Cross-border advisory · Australia & East Asia

Your China move, with someone who's lived it from both sides.

I’m Jono. I’ve spent 25 years across banking, payments, Alibaba and Ant International, working between Australia, China and Asia.

I’m also building my own consumer brands now, so I’m not speaking from theory. I know what it feels like when the decision is real, the capital is yours, and the wrong partner or wrong structure can cost you time, money and confidence.

Most founders don’t need more information. They need someone who can help them reduce the noise, focus on what actually needs to be solved, and make a clearer call.

Sometimes I’ll encourage you to back yourself. Sometimes I’ll tell you to slow down. Either way, I’ll tell you what I actually think.

Selective by design · Direct advice · No junior handoff · No sales agenda

Jonathan Wang Founder · JW Advisory

Ant International

Country Manager ANZ, 5+ years — full P&L. Expanded Alipay into major retailers, tourism operators, and banking infrastructure across Australia and New Zealand.

Alibaba Group

Business Development Director — helped Treasury Wine Estates and Casella Family Brands expand into Tmall Global and the broader Alibaba ecosystem.

ANZ & NAB

8+ years in senior ANZ banking roles — Head of Asian Banking at NAB, Director Asia Pacific Desk at ANZ. Practical banking experience on both sides of the corridor.

"I've sat in Australian boardrooms explaining China, and in Chinese boardrooms explaining Australia. Twenty-five years of that is a different kind of advice."

Jonathan Wang · JW Advisory

Whether you're a founder heading into China or a Chinese enterprise finding your footing in Australia, the biggest risk is rarely the idea. It's what sits underneath it: the payment rails, the platform choice, the banking relationships, and the partners you can actually trust.

I know both sides from 25 years of doing the work — not studying it. That's the difference.

Three ways I help

Wherever you're heading, the hard part is rarely the opportunity.

The challenge is everything that comes after you decide to go for it. I help you reduce the noise, pressure-test the move, and decide what actually needs to happen next.

For Australian brands

Heading into Asia

The China opportunity is real. So is the cost of getting it wrong. I help founders pressure-test the move before they commit serious capital.

That means getting practical about the decisions that quietly add up: channel, partner, platform, pricing, payment flow, FX timing, and whether the economics still work after the excitement wears off.

AUS

For Chinese enterprises

Settling into ANZ

Australia rewards trust built slowly — the right regulatory posture, the right banking relationships, the right local partners. As Country Manager for Ant International ANZ, I built exactly that infrastructure: AUSTRAC relationships, banking partnerships with the major acquirers, enterprise merchant networks across retail and tourism.

Before that, I spent eight years inside Australian institutional banking at NAB and ANZ. I know how Australian banks and regulators read a Chinese enterprise — and how to position yours well from the start.

ANZ

Sourcing & introductions

Knowing who to speak to.

Sometimes the biggest value is knowing who to speak to — and who to avoid.

I’ve spent years working across banks, platforms, enterprise partners, Chinese supply chains and founder-led brands. I can help you think through the right partner, supplier, investor or senior decision-maker to approach, and pressure-test whether the relationship actually makes sense.

This is not a referral service. It is judgement, context and access — used carefully.

WHO

How I work

Three things I never compromise on.

Confidence from the very first hello.

A mutual NDA is always in place before anything substantive. Your thinking is protected from day one — no exceptions, no delays.

ii.

Only a few people at a time.

I take on a small number of clients so you get my full attention — not a slice of it. This is a quiet practice, on purpose.

iii.

Always me. Always direct.

No long reports. No generic workshops. No junior handoffs. Just clear, senior conversation — whenever you need it.

OUTCOMES

Clarity is usually what changes first.

"We finally understood which channel was right for us — and which relationships to avoid. Saved us months of expensive wrong turns."
— Australian consumer brand founder, 2024

"Jono helped us navigate the AUSTRAC requirements and connect with the right banking partners. Things moved much faster than we expected."
— Chinese enterprise entering ANZ, 2023

"The one-day session gave us more clarity than six months of research. We left with a specific action plan and the confidence to execute it."
— Founder, cross-border e-commerce, 2024

Jonathan Wang Founder · JW Advisory

About Jono

I know what it feels like to enter a new country from the inside. I immigrated from Taiwan when I was 11, with no English, and grew up in a multicultural Australia surrounded by families from different parts of the world trying to build a life here.

That experience shaped how I see cross-border work. Settling into a new market is never just technical. It is about trust, context, confidence, and the desire to understand and be understood.

I started in banking and technology — IBM Australia, then eight years at NAB working on Asian banking strategy and transformation, then as Director of ANZ Bank's Asia Pacific Desk. That gave me a close-up view of how Australian banks, regulators and commercial networks actually work.

Then I crossed the corridor. Three years at Alibaba Group helping Australian brands like Treasury Wine Estates and Casella Family Brands expand into China — across Tmall Global, HippoFresh, and RT-Mart. Then five and a half years at Ant International as Country Manager ANZ, building Alipay's Australian business from the ground up with full P&L ownership.

I'm also building my own consumer brands now, so the founder side is not abstract to me. I know the difference between a good-looking plan and a decision you have to fund, live with, and explain when it gets hard.

That combination is why JW Advisory exists. I've been inside Australian banking, Chinese platforms, cross-border payments, and founder-led businesses. I know how these moves look from both sides, and I’ll tell you if I think you’re making a mistake.

I work with a small number of founders because I can only be useful when I understand the real situation. I’m not here to make the decision for you. I’m here to help you see the decision more clearly — including the risks you may not want to hear.

— Jono

P&L Leadership Cross-Border Payments Go-to-Market Strategy Tmall Global Alipay & WeChat Pay AUSTRAC & ANZ Regulatory Strategic Partnerships English & Chinese

Career

25 years across technology, banking, and the Australia–Asia commercial corridor.

2022–2025

Ant International

Country Manager, Australia & New Zealand

Full P&L for the ANZ business. Expanded Alipay acceptance across major retailers, tourism, and banking. Built AUSTRAC-compliant payment infrastructure and worked across product, commercial and operations teams to make it work in-market.

2017–2022

Alibaba Group & Ant International

Business Development Director; Head of Alipay Australia; Head of Marketing & Operations

Led Alibaba's wine & key accounts for AU/NZ — Treasury Wine Estates, Casella Family Brands — across Tmall Global, HippoFresh, RT-Mart. Moved into Ant/Alipay and helped grow cross-border merchant adoption across Australia.

2015–2017

ANZ Bank

Director, Asia Pacific Desk — Corporate & Commercial Banking

Worked on cross-border transactions between Australia, China, and ASEAN. Built relationships across ANZ corporate and commercial banking.

2008–2015

National Australia Bank

Head of Asian Banking; Head of Transformation (Private Wealth); Business Performance Manager

Helped build NAB's middle-market Asia strategy and offer for Australian businesses dealing with Asia. Led Private Wealth transformation work. 6+ years, multiple senior roles.

2000–2008

IBM Australia & White Room Associates

CRM Consultant; Senior Management Consultant (Lean Six Sigma)

Large-scale CRM transformation at IBM. Then practical operating and process work at White Room Associates. The foundation that everything else is built on.

Education

EMBA

Australian Graduate School of Management

Education

Masters of Commerce

University of New South Wales · Information Systems & Management

Languages

English & Chinese

Advisory available in both languages

Pricing, plainly

Clear numbers, no surprises.

Three simple ways to work together. Start small, or keep me close for the whole journey — entirely your call.

A focused day

One-day action session

A focused one-day working session to align the thinking, pressure-test the decision in front of you, and leave with a practical action plan. Before that, we start with a 30-minute obligation-free call to see whether I can actually help. If I don’t think I can add value, I’ll say so.

$2,500

one day · ex GST

A steady hand

A founder-to-founder sounding board

Two working days a month, plus me on WhatsApp, WeChat, or email in between. A thinking partner across the whole move — no meter running, no re-explaining your situation each time we speak.

$4,000 / mo

ex GST · cancel on 30 days' notice

On call

Advice, on demand

Buy a block of hours and draw on them as things come up — the night before a submission, or the morning before you sign something big. Available for scheduled sessions and urgent consultations.

$500 / hr

10-hr block · $5,000 · ex GST

All prices in AUD. Booking is confirmed once payment is received.