VANCOUVER, BC, Canada (September 15, 2021) - ChopValue Manufacturing Ltd., the world’s first circular economy franchise that manufactures sustainable products made entirely from recycled chopsticks, announced today that it has appointed Lani Tao to the ChopValue Board of Directors. Tao joined the ChopValue board effective July 22, 2021, and will work alongside current board members Yuri Fulmer, Mike Winterfield, Brian Curin, and ChopValue CEO and Founder, Felix Böck.

Tao (she / her / hers) is currently Global Account Manager at Steelcase, a leading global manufacturer of furniture for offices, hospitals, and classrooms. In her role, Tao works with some of the world’s largest companies, including IWG, PayPal, J&J, Dell, and other Fortune 500 organizations. Previously, Tao led the Hong Kong chapter of Change Corp, a global group within Steelcase responsible for creating circular economy strategies and sustainable social impact within local communities. Before joining Steelcase, she was Global Sales and Marketing Director for CKB Industries, and over the course of her career has worked in Canada, China, Ireland, Kenya, USA, and now Hong Kong.

“I’m excited to have Lani join us and expand the diversity of our board of directors,” said Felix Böck, founder and chief executive officer of ChopValue. “Lani’s appointment demonstrates ChopValue’s ongoing commitment to greater representation by women and people of color, and aligns the board more closely with the demographics of our core leadership team. Her experience mentoring and empowering women will be extremely valuable to the entire ChopValue organization, and she brings with her fresh ideas and a global perspective that will be critical for us to continue expanding into the home, office, and hospitality industries internationally.”

In 2015, Tao was selected as one of Hong Kong’s “Top 30 under 30”, and is an advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She currently sits on the Advisory Council for The Women’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in Hong Kong, and is a Female Ally representing women as part of the Male Allies program. Tao graduated from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, recently completed Harvard’s Sustainable Business Strategy course, and is a certified Ashoka Changemaker.

“We are very pleased to welcome Lani as a new independent director to the ChopValue board,” said Yuri Fulmer, Board Chairman. “She brings with her a wide range of B2B sales and business development experience, much of it on the global stage, and her extensive network and connections within the furniture industry will enable us to continue strengthening the ChopValue brand with key strategic partners and potential franchisees outside North America.”

“Sustainability and the circular economy are crucial parts of environmental, social, and corporate governance,” said Tao. “However, few companies are truly doing it in a fully integrated way. ChopValue is leading the way for corporate entities to rethink sustainability, incorporate it as part of their value proposition, and act as a force for good.”

Learn more about how you can be a part of ChopValue’s mission to make a difference, one chopstick at a time, by exploring our career and franchising opportunities at www.chopvalue.com.

About ChopValue
ChopValue is the world’s first circular economy franchise that designs and manufactures products using an innovative, high-performance material made entirely from recycled chopsticks. Since its founding in 2016, ChopValue’s “urban harvesting” approach has saved over 35 million chopsticks from the landfill, turning them into beautiful and sustainable products for the home and office. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the company operates a global network of corporate and franchise Microfactories that source, manufacture, distribute, and employ within local communities. ChopValue is a certified B Corporation with a simple vision of building a carbon-neutral future, one chopstick at a time. To learn more, visit www.chopvalue.com.