Bill Russo
Founder & CEO of Automobility Limited, Automotive Committee Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in ShanghaiBill Russo is the Shanghai-based founder and CEO of Automobility Limited, a strategy and investment advisory firm helping its clients to create the future of mobility. His over 35 years of experience include 15 years as an automotive executive in China and Asia and nearly 12 years in the electronics and information technology industries. He has worked as an advisor and consultant for numerous multinational and local Chinese firms in the formulation and implementation of their global market and product strategies. Bill is also currently serving as the chair of the Automotive Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. In his current role, Bill advises startups, corporations, and investors on how to maximize their participation in China’s Automobility Revolution. Bill was previously the regional head of Chrysler in North East Asia.
Scott Kennedy
Trustee Chair in Chinese Business & Economics at Center for Strategic & International StudiesScott Kennedy is senior adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). A leading authority on Chinese economic policy, Kennedy has been traveling to China for over 30 years. His specific areas of expertise include industrial policy, technology innovation, business lobbying, U.S.-China commercial relations, and global governance. He is the editor of China’s Uneven High-Tech Drive: Implications for the United States (CSIS, February 2020) and (with Jude Blanchette) Chinese State Capitalism: Diagnosis and Prognosis (CSIS, October 2021) and the author of The State and the State of the Art on Philanthropy in China (Voluntas, August 2019), China’s Risky Drive into New-Energy Vehicles (CSIS, November 2018), The Fat Tech Dragon: Benchmarking China’s Innovation Drive (CSIS, August 2017), and The Business of Lobbying in China (Harvard University Press, 2005). He has edited three books, including Global Governance and China: The Dragon’s Learning Curve (Routledge, 2018). His articles have appeared in a wide array of policy, popular, and academic venues, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and China Quarterly. He is currently finishing a report, Beyond Decoupling: Maintaining America’s Hi-Tech Advantages over China (CSIS, forthcoming Spring 2022). From 2000 to 2014, Kennedy was a professor at Indiana University (IU), where he established the Research Center for Chinese Politics & Business and was the founding academic director of IU’s China Office. Kennedy received his PhD in political science from George Washington University, his MA in China studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and his BA from the University of Virginia.
Marcus Hafkemeyer
CEO of CARIZON, ChinaAs CARIZON’s CEO, Mr. Hafkemeyer brings a wealth of leadership experience. Since 1997 in Audi, he began his ~30 years of proven executive experience in automotive industry. Previously, he served as CTO of VGC, where he built up and established VCTC, the 100% VW Tech Company in China for China, demonstrated strategic acumen and technical expertise. His role as Vice President at BAIC Group showcased his proficiency in product development, and as the Executive Strategy Advisor at Huawei, he drove transformative initiatives of Automated Driving business.
CARIZON, founded in November 2023, is an AI-driven intelligent driving solutions provider born from a strategic Sino-German collaboration between Volkswagen and Horizon Robotics. Focused on the complex Chinese automotive market, the company develops tailored ADAS products, including L2+ and L2++ systems, combining Volkswagen’s E/E architecture with Horizon’s high-performance chips and advanced AI algorithms.
Despite its short-term establishment, CARIZON has demonstrated rapid growth. It developed a data closed-loop platform GAIA to accelerate algorithm iteration, which enable it to build an end-to-end perception model within just five months. Since establish, it has filed over 50 patents in intelligent driving field. Leveraging deep learning, computer vision, and sensor fusion, it enhances driving safety and experience. The company benefits from strong technical support and vast market resources, aiming to launch its products in China by 2026.
Committed to innovation and real-world validation, CARIZON strives to deliver increasingly autonomous and user-oriented solutions for modern vehicles.
Simon Yang
President, China & Asia Pacific of Aptiv (China) Holding Company LimitedDr. Yang is the President of China and Asia Pacific of Aptiv. He is directly responsible for all business unit operations in China and Asia Pacific, works alongside the senior executive team globally on cross-regional initiatives, and leads the stewardship of Aptiv’s relationships with government and senior customer contacts.
Aptiv started operations in China since 1993, and has established 21 manufacturing facilities and 7 technical centers across China, with nearly 40,000 employees. Annual sales revenue in China exceeded US$4 billion in 2023.
Dr. Yang started his career with General Motors in Warren, Ohio in 1995 and relocated to China in 2003 to start-up connection systems operations in Asia. In 2008, he was appointed Managing Director for Delphi Connection Systems in Asia, driving substantial business growth from 2004 to 2021 and playing a key role in multiple acquisitions with highly successful integration. In 2014, Simon was appointed Delphi China President, directing the overall business in China. In December 2017, with the successful completion of Powertrain Division spin-off, Delphi officially became Aptiv. Simon became the president of Aptiv Asia Pacific in January 2018, ensuring the development and implementation of business strategies, sourcing strategies, customer value propositions and product solutions can meet the unique customer needs and speed of the local market.
Mr. Yang earned his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and Master of Material Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University in China. He received his Master and Ph.D. of Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Simon also completed the Senior Executive Program of Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. He has published 11 research papers in several USA and European science and technology journals.
Feng Shen
Executive Vice President & Chairman of Quality Management Committee at NIOMr. Feng Shen joined NIO in 2017. Mr. Shen worked in several senior executive management roles, such as president of Polestar China and global chief technology officer at Polestar, president at Volvo Cars China R&D Company, vice president of Volvo Cars Asia-Pacific Operation, and chairman at China-Sweden Traffic Safety Research Center from 2010 to 2017. Prior to that, Mr. Shen worked as a powertrain manager, Six-Sigma Master Black Belt and technical expert at Ford Motor Company from 1999 to 2010 in the United States and China. Mr. Shen received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and mechanics and a master’s degree in applied mechanics from Fudan University in 1984 and 1987, respectively. He also received a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University in 1996.
Claire Fang
Principal Analyst, Forecast Intelligence and Strategy at S&P Global MobilityClaire Fang is Principal Analyst focused on OEM strategy at S&P Global Mobility. Her responsibilities include research and analysis of strategy planning, platform, product portfolio and marketing trends.
She has more than 7 years working experience in automotive and consulting industry with engineering background. Before joining S&P Global Mobility, Claire worked at a global market research company, where she analyzed market insights and trends of FMCG and TCG. Prior to that, she worked for global OES R&D center in China focusing on competitor analysis and product development. She holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from INSA de Lyon in France and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in Harbin Institute of Technology in China.
Marcel Achnitz
Vice President & Member of the Management Board at P3 ChinaMarcel Achnitz is Vice President and Member of the Management Board of P3 China, with more than ten years of experience in automotive engineering, consulting, R&D and business leadership. He specializes in software-defined vehicles, ADAS, intelligent mobility and China-specific product development. Marcel has led projects covering IVI systems, autonomous-driving data platforms, accelerated vehicle development processes and R&D transformation. His current focus is on connecting AI-enabled vehicle intelligence with AI-supported organizational transformation to accelerate engineering, decision-making and product delivery.
Yichao Zhang
Partner at AlixpartnersYichao is a seasoned consultant who has focused on advanced manufacturing and digital sector for over 15 years. He is very good at using his combined capabilities in strategy consulting, digital transformation, and M&A support to provide customers with end-to-end services, helping traditional or cross-industry client to transformation its business and create value.
Yichao has served a wide spectrum of clients within advanced manufacturing industry including OEMs, suppliers, mobility service providers, pharmaceutical, etc. He also serve PEs and corporates with transaction advisory including due diligence, PMI, etc.
Before joining AlixPartners, Yichao was a Partner in EY Parthenon. He also has working experience in Roland Berger and Accenture Strategy, all based in Greater China and a core member of Automotive practice.
Yichao has deep insights to the disruptive trends in Automotive & Industrial industries, especially on NEV, Autonomous Driving and digital transformations. He helped multiple traditional players to transform their business to respond the market change, start-ups to get investment and market entry, and investors to find the right target to invest.
Yichao has bachelor and master degrees from Shanghai Jiao Tong University with academic major in Computer Science.