The Team
Nüora Global Advisors blends our in-house management and consulting team with a vetted global network of hundreds of expert contributors. To inquire about our services or apply to join our network, send us your details here.
Joanna Chiu
Managing Partner
Joanna Chiu is an internationally recognized China expert, award-winning author, and Managing Partner at Nüora Global Advisors. She advises organizations on the intersection of Asia, media, technology, and global risk.
Chiu has reported extensively across mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Mongolia for leading media outlets including The Economist, The Globe & Mail, AFP, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, AP, and the South China Morning Post. She is a frequent commentator for broadcasters such as the BBC, NPR, CBC, and CTV.
She previously served as B.C. bureau chief for the Toronto Star, reported on international affairs, and led China technology coverage at Rest of World. She is also the founder and co-chair of NüVoices, an editorial NGO that elevates diverse expert perspectives on China.
As a consultant and project lead, Chiu has managed global research teams and conducted fieldwork with Chinese companies for major reports commissioned by organizations including PEN America and the Committee to Protect Journalists. Her work focuses on geopolitical risk, policy analysis, information ecosystems, and China’s global influence strategies.
Her analysis has received multiple honors, including the Kathy Gannon Legacy Award, a CEMA Award for excellence, and a Human Rights Press Award. She has also served as an expert witness for law firms on China’s political system, regulatory environment, and global influence.
China Unbound
Described by New York Review of Books as “heartfelt, powerful,” China Unbound offers a sweeping primer on China’s rise in the 21st century and the roots of Beijing’s strategies for global power. Chiu’s book won the prestigious Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
Past Work
The Economist
Toronto Star
CBC
BBC
PEN America
John Gruetzner
Senior Advisor
John Gruetzner oversees Nüora’s project peer review, and contributes to client risk assessment and corporate strategy.
He previously served as COO of venture-stage technology firm Syngrafii. Earlier, he co-founded Intercedent, an advisory firm focused on financial services and international business development. He led market entry strategies in Asia including partner search, capital raising, government engagement, and crisis management while based in China.
His clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies to small and mid-sized firms, as well as institutions including the World Bank, Export Development Canada, and provincial and federal governments.
He has served on numerous corporate boards and lectures on international business and China at business schools, including the Jack Austin Centre at Simon Fraser University, and previously at the University of Manchester.
Dr. Mercy Kuo
Principal Advisor, Geopolitical Risk
Dr. Mercy Kuo specializes in geopolitical risk and U.S.–China strategic competition. She is a senior contributing author at The Diplomat and a former executive vice president at a U.S. corporate risk intelligence consultancy advising Fortune 500 companies. She previously held senior leadership positions at a U.S. think tank, leadership organization, and trade association. She also formerly served as a U.S. government intelligence analyst.
Dr. Kuo provides subject-matter expertise and strategic risk analysison U.S.-China relations, Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China tech competition, China-EU relations, and China-Middle East dynamics to clients and speaks at international and national academic, business, investment, and government forums. She holds a Ph.D. in modern history from Oxford University and is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Chenni Xu is an external strategic communications advisor who began her career at Brunswick Group in Beijing and New York and later led North America communications for Ant Group from 2018 to 2022. She subsequently led product communications at Ripple and most recently supported U.S. market entry efforts at Nubank (NYSE: NU). She advises companies operating across geopolitical and regulatory boundaries.
At Nüora Global Advisors, she serves as External Advisor, Communications Strategy, working with executives and organizations to shape clear narratives around technology, innovation, and global expansion.
Chenni Xu
Advisor, Communications Strategy
Solarina Ho
Editor, Research & Publications
Solarina Ho is a journalist based in Toronto, with a deep interest in China and the diaspora community. As Editor of Research and Publications at Nüora, she collaborates with the leadership team on research and communications, showcasing the expertise and insights offered by Nüora’s network.
Solarina brings more than two decades of reporting and research experience across business, health, lifestyle, and entertainment, writing for Reuters, The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, CTV, among other publications. She is also a co-host of the NüVoices Podcast.
Elizabeth Donkervoort
Advisor, Strategy & Governance
Elizabeth Donkervoort is a law and project management specialist externally advising Nüora Global Advisors on strategy, governance, and the structuring of client projects. She brings two decades of experience spanning public-sector governance, international law, and China-focused policy and risk analysis.
Formerly, Elizabeth led international programs on rule of law, civic engagement, digital privacy, and human rights with organizations including the American Bar Association. She currently serves as Senior Advisor of China Programs at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.