CCG Announces Several Key Promotions in Asia

The Certified Collectibles Group (CCG) is pleased to announce four important promotions within its fast-growing Asia operations. Mateo Zhao has been promoted to Vice President of Business Development in Asia; Joe Sullivan has been promoted to Vice President of Operations in Asia; Augusto Liu has been promoted to NGC Senior Grading Finalizer and Director of Grading in Shanghai; and Jerry Lin has been promoted to NGC Senior Grading Finalizer in Shanghai.

CCG is a world leader in expert, impartial and tech-enabled services for collectibles. Its renowned companies include Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS), Paper Money Guaranty (PMG) and Authenticated Stamp Guaranty (ASG).

Over the course of 2021, CCG has grown significantly to meet the incredible demand for its services. CCG now employs more than 600 people around the world, including at its offices in Sarasota, Florida; Shanghai; Hong Kong; London and Munich. As more people join CCG, dedicated and talented individuals are rising through the professional ranks. Zhao, Sullivan, Liu and Lin have all demonstrated their commitment to CCG and its customers over the years, helping CCG to expand the reach of its best-in-class services in Asia.

Mateo Zhao

The very first employee of NGC Shanghai Business Information Consulting Co., Ltd. (NGC Shanghai), CCG’s Shanghai affiliate, Zhao joined the company in 2013 as Regional Sales Manager. Not long after NGC Shanghai opened, Zhao helped establish another office in Hong Kong — NGC Hong Kong Ltd. — and was integral to the launch of ASG, which is now the preferred stamp grading service in China. Over the years, Zhao has consistently shown a strong work ethic and dedication to promoting the CCG companies’ expert grading services across an increasing number of collectibles categories.

“I am very proud of what we have accomplished in Shanghai and Hong Kong,” said Zhao. “As Vice President of Business Development in Asia, I look forward to making our services more available to collectors in Asia and advancing the collecting culture.”

Joe Sullivan

Sullivan became an Operations Manager at CCG in 2017, with the objective of moving to China and helping to further build the company’s offices in Asia. Prior to relocating to Shanghai in 2018, he worked at CCG’s Sarasota, Florida, headquarters, gaining experience at all levels of the CCG business, including grading, verification, receiving, shipping and more. In 2019, he took over general management of the Hong Kong office as well and significantly increased output and streamlined operations there.

“I see so much potential and many opportunities in the broader Asia market,” commented Sullivan. “I am very proud that we have been able to adapt and localize our global brands for continued success and growth in Asia, through focusing not only on client satisfaction but also employee satisfaction across our offices.”

Augusto Liu

A collector since the age of 10, Liu started as a consultant with NGC Shanghai before becoming a full-time coin grader in 2016, already knowing and appreciating NGC’s grading standards. In the last five years, he has developed his authentication and grading expertise to the level of Senior Grading Finalizer. Along the way, Liu has also demonstrated excellent leadership skills and earned the respect of his fellow graders, qualifying him to serve as Director of Grading as well.

“The opportunity to observe many rare coins, which is impossible for most collectors, makes coin grading incredibly rewarding for me,” said Liu. “In my new position, my goal is to solidify NGC’s reputation as a trusted grading service for both modern and vintage Chinese coins.”

Jerry Lin

Lin joined NGC Shanghai in 2015 as a Regional Marketing Manager, attending many coin shows and helping to build relationships with Chinese mints, important collectors and the Chinese coin collecting community as a whole. In this role, he also conducted extensive numismatic research related to coin design and engraving. In 2016, Lin applied to be a full-time grader, and he has been honing his authentication grading skills ever since, in addition to maintaining NGC Shanghai’s database of varieties, counterfeits, patterns and errors.

“I am honored to carry forward NGC’s founding principles of accuracy, consistency and integrity as a Senior Grading Finalizer,” said Lin. “It has always been my dream to be a numismatist, and I feel privileged to work with the many experienced graders at NGC.”

“Working with these four individuals to establish and build CCG’s business in Asia has been a highlight of my career,” commented Steven R. Eichenbaum, CEO of CCG. “Their promotions are well-deserved, and I am confident that with their drive and expertise, we will continue to expand rapidly throughout Asia.”

Together, the CCG companies have certified more than 60 million collectibles, becoming the largest provider of collectibles services in the world. Interested in joining our team and seeing where a career in collectibles takes you? Visit collectiblesgroup.com/careers.