Language and cultural miscommunications are frequently stated as the biggest hurdles in doing business in China.

Carla Kearns is the owner & director of TLI – The Mandarin School in downtown Toronto, Canada. Kearns’ vision is to foster understanding between North American and Chinese cultures; giving well-informed companies and their executives a competitive advantage in China. In addition to overseeing the training of North American executives to communicate effectively in Mandarin Chinese, Kearns helps organizations and individuals navigate cross-cultural relationships.

A sign of Western interest in the China market, Kearns has been interviewed by the Washington Post Magazine, The Toronto Sun and Ming Pao Daily; has appeared on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin and CBC’s The Dragon’s Den, and has been invited to speak at industry events in Toronto, San Francisco and Honolulu.

After graduating from the University of Western Ontario in 1993, Kearns journeyed to Taiwan to teach corporate English, while creating innovative learning programs for a social English club. She mastered conversational Mandarin Chinese, and traveled extensively through Asia.

Later, in San Francisco, Kearns led the Sales & Marketing efforts (Asia Region) for ASPECT International Language Schools.  Inspired by the times, she embraced the dot-com boom by developing & executing a new global Internet strategy for ASPECT.

In 1999 Kearns made her way to Honolulu, Hawaii joining the state’s largest advertising firm, Milici Valenti Ng Pack as management supervisor of its online division. There she collaborated with creative, technical, and media teams to drive integrated advertising strategies of such clients as the Hawaii Visitor's & Convention Bureau, Starwood Hawaii Hotels & Resorts, First Hawaiian Bank, and Hawaiian Telecom. Kearns was an online pioneer at Hawaii’s top interactive firm – spearheading business development that increased the divisions’ revenues 5-fold during her tenure. She also created and led original industry travel programs for the Hawaii Asia Pacific Association ( Hawaii’s top industry leaders) to China and Thailand.

Kearns was in Shanghai, China until early 2006 expanding her North America – China consulting business. After her experiences living and working in Asia, she became an advocate for Westerners engaging more proactively with China on a business and cultural level. Upon returning west, she established TLI – The Mandarin School in Toronto as the educational arm of her consulting business. The institute teaches Mandarin Chinese Language to business professionals – proving to them that with the right methodology (and TLI’s 50 year track record), speaking Chinese is “bu tai nan” (not too difficult).

Kearns serves on the board of the Organization of Women in International Trade - Toronto, and is a member of the Canada China Business Council, The American Chamber of Commerce (Shanghai Chapter) and the Toronto Board of Trade. Kearns is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Carla Kearns