"Coffee is not just a beverage,
it is a cultural connector with social significance"
by Jennifer Wai Fun Liu
Founder & Chairwoman
The Coffee Academïcs
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A well-established female entrepreneur, Jennifer W. F. Liu is the Brainchild, Artistic Creator, and Founder of The Coffee Academïcs, a boutique, privately funded specialty coffee lifestyle company that was founded in Hong Kong, then later expanded to Singapore, Mainland China, Thailand, and, soon, Japan, Philippines, and others.
For Jennifer, the love of coffee started at a young age through Sunday brunch with Dad. Graduating at Cornell University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, Jennifer’s heart remained close to Hong Kong and chose to return. A well travelled globe trotter with a deep commitment to bringing all cultures, lifestyles and new ideas through coffee and the arts, led to the eventual birth of The Coffee Academïcs.
A serial global entrepreneur with an expansive perspective and a stylish eye for detail, Jennifer is extremely accomplished in the architecture of a range of tenacious businesses and characteristic lifestyle brands. The fruition to her vision, creativity and hard work is evident and ubiquitous in Hong Kong and the rest of Asia alike.
- 2019 - 25 Forbes’ Asia Power Businesswomen
- 2019 - Tatler Hong Kong’s 500 Most Influential
- 2019 - GBA Outstanding Women Entrepreneur Award
- 2018 & 2017 - Inside Retail: Top 50 Innovative Retail Leaders in Hong Kong
- 2017 - Gafencu Magazine's 300 Most Powerful People in Hong Kong 2017
- 2017 - Jessica Magazine's “Most Successful Women 2017”
- 2016 - Women Development Association of Hong Kong's “Most Outstanding Women of Hong Kong”
- 2016 - Gafencu Magazine's Hospitality Most Excellent Award
- 2015 - Piaget Award for Excellence of Entrepreneurship
- 2014 - City Magazine's 18 Notable Women in Social Business
- 2014 & 2007 - Capital Magazine's "CEO of the Year"
- 2013 - CEO Magazine's "Best Hospitality Group of Hong Kong"
- 2012 - South China Morning Post's “25 Women of our Time"
- 2012 - Perspective Magazine's “40 under 40”
A confident and inspiring speaker, Jennifer is widely sought-after to give talks, interviews and special appearances by notable and influential publications, media platforms and organizations, includingbut not limited to;
CNBC, BBC, Bloomberg, TEDx, Google-EYE, American Chamber of Commerce, Asia Society Hong Kong, InvestHK, StartmeupHK, Rotary Club, World Social Summit, HK Social Summit, Keynote speaker at the Women Foundation 2015, Forbes Conference Singapore 2017 and 2019, MIPIM 2018, GS1 Tech Summit, and a speaker at the Allegra World Coffee Portal in New York.
A passionate social advocate, Jennifer actively serves in various important public service positions and NGO foundations.
Co-convener of NarrativeHK (2012), an NGO to explore Hong Kong’s common visions where over 5000 beneficiaries from the under-privileged sector gained from its initiatives and being on the Environmental Campaign Committee of HKSAR (2012).
Notably, Jennifer expands her contribution to social development with her personal foundation; the JWF Charitable Foundation (2012), an NGO aiming to support Hong Kong’s under-privileged children in the developments of the arts, innovation and creativity.
Jennifer also founded the Weekend Upcycling Workshop (2014), an NGO to serve as a platform for families and young professionals in need to diminish their social gaps through a series of 9 annual innovative workshops promoting sustainable lifestyles.
Under The Coffee Academïcs, she founded TCA CONNECT, connecting with a variety of social issues globally and locally including human rights, LGBTQ issues, poverty, elderly care, and more.
As an artist and a strong patron of the arts, Jennifer is a member of the Standing Committee of Business for Social Good – a platform to connect business success with social progress organized by Our Hong Kong Foundation; an Advisor of Our Hong Kong Foundation （團結香港基金）; a Member of All-China Women’s Federation (全國婦聯）and a Member of All-China Federation of Industry & Commerce in 2014- 2016. （全國工商聯).
Jennifer is a Trustee at the Design Trust and became a board member of Academy of Performing Arts SAPA and Po Leung Kuk. She is also on the board as a Director at her grandfather's school, Liu Po Shan Memorial College.