Originally from the Chinese province of Hunan, Lei Cheng is an Australian citizen and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from UQ in 1995.
After starting her career in Australia as an accountant and business analyst for Cadbury Schweppes and ExxonMobil until 2000, Cheng returned to China in 2001 and developed a strong interest about stories that related to China’s rapidly changing economy. .
In 2002 she changed careers and became a reporter for CCTV-News before spending nine years with CNBC Asia in Shanghai and Singapore, and returned to Beijing and CCTV-News in 2012.
She is a bilingual anchor who has presented in both English and Mandarin.
Over the course of her career she has interviewed many of the world’s leading business and political leaders including Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barosso.
Her many accolades include the bronze award for 'China, the next lap' at the New York Festival for TV special reporting, a Women in Media award at CCTV and International Reporting awards at SMG and an Australia China Alumni Award (ACAA) for ICT and New Media.
Cheng is also an Australian Government accredited translator and sought-after Master of Ceremonies, with a number of hosting engagements to her name including the Australia China Business Awards 2013 and the APEC Women Leadership Forum 2014.