Investor Relations Management Team

Merle Hinrichs
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Merle Hinrichs founded Global Sources in 1970 and serves as its Chairman and CEO. Under his leadership, the company has created the industry’s most comprehensive platform for international trade, connecting buyers and suppliers online, face-to-face and in print. Mr. Hinrichs graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Mathematics, and from the Thunderbird School of Global Management with a Master’s degree in International Trade. In 1996, the University of Nebraska awarded Mr. Hinrichs an Honorary Doctorate degree. He is also an Investment Promotion Ambassador with Invest Hong Kong.

Sarah Benecke
Executive Director

Sarah Benecke served as chief executive officer of Global Sources from 1994 to 1999. Under her leadership, the company launched its flagship website, Global Sources Online in 1995, its CD-ROMs as well as a number of new and successful publications. Ms. Benecke joined the company in May of 1980 and has served in a number of key positions, including publisher from 1988 to December 1992 and chief operating officer in 1993. Ms. Benecke received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Craig Pepples
Chief Operating Officer

Craig Pepples is chief operating officer of Global Sources. Mr. Pepples is responsible for the company's worldwide operations including interactive media, corporate marketing, community development, information services, human resources and finance, and acts as the publisher of Chief Executive China. Mr. Pepples joined Global Sources in October 1986, moving on to manage the company's China sales operations from 1989 to 1992 and was country manager for China from 1992 to June 1999. Mr. Pepples graduated with a B.A. in Linguistics from Yale University.

Eddie Heng
Chief Financial Officer

Eddie Heng has been Global Sources' chief financial officer since July 2000. Prior to this he held the position of vice president of finance, since April 1994. He joined the company in August 1993 as deputy to the vice president of finance. He received an MBA from Shiller International University in London in 1993 and is a CPA and a Fellow Member of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Global Sources, he was the regional financial controller of Hitachi Data Systems, and a joint venture between Hitachi and General Motors. He is a director of Global Sources Ltd.

Spenser Au
President of Asian Sales

Spencer Au
Spenser Au was appointed Global Sources' president of Asian sales in June 1999 and is a member of Global Sources' management board. He joined the company in 1978 as an account executive and moved progressively to senior management positions including regional sales manager in September 1988, associate publisher in January 1991 and publisher in 1992.

Peter Zapf
Vice President of E-Commerce Services

Peter Zapf was appointed Vice President, Community Development, in October 2003. Mr. Zapf began his career in software project management with the United States Air Force in 1990. He then joined Global Sources in Phoenix, Arizona, working on the development, sales and marketing of early software and e-commerce products. More recently, Mr. Zapf was a research analyst at Bear Stearns in New York, focusing on the B2B market, after which he joined Hong Kong-based AsiaCommerce, a start-up incubator, as chief executive officer. Mr. Zapf holds a BSC in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, an MSC in Computer Science from Troy State University, and an MBA from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management.

Mark Saunderson
President of Electronics Business Unit

Mark Saunderson is president of Global Sources' Electronics Business Unit. His responsibilities include management of Electronic Components, Electronics, Computer Products, and Telecom Products verticals as well as the titles under Global Sources' joint venture with CMP, which include the online and print editions of EE Times-Asia and Electronics Supply and Manufacturing China. He is also responsible for the company's strategic alliance with Penton to execute the online and print editions of Electronic Design China. Mark Saunderson joined the company in 1990 as regional sales manager for one of Global Sources' electronic industry titles. He has since moved progressively through management positions with the company, most recently as publisher of Global Sources' multilingual websites and magazines serving the spectrum of Asia and China's electronics industry from design to export sales.

James Strachan
Executive Vice President of Corporate Development

James Strachan is Global Sources' executive vice president of corporate development, responsible for operations in the United States including business development, partner and investor relations, and strategic planning. Mr. Strachan joined the company in Hong Kong in 1979. He was appointed vice president of sales and marketing in 1984, computer and consumer electronics group publisher in 1988, and executive vice president of sales and marketing in 1994. Mr. Strachan graduated with an MBA from the University of Hawaii.

Bill Georgiou
Chief Information Officer

Bill Georgiou was appointed Global Sources' chief information officer in January 2001. Since 1989 he has held senior management positions in IT and related business fields with major corporations in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. He has directed the development and implementation of major business systems and e-commerce applications (B2C, B2B), managed data centre and network infrastructure, and negotiated outsourcing contracts and hardware and software acquisitions. He has also played a leading role in the commercialization of new technologies and adoption of best practices in IT management. For over 7 years, he has developed specialist expertise in supply chain web enablement and systems. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Hong Kong Computer Society. He holds an MBA from Adelaide University, Australia.

Board of Directors

Merle Hinrichs
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Sarah Benecke
Executive Director

Eddie Heng
Chief Financial Officer

Roderick Chalmers

Roderick Chalmers was most recently chairman, Asia-Pacific, of PricewaterhouseCoopers and a member of PwC's Global Management Board, until his retirement earlier this year. Mr. Chalmers is a 30-year veteran with PwC merger partner Coopers & Lybrand, with particular specialist experience in the securities industry. Mr. Chalmers has at various times been a non-executive director of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, a member of the Takeovers and Mergers Panel, and chairman of the Working Group on Financial Disclosure.

David Jones

Mr. Jones has been a director since April 2000. He is currently Executive Director at CHAMP Private Equity, a leading Australian buy-out firm. Mr. Jones was an executive at Macquarie Direct Investment, a private equity firm in Sydney, Australia from 1994 to 1999. He founded and ran UBS Capital in Australia from 1999 to 2002. He is currently a director of the following companies: Castle Harlan Australian Mezzanine Partners Pty. Limited, an Australian buyout firm; and Australian Discount Retail Pty Limited. Mr. Jones has an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Melbourne. Mr. Jones serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee for Australian Discount Retail Pty Limited. His term as director expires in 2008.

James Watkins

Mr. Watkins was appointed as a casual director on February 28, 2005, and was re-elected as a director at the Annual General Meeting on May 9, 2005. Mr. Watkins was a Director and Group General Counsel of the Jardine Matheson Group in Hong Kong from 1997 until 2003. He was Group Legal Director of Schroeders plc in 1996-1997 and of Trafalgar House plc from 1994-1996. He was previously a partner and solicitor in the London and Hong Kong offices of Linklaters from 1975 to 1994. He currently is a non-executive Director of Mandarin Oriental International Ltd, Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd, MCL Land Ltd and Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation Ltd and is a member of the Audit Committees of Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd and MCL Land Ltd and the Chairman of the Audit Committee of Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation Ltd. Mr. Watkins has a law degree from the University of Leeds (First Class Hons.).

Jeffrey Steiner

Jeffrey Steiner is chairman and chief executive officer of Fairchild Corporation. He has held this position since December 1985. Mr. Steiner was president of Fairchild from July 1991 to November 1998. He is president of Cedco Holdings Ltd, a Bermuda corporation, and a director of The Copeley Fund.

Robert Lees

Robert Lees brings nearly 30 years of experience in international trade, government affairs and public relations to Global Sources' board of directors. His previous positions include Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Basin Economic Council; Executive Advisor and Director of Key Accounts, Asia-Pacific, KPMG Consulting & BearingPoint, Inc.; and Vice President for Business Development in Security Pacific Trade Corporation. His current memberships and affiliations include Founding Director of Dr. Sun Yat Sen Foundation; member of Pacific & Asian Affairs Council and District Export Council of U.S. Department of Commerce. Mr. Lees holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from The Thunderbird School of Management. He also completed studies at the Institute of International Studies and Training in Japan.