hard learning Mandarin, but I pushed through,” Jamie recalls.

The world came to life when Jamie went on exchange to China as part of her study at the University of Otago. She spent 6 months of her exchange studying at Dalian University of Foreign Languages, a place where there were not many native English speakers, and another half year at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China’s #1 ranked university.

The world came to life when Jamie went on exchange to China as part of her study at the University of Otago. Image credit - Anita Perkins

“My exchange opened up so many doors in terms of the people I met and my curiosity and exposure to different cultures. When you understand a language, you get insight into how another culture thinks and acts; what could be perceived as people having an argument outside a restaurant can be understood as a passionate conversation about food.”

Return to China for an international master's programme

In 2024, Jamie went back to China to spend a year at Tsinghua University undertaking a master’s degree in global affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar. The unique and competitive programme is designed for students from multiple different countries to gain a deep understanding of China, and to build lasting connections with each other. Students live together in a bespoke campus designed for maximum social encounters.

Jamie describes this time in her life as ‘incredible’: “I sat next to classmates from all around the world, learning about their experiences, why they were interested in China, and I got to see rural parts of China I’d never seen before.”

Jamie at the Schwarzman Graudation with her family in June 2025. It was a first visit to China for her sister and Dad. Image credits - Anita Perkins

As part of her studies Jamie worked with a Chinese impact investor who was researching the impact of Village CEO programmes. Jamie explains: “In China, the government currently has a big focus to innovatively revitalise rural areas. The CEO training programmes essentially try to get young or experienced businesspeople to learn about how to be the CEO within a village in an entrepreneurial way. One such place is Qingshan just outside of Hangzhou, which revitalised a water reservoir, invested in homestays and attracted significant tourism to the area.” Jamie says New Zealand could learn from these examples, in particular, how they provide private funding models and opportunities for young people to return to rural areas.

Living the corporate investment dream

While earlier in life Jamie thought she might want to work in diplomacy, after her studies she soon realised she is more interested, and could make a bigger impact, in the fast-paced and fascinating international finance and business world.

Jamie is one of the only foreigners working at Empyrean where she started in October. Out of her office window she can see robotic dogs, AI lawnmowers and electric vehicles getting tested by Dreame, Empyrean’s strategic partner and key investor.

In her role as Director of Investor Relations, Jamie is currently focusing on fundraising for a new fund. She explains “I’m meeting interesting people who have a conduit to China because we have the exposure to a massive network within China in terms of infrastructure and supply chains, as well as established distribution networks globally.” She’s focused on connecting with potential investors from around the world, including a current focus on the Middle East and high level of interest from Europeans she meets at investment conferences.

AI and robotics are the main area of investment focus, Jamie explains. These areas are growing at phenomenal speed, in particular, in the combination of software with hardware, and her company’s strategic partner, Dreame, has a headstart in the space. (In photo - Jamie at the Dreame Technology Park with a Colleague and Dreame's mascots)

Daily life in China – from work life to unexpected cultural encounters

Jamie says there are high expectations of her in her role at Empyrean, but she is happy with a high level of independence and operating in an overall relatively flat hierarchy in a young, progressive workforce. The so-called ‘996’ hours (working 9am-9pm, 6 days a week), famous in China’s tech industry have not started just yet but there are always other challenges. These include the nuances of corporate Mandarin, having access to leaders, an approach of not sharing information between colleagues which can bring in a competitive feel, and finding vegetarian meals outside of city centres.

Outside of work Jamie easily meets people and ends up having many adventures. This has included going square dancing with a taxi driver’s wife and playing for the Shanghai Irish Football team in Bangkok at the Asia Games. (“I never thought that would be in my vocabulary,” she jokes.)

Jamie played for Shanghai Irish Football Team in November 2025 in the Thailand Asia Games. Image credits- Anita Perkins

So much growing opportunity between China and Aotearoa

Jamie observes a high level of mutual interest between China and New Zealand but believes there is work to be done at the New Zealand end to create opportunities.

“The biggest thing that has been validated from being here over the last couple of months is that the China-NZ relationship is super important, but that we’re not doing enough to nurture young people interested in the space.” To do more in this area she would encourage New Zealanders to put themselves forward for experiences such as the Schwarzman Scholarship programme. “In New Zealand we count ourselves out of international opportunities by comparing ourselves to others from overseas thinking we won’t fit in. But we have so many unique perspectives. We look and think about things so differently. We should be in those rooms.”

So what’s next for this go-getter international entrepreneur? “I won’t be based in Asia forever but it’s such a massive part of my story and I’m just so grateful that I’ve got the opportunity to be here.”

Jamie's visit to China in 2023 with Centre for Asia Pacific Excellence. Image credits - Anita Perkins

Jamie at the Hangzhou Spartan Race in November 2025 with Suzhou Friends. Image credits - Anita Perkins

Banner image - Jamie in Kunming (Yunan Province) during her exchange at Tsinghua in 2017. Image supplied/AMC

-Asia Media Centre