Some five decades after a scholarship gave him his start in business, Merle Hinrich is helping develop the next generation of Asian leaders in trade
Merle Hinrich transformed trade in Asia with his company, Global Sources. Founded in the 1970s to publish trade magazines, it has developed into a flourishing online portal that connects manufacturers and retailers around the world. Now, after a lifetime in business, Merle is turning his attention to philanthropy, shaking up the way scholarships are run in Asia.
Merle, like many philanthropists in Asia, your work is personal for you. Unlike many, someone else’s philanthropy was pivotal in putting you on a path which allowed you to have enough wealth to make meaningful impact. So, let’s start at the beginning with your story.
I grew up on a farm in Nebraska in humble circumstances. I had a professor who become a mentor and advisor to me. He suggested that I apply for a master’s scholarship to attend Thunderbird School of Global Management, which I was fortunate enough to receive in 1964 when I was 20 years old.
Attending Thunderbird changed my life. After graduating, I had several options to choose from but decided to take a job with the East Asia Publishing Company and move to Tokyo. In retrospect, Thunderbird also helped me to realize how important it is to combine theory and practice, as many of the professors teaching there came from business. In any case, Tokyo in the mid-sixties was still recovering from the War and new businesses and opportunities were being built. For a young guy from Nebraska, nothing could have been more exciting.
Within a few months, I became the sales manager and moved to Hong Kong. Those years were quite fun, but I was also learning a great deal both in terms of the work and also what it takes to be truly successful. By the time I launched Global Sources, I understood the companies who were our clients and the products and the brands they were trying to build.
I learned about the positive impacts of international trade and knew all the major exporters and manufacturers. But I also learned something else—the absolute necessity to have the right values. To be honest, to have integrity and to be trusted. It sounds easy to say, but being fair, being honest and basing your decisions and your sales pitch on facts isn’t always so easy.
