Richard Lui - Business Career

Business Career

Lui started in business in 1985, working in manufacturing, strategy consulting, food and beverage, environmental, oil, and technology industries. He has held chief roles from operations to marketing.

Until 2008, Lui worked for Citibank as Director, COO, and CMO of a business unit focused on payments and commerce. His patented payment infrastructure bypassed MasterCard and Visa, enabling consumers to pay for goods and services by connecting directly to their bank. It included wireless access to checking, brokerage, and other funds.

Before Citibank, Lui worked at Oliver Wyman New York. His business development work included online brokerage moving to mobile platforms, and the globalization software market—enterprise systems for multi-language and multi-country applications. Lui also helped launch a joint venture with IBM in the retail vertical.

At the start of his career, Lui skipped college and spent four years at upstart Mrs. Fields Cookies. At one of the stores he managed, he increased revenue making it the largest of 400 nationwide. At the age of 18, Lui became the youngest in the company's history to run a regional training center.

After Mrs. Fields, Lui entered college, followed by work at Clean Environment Equipment (QED), where he led its global advertising and public relations campaigns. The company’s brand ranking grew to #1 and revenue quadrupled during his five years there. According to the company’s website, its oil recovery products are on almost every major refinery with an underground oil spill.