Singing Grass is a business consultancy advising on access and development strategies for the Chinese market. We develop bespoke programmes for clients in the arts, lifestyle, cultural and luxury retail sectors to connect them to their markets.
ABOUT US
alicia Liu, founder and CEO
An upbringing in China, London and New York inspired Alicia’s passion for working in an international business environment. Alicia has provided consultancy advice on China in numerous capacities, including as a senior advisor to major international luxury brands and cultural productions. She is currently an advisor to cultural and entertainment corporations in the UK and China and is a well-known speaker at international conferences and workshops.
Alicia comes from a family steeped in intellectual curiosity and business acumen: her grandfather was a renowned Chinese literary translator who first introduced the works of Charles Dickens, Sigmund Freud and Leo Tolstoy to China in the 1930s. Drawing from her family’s rich background in the creative arts, Alicia founded Singing Grass Communications to address the major contradictions between the traditional marketing approach of some brands to a young, sophisticated modern Chinese consumer they were trying to engage with.
Selected collaborators and advisors across publishing, consumer culture, media and creative industries.
Penny clifton, communications Advisor
Penny has worked at director level in marketing and communications in the UK for the past twenty years, managing campaigns for major international organisations as well as SMEs and start-ups. Penny works extensively throughout Europe and has an excellent understanding of the demands of cross-cultural marketing, as well as how to create and adapt international strategies to best effect.
cassie lin, digital & Insight advisor
Cassie is a Chinese digital culture and consumer insights specialist with experience across publishing, media and international communications in China and the UK. She works with international clients across luxury, lifestyle and cultural sectors to develop market insight and digital engagement strategies for Asian audiences.
Hanyun Hu, publishing Research Associate
Hanyun is a Chinese publishing and cultural marketing specialist with experience across editorial, design and international communications. She previously worked in publishing and content development roles in Hangzhou and Shanghai, and is a graduate of Kingston University’s MA Publishing programme in London. Alongside her publishing research work at Singing Grass, Hanyun supports cross-cultural marketing, visual communications and creative project coordination between the UK and China. She is also involved in independent cultural programming initiatives in China focused on contemporary creative exchange.
belinda chen, strategic advisor
Belinda spent a decade working across galleries and international auction houses, including Christie’s in China, developing extensive experience across the arts and cultural business sectors. She supports Singing Grass on strategic partnerships and international client development.
Jacks Thomas, Chair
Jacks Thomas is an international books and culture specialist with more than 25 years’ experience working across publishing, media and international cultural exchange. She is currently Guest Director of BolognaBookPlus, having previously served for seven years as Director of The London Book Fair. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at the BBC, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Reader’s Digest, and was CEO of leading publishing communications agency Midas PR. Jacks is also a founder of the trade magazine BookBrunch, an Honorary Professor of Practice in Publishing at University College London (UCL), and sits on the Publishing Advisory Board at Oxford Brookes University. Her work focuses on connecting publishing, storytelling and international audiences across cultures and markets.