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Jane Lu

{{Short description|Australian businesswoman (born 1986)}}

{{Unreliable sources|date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox person

|name=Jane Lu

|birth_date={{birth date and age|1986|06|12|df=y}}

|birth_place=China

|alma_mater=University of New South Wales (BCom)

|occupation=businesswoman

|known_for=founding Showpo

|television=Shark Tank

}}

Jane Lu (born 12 June 1986) is an Australian businesswoman.{{cite news |last=Hassan|first=Ahmed|date=3 October 2019|title=GO FOR IT - The incredible story of Showpo CEO Jane Lu|url=https://medium.com/women-of-inspiration/go-for-it-the-incredible-story-of-showpo-ceo-jane-lu-afdee02af8a1|work=Medium|location= |access-date=24 March 2023}}{{cite news|last=Tran|first=Cindy|date=26 February 2023|title=For years Jane got a bus to a job that didn't exist. She turned her 'shame' into a $100 million idea |url=https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/human-interest/how-aussie-accountant-secretly-built-a-100-million-fashion-empire-after-quitting-corporate-job-c-8454188|work=Seven News|location= |access-date=24 March 2023}}

Lu is the founder and chief executive officer of the fashion boutique Showpo.{{cite news|last=Gillezeau|first=Natasha|date=12 June 2019|title='We laugh at ourselves, we accept mistakes'|url=https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/leaders/we-laugh-at-ourselves-we-accept-mistakes-20190404-p51au4|work=The Australian Financial Review|location= |access-date=24 March 2023|quote=Jane Lu, Showpo’s founder and chief executive, says that working as an accountant at EY and KPMG in her early 20s...}}

In March 2023, it was announced she would be joining Shark Tank on Network 10 as one of the "sharks".{{cite news |last=Knox|first=David|date=22 March 2023|title=Meet the new Shark Tank bosses |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/03/meet-the-new-shark-tank-bosses.html|work=TV Tonight|location= |access-date=24 March 2023}}

Biography

Lu is the only child to Chinese-Australian parents. After leaving school, she completed an accounting cadetship with KPMG before working as an analyst for Ernst & Young. She left Ernst & Young to establish a pop-up shop with a friend. It was an unsuccessful venture which led to Lu accruing a debt and being unemployed.

This led her to start her own e-retailing business where wholesalers supplied her with products on a consignment basis.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} Founded in 2010, the business was initially called Show Pony, but the name was changed to Showpo after it emerged that the name was owned by an American business.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} The business proved to be a success and has since increased in value each year.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}}

Lu was named as the Cosmopolitan Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} In 2016, she was listed in the Forbes Asia "30 under 30" list.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} She was listed in Smart Company's "Hot 30 under 30" list in both 2016 and 2017.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} In 2017, Lu was among the most viewed fashion professionals on LinkedIn.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} That same year, she debuted on The Australian Financial Review "Young Rich List".{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}}

In February 2023, Lu apologised after underestimating the interest of a Showpo warehouse sale after issues arose from a larger than expected attendance.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} There were complaints from customers about waiting in long queues in hot weather as well as the quality of the products.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} Lu admitted she had been initially concerned about an apparent lack of interest in the event after less than 400 people confirmed their attendance on the Facebook event page.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}}

After some disgruntled customers complained about the issues, Lu gave an assurance that the issues would be rectified at the next event, and said there would be more stock, more changing rooms, more EFTPOS machines and more staff.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}}

In March 2023, Lu was one of five new "sharks" announced for a new series of Shark Tank.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} Lu as well as Davie Fogarty, Sabri Suby and Catriona Wallace will succeed the previous cast of Janine Allis, Andrew Banks, Steve Baxter, Glen Richards and Naomi Simson when the program returns later in 2023.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}} Canadian "shark" Robert Herjavec will also be joining the Australian series.{{Citation |title=Jane Lu |date=2024-02-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Lu&oldid=1208829345 |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en}}

References

  1. Hassan, Ahmed (3 October 2019). "GO FOR IT - The incredible story of Showpo CEO Jane Lu". Medium. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. Tran, Cindy (26 February 2023). "For years Jane got a bus to a job that didn't exist. She turned her 'shame' into a $100 million idea". Seven News. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. Gillezeau, Natasha (12 June 2019). "'We laugh at ourselves, we accept mistakes'". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 March 2023. Jane Lu, Showpo's founder and chief executive, says that working as an accountant at EY and KPMG in her early 20s...
  4. Knox, David (22 March 2023). "Meet the new Shark Tank bosses". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  5. Sprague, Julie-Anne (18 October 2021). "Quitting EY made this ex-accountant a $47m fortune". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  6. "Meet Jane Lu". Showpo. 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  7. "MEET COSMO'S 2015 ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR, JANE LU!". Cosmopolitan. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  8. "Forbes 30 under 30". Forbes Asia. 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  9. "Hot 30 under 30". Smart Company. 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2023. 6. Jane Lu
  10. "Hot 30 under 30 2017". Smart Company. 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2023. 7. Jane Lu
  11. "Most viewed fashion professionals on LinkedIn Australia for 2017". LinkedIn Power Profiles. 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  12. Coates, Pip (20 October 2017). "Showpo's Jane Lu debuts on Young Rich List after leaving accountancy for fashion". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  13. Turner-Cohen, Alex (21 February 2023). "Sydney Showpo warehouse sale slammed online, CEO Jane Lu apologises". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  14. Gray, Geordie (22 March 2023). "The Australian millionaires fronting Shark Tank". The Australian. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  15. {{Cite web |title=Jane Lu (CEO) |url=https://www.showpo.com/jane-lu.html/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.showpo.com}}

Citations

{{Reflist}}

{{Shark Tank}}

Category:Living people

Category:1986 births

Category:21st-century Australian businesswomen

Category:21st-century Australian businesspeople

Category:Businesspeople from Sydney

Category:Australian women company founders

Category:Australian company founders

Category:Australian women chief executives

Category:Australian businesspeople in fashion

Category:Australian people of Chinese descent

Category:Australian accountants

Category:Shark Tank