Yijin Chen
DATASEAAbout Yijin Chen
Yijin Chen, age 56, was elected as an independent director of Datasea Inc. in May 2025 and currently serves on key board committees, including chairing the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee . She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering Management from Shenyang University of Technology (1991) and pursued further studies in legal foundations and accounting at China University of Political Science and Law and Renmin University of China . Her background spans over 20 years in investment banking with leadership roles in internal audit, quality control, and business management .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Wall Securities Co., Ltd. | Head of Internal Audit; Deputy GM of Quality Control; Deputy GM, Business Management Dept. (Investment Banking Division) | 2008–2023 | Internal audit and quality oversight for investment banking operations |
| Guosheng Securities Co., Ltd. | Manager, Quality Control & Marketing Dept. (Investment Banking Division) | 2006–2007 | Investment banking quality control and marketing management |
| China Sci-Tech Securities Co., Ltd. | Project Manager; Assistant GM; Deputy GM (Investment Banking Division) | 1996–2007 | Equity financing and M&A project leadership |
| Shenyang Photosensitive Chemical Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Head, Planning & Finance Department | 1991–1996 | Financial planning and department leadership |
External Roles
No other public company directorships or external board roles were disclosed for Ms. Chen .
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined that Ms. Chen qualifies as “independent” under Nasdaq rules; this was affirmed upon her election and in subsequent filings .
- Committee assignments and chair roles (current):
- Audit Committee: Member; Chair is Stephen (Chun Kwok) Wong .
- Compensation Committee: Member; Chair is Yan Yang .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee: Chair; members include Yan Yang and Stephen Wong .
- Election outcome (shareholder engagement signal): Elected at the May 7, 2025 Annual Meeting with 4,759,166 votes “For,” 0 “Against,” and 331 “Abstain” .
- Attendance: The company reports that all directors are invited to annual meetings and all directors attended the prior annual meeting; FY2024 board/committee attendance by incumbents was at least 80%, but Ms. Chen joined in FY2025 and is not covered by FY2024 attendance statistics .
Committee Composition Table
| Committee | Members | Chair |
|---|---|---|
| Audit | Stephen Wong; Yijin Chen; Yan Yang | Stephen Wong |
| Compensation | Yan Yang; Stephen Wong; Yijin Chen | Yan Yang |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Yijin Chen; Yan Yang; Stephen Wong | Yijin Chen |
Fixed Compensation
| Fiscal Year | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Option Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 1,400 | 2,600 | — | 4,000 |
- Notes: No director option awards were disclosed for Ms. Chen in FY2025 . CEO Zhixin Liu receives no additional director compensation; director Fu Liu receives both cash and monthly stock grants under a separate arrangement, indicating a varied compensation structure across directors .
Performance Compensation
No director-specific performance-based metrics, PSUs, option performance conditions, or incentive plan metrics were disclosed for Ms. Chen (directors are compensated via cash retainer and stock awards without stated performance conditions) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Overlap/Interlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | No interlocks disclosed with competitors, suppliers, or customers . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Capital markets: 20+ years in investment banking with specialization in equity financing and M&A for listed companies .
- Controls and governance: Experience as Head of Internal Audit and quality control in an investment banking division supports governance and audit oversight .
- Education: Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering Management; additional studies in law and accounting—relevant for risk oversight and compliance .
Equity Ownership
| As of Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2025 | 2,010 | 0.02% (out of 8,256,816 shares outstanding) |
- Directors and officers as a group (six persons) owned 4,455,795 shares (53.97%) as of Sep 24, 2025; Ms. Chen’s ownership is modest relative to peers .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Independence affirmed; no material relationships with the Company disclosed .
- Committee influence: Elevated governance role as Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee shortly after election, plus membership on Audit and Compensation, positioning her to affect board effectiveness and executive pay practices .
- Shareholder support: Strong “For” vote at election (≈100% of votes cast, with minimal abstentions) signals initial investor confidence .
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Watch items
- Ownership alignment: Beneficial ownership of 2,010 shares (0.02%) is relatively low, which may limit “skin-in-the-game” alignment compared to directors with larger stakes .
- Company-level context: Independent auditor’s report highlights going concern risk for Datasea due to recurring losses and negative working capital; while not specific to Ms. Chen, heightened governance demands could increase reliance on audit and risk oversight committees where she serves .
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Conflicts and related-party exposure
- No family relationship or related-party transactions disclosed involving Ms. Chen; the only family relationship disclosed on the board is between CEO Zhixin Liu and director Fu Liu .
- Board documents emphasize review/approval of related-party transactions by the Audit Committee, where Ms. Chen is a member .
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RED FLAGS
- None specific to Ms. Chen were disclosed (no legal proceedings, SEC investigations, hedging/pledging, or late Section 16 filings noted for her). Company-level going concern risk remains a macro governance factor for board oversight .