Bill Russo
Founder & CEO of Automobility Limited, Automotive Committee Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai- Opening Keynote: The State of China’s Auto Industry in 2026
- Globalization Panel | Going Global 2.0: From Export Growth to Local Operating Models
Bill 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.
Sam Wu
President and CEO of Ford Motor (China), Ltd.Sam Wu is appointed as the President and CEO of Ford China on March 1,2023. He reports directly to Jim Farley, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company, and has been elected as a company officer.
Sam joined Ford Motor Company in 2022, as the Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Ford China. In these roles, he managed engineering, manufacturing, quality and purchasing for Ford China and oversees the company’s in-country commercial vehicle division.
Sam joined Ford China after holding leadership roles in Asia for several major global companies across a range of industries, including President, Asia Pacific, and a member of the global executive committee for Whirlpool Corp; President and CEO of Osram’s Asia-Pacific business; Vice President and Regional General Manager for Honeywell Process Solutions in Greater China. Sam’s career also includes a tenure with General Electric in senior level positions.
Sam holds a bachelor’s degree in Thermal Energy Engineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Information Management, respectively, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University.
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, China- Former Chief Technology Officer of Volkswagen Group China
- Former CEO of Volkswagen China Technology Company
- Former Vice President of BAIC Group
- Former Executive Strategy Advisor of Huawei Automotive
As 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.
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.
Dr. Johannes Sommerhaeuser
Regional President APAC Global Business Services, Member of the Board (GS/OR-APAC) at Bosch (China) Investment Ltd
Werner Franz Woeckl
External Collaboration Research Institute, Vice President of Global Business Development at GEELY
Sng Yih
President, China of AutolivSng Yih is the China division president and member of the global executive management team for Autoliv, the world leading Automotive Safety Systems supplier. 25 years experience in the automotive industry, Sng Yih spent the last 18 years in China, initially in Beijing and for the last 11 years, in Shanghai. He had previously led the Clean Air business for Tenneco and the E-Systems business for Lear Corp in Asia Pacific. Sng Yih and his team in Autoliv is focus on China solutions for China customers, with a strong focus on speed, quality and innovation.
Lola Woetzel
Founder and Managing Partner of Global6; Senior Partner Emeritus at McKinsey & Co.Lola co-founded McKinsey’s China office and spent nearly 40 years shaping strategy for governments and Fortune 500 companies alike. As Director of the McKinsey Global Institute, she led research that redefined how we think about cities, growth, and innovation in emerging markets.
Today, she is the founder of Global6, an urban development consultancy working across China, India, Brazil, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe to help cities finance and implement sustainable growth strategies.
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.
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.
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.