Though the term "commerce guild" has come to describe a number of major corporate entities that have banded together to protect their pursuit of profits, the Commerce Guild proper more accurately describes commodities interests. Businesses involved in the acquisition, refinement and production of raw materials form the backbone of the Commerce Guild, which is headed by its shrewd Presidente, Shu Mai.

When Count Dooku's master plan of sedition began to coalesce in a hidden boardroom on Geonosis, Shu Mai was present. She recognized the support of the Separatist movement would amount to treason, but she could not resist the lure of a profitable venture. She secretly committed the forces of the Commerce Guild, which included its droid armies, to the Confederacy of Independent Systems.