Li Xin, Chair of AmCham Shanghai's Food, Agriculture and Beverage Committee, is Founder/President of Sustenture, a business strategy advisory firm dealing in investment/divestment, M&A, market strategy and sustainability, with a focus on the food & beverage industry as well as industrial manufacturing sectors.
Previously, Li was China President of Sealed Air, a US Fortune 500 Company in food care and product packaging. Li held sales, marketing and management responsibilities in the US and Canada for 13 years prior to his China assignment.
Bruno Lannes is a partner based in the Shanghai office.
In over 20 years of strategy consulting experience, especially in Consumer Goods and Retail industries, he led numerous projects across FMCG in food, personal care and beverage sectors, as well as in food and non food retailing, on various topics such as growth strategy, M&A and post-merger integration, sales & distribution optimization and brand strategy. He initiated and is leading Bain’s annual China Shopper Report and China Luxury Market Study which is a reference in the industry.
Mr. Lannes is the author of a book on management excellence, which describes the key success factors of 10 large French corporations. He has published numerous articles on China consumer product, retail and luxury topics in key business media such as Harvard Business Review China, Wall Street Journal Asia, BusinessWeek, Forbes China, South China Morning Post. He is a frequent speaker at high-level business summits.
Mr. Lannes is a recipient of Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award which is presented annually, by the Shanghai Municipal Government, to expatriates who have significantly contributed to Shanghai's economic and social development.
Mr. Lannes earned an MBA with Distinction from the Wharton School, and is a graduate of Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris.
Ms. Chang is a Vice President at L Catterton focused on the firm’s cross-fund investments and portfolio operations. Prior to her current role, Ms. Chang was the Chief of Staff at L Catterton, supporting the global Co-CEOs on strategic initiatives across funds and functions. Before joining L Catterton, Ms. Chang was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York, where she provided strategic consultation to clients in the finance, technology, consumer, and performing arts industries.
Ms. Chang earned her B.A. in Psychology and Economics, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Harvard University. She also holds an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Weisi Xie is the Shanghai Director at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network (EICN), and is responsible for engaging with top executives in the region on key economic and political issues as well as industry-specific analysis to support their businesses in the dynamic Chinese market.
Mr. Xie served as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University before joining EICN. As a trained trade economist, his teaching and research mainly focused on the fields of international trade, industrial economics and economic development, with a particular emphasis on China’s economy in a global perspective. He also possesses extensive expertise in the non-profit sector through work experience with think tanks and international organisations, including the Shanghai Institute for National Economy and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, where he contributed to multiple government counselling projects and policy studies. His work has appeared in leading academic journals as well as major economic policy publications. He was a contributor to The World Trade Report, the flagship annual publication of the WTO, co-authored with the former Chief Economist of the US Department of State on policy reports of the TRIPS Agreement; he worked with the Trade and Agriculture Director of the OECD onevaluating the patterns of structural transformation across the globe during the course of globalization; his academic research focuses on exploring the role of financial development inshaping bilateral trade patterns and the demand-side effects on international trade structure; he has also recently studied the impact of industrial policies and environmental regulations on the productivity of Chinese manufacturing firms.
Mr. Xie has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a B.A. in International Business from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.
The CICC Consumer Research Team is a leader in research quality and expertise, consistently dedicated to in-depth research across various sectors of the broad consumer industry, including textiles, apparel, jewelry, hospitality, restaurants, home appliances, light industry, and beauty, demonstrating a wide-ranging industry perspective. Building on this foundation, the team has successively released a series of major research reports, including *"China's Top Brands"*, *"Focusing on 'New Consumption'"*, *"The Rise of Domestic Brands"*, *"Consumer Global Expansion"*. These high-quality, insightful, and timely research reports have been highly praised by both domestic and international investment institutions. In addition, the team has participated in numerous IPOs of top Chinese consumer companies, closely keeping up with the growth of China's leading consumer enterprises. The team has been honored multiple times with awards such as "Best Discretionary Consumer Analyst" and "Best Non-Discretionary Consumer Analyst" in professional rankings by Asiamoney and Institutional Investor, gaining broad influence in global capital markets.
CICC panelist, Mr. Peihang Lyu, Discretionary Consumer Research Analyst in the CICC Research Department. Mr.Lyu closely follows the development of China’s consumer industry, Combining industry trends and in-depth fundamental research on individual stocks, excelling in identifying investment opportunities through a bottom-up approach. Mr.Lyu also has published numerous influential, framework-based, and forward-looking in-depth research reports.
Emmanuel Hemmerlé has been living and working in China since 2000. In 2014, he co-founded EH, dedicating the last decade to executive search and leadership development across Asia. Over his career, Emmanuel has led more than 500 executive searches and conducted nearly 5,000 interviews with top executives.
Before founding EH, Emmanuel was a Senior Partner and Head of the Consumer Market Practice at Korn Ferry in China. Prior to that, he was a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles, specializing in the Consumer and Industrial Practices.
Earlier in his career, Emmanuel held leadership positions in the corporate sector, most notably with the Zuellig Group in China and Michelin, where he worked in Europe and South America, progressing from sales to marketing and eventually into general management.
Emmanuel holds a master’s in economics and finance from Sciences-Po Paris (1991), an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (2000), and a diploma in Chinese language and civilization from Peking University (2002). He is fluent in Mandarin, English, and French, in addition to his native Spanish.
A French national, Emmanuel enjoys hiking, swimming, and French cuisine. He is a dedicated student of Chinese and European history and an avid reader of 19th-century French literature. He lives in Shanghai with his wife, Zhao Hui, and their two teenagers, Elías and Esther.
You can contact Emmanuel at ehemmerle@ehemmerle.com and visit his website at www.ehemmerle.com.
Yassin has over 20 years of experience leading multicultural teams in the luxury sector across complex markets. He began his career in 1999 as a financial analyst at Lazard Private Equity in Cairo, analyzing key sectors of the Egyptian economy. In 2002, he moved to Switzerland and transitioned into the watchmaking industry, starting with Vacheron Constantin in Geneva, where he developed business with Middle Eastern royalty.
Relocating to Dubai in 2006, Yassin expanded Vacheron Constantin's presence in the Middle East and India. In 2016, he moved to Singapore to oversee South-East Asia and Oceania markets. In 2020, he joined LVMH in Shanghai to lead Zenith’s transformation in Asia-Pacific. Since 2023, he has been President for Greater China at TAG Heuer.
Yassin holds an MBA from IAE Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University.
Since Jun 2023, Simon Song has been appointed as President of BSH Greater China region on top of his China CFO role (since Jan 2021) in BSH, the No. 1 European home appliance company and a Bosch Group subsidiary. Under this responsibility, Simon covers the markets of mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, total business size is close to RMB 20 billion with a workforce reaching 20,000.
In Jan 2018, Simon Song, as Senior Vice President, Digital Solutions (Southeast Asia), has been responsible for building up Digital Solutions business in Southeast Asia, including Industry 4.0, Smart City and E Commerce, on top of his responsibility as Managing Director for Bosch Malaysia.
In Nov. 2014, Simon Song was appointed as managing director for Bosch Group in Malaysia, overseeing the overall Bosch business in Malaysia (>100m EUR sales, >2000 employees).
Between 2010-2014, Simon Song was the Vice President, regional CFO of Bosch in Southeast Asia. In 2010, Simon Song relocated to Singapore to assume his appointment as CFO for Bosch in Southeast Asia. He has played a key role in defining the business strategy, and building up the business structure and a strong multi-national team in the region.
Simon Song was formerly the Finance & Controlling Director for Bosch Rexroth Linear Motion division in Germany from 2009 - 2010. He developed and led a global fixed cost reduction project during crisis time, which attained a 35% decrease in fixed cost for the business unit.
Simon Song joined Bosch Group in 2005, and was responsible for M&A activities in Asia Pacific until 2009. During this period, he established a robust market presence for various business divisions of Bosch through acquisitions of local companies and setup of JVs with local partners.
Between 2000 and 2005, Simon Song worked as an auditor and M&A Advisory manager in PwC in Shanghai, where he was involved in a number of high profile M&A transactions in China.
Simon Song holds a MBA degree (high honor) from University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Isao is an automotive professional who has 30 years of industry experience. He worked in 7 countries with several leadership positions in Egypt, North Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, ASEAN, and China. He is currently Corporate Vice President for Nissan Motor Corporation and Managing Director of Dongfeng Nissan JV based in Guangzhou. He joined Nissan in 2014 and prior to Nissan, he worked with major Japanese Trading House Sumitomo Corporation’s automotive division. He holds a bachelor degree from University of Tsukuba and MBA from Darden School, University of Virginia.
Rupert McPetrie has held the role of CEO at GroupM China since February 2024. In the face of a challenging market landscape, he is responsible for propelling the company’s ongoing growth while strategically navigating continued success. His chief focus remains delivering unparalleled client service.
Rupert possesses extensive experience in the Chinese market. Over the past decade, he has played a significant role in the leadership team of GroupM China. Rupert joined MediaCom in 2015 as CEO and became a member of GroupM China Executive Committee. He has also spent seven years living and working in Shanghai. In 2021, his managerial domain expanded to the Greater China. Early in 2022, Rupert was promoted to CEO of MediaCom Asia Pacific and joined MediaCom's Global Executive Committee.
In April 2022, GroupM announced the merger of MediaCom and Essence, leading to the establishment of EssenceMediacom. Rupert adeptly steered the merger of these two reputable agencies across 15 markets in the Asia Pacific region. He also led the swift development of the newly-formed company following its official launch in 2023. The agency has gained many new businesses and earned wide recognition from clients and the market under Rupert’s leadership.
Rupert initiated his media career in the United Kingdom at Zenith, and over the past two decades, he has progressively shift eastward, serving as CEO of Central and Eastern Europe at ZenithOptimedia.
Harnessing management expertise gleaned from multiple global regions and a profound understanding of Chinese market, Rupert stands out as a remarkable and innovative leader. He disrupts convention, drives organizational growth, and designs pioneering business models, thereby fostering the development of both the business and its culture. His extraordinary leadership is widely acknowledged and respected.
Rupert is graduated from Oxford University. In his personal time, Rupert is an avid cycling enthusiast.
With 20 years of career in multiple industries, Kelsey built experiences in Operations and SCM, and then business operation in Intel, Accenture and Aptar. She worked not only with multi-national companies but also with China private companies and SOEs.
She successfully led the business to turn around in the past years, formulated and implemented business strategy and achieved expansion in food, beverage, personal care and home care market.
As a leader, she brings vitality into the team and is committed to build an evolved, energetic and efficient learning organization. She drives organizational effectiveness improvement and talent development, and being a mentor for female employees as a DE&I ambassador.
Kelsey is a member of AmCham Shanghai's Food, Agriculture, & Beverage committee. She graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and studied EMBA in CEIBS.
As the Greater China CEO at Fonterra Co-operative Group, Teh-han oversees the Co-op’s overall business in Greater China region, including Ingredients, Foodservices and Consumer Brands businesses. The Greater China Region, which includes mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, is one of two regions reporting directly to the Global CEO and as such sits on the Fonterra Management Team.
Greater China region is also the largest market for Fonterra, accounting for roughly a third of Fonterra’s total business. Prior to this role, Teh-han was President of NZMP Greater China, South & East Asia, with oversight of Fonterra’s ingredients business (branded ‘NZMP’) in all of Asia except Japan and Korea.
Teh-han has over 20 years of experience in China across a variety of industries and functions. He has been in the areas of marketing, public relations, advertising, sales and management across industries in food & agriculture, commodities, FMCG, luxury goods, and hospitality.
Prior to joining Fonterra in 2015, Teh-han was Chief Executive Officer of Louis Dreyfus Commodities China. In that role, Teh-han doubled the business and oversaw an expansion in the company’s business lines from 5 to 12, built 2 greenfield production facilities and acquired 2 facilities. Before Louis Dreyfus, Teh-han was Managing Director for Greater China for the J.R. Simplot Company, a U.S. based diversified agribusiness serving customers including McDonald’s and Yum! Brands.
Teh-han has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from California State University Northridge. He earned a Master’s degree, with honours, in International Management from Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management.
· Graduated from the University of South Bank, London, with a Master of Science degree;
Doctor of Economics from the University of Mainz, Germany.
· Joined CTR Kantar WorldPanel in July 2006 as the General Manager of the Northern Region of Kantar Consumer Index.
· An expert in consumer behavior and brand research.
· A special guest expert for the CCTV Brand Strengthening Program.
· Major clients served include: CCTV, Yili, Mengniu, COFCO, Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, Mars, Nanfu, Jahwa, Master Kong, Bright Dairy, Kao, Weishida, Reckitt Benckiser, Sanquan, Synear, China Merchants Securities, CITIC Securities, Hillhouse Capital, China American Schering, Snow Lake Capital, Snow Beer, Tsingtao Beer, Shinho, Hualian, Arowana, Sanyuan, Shuanghui, Junlebao, Maotai, Yunnan Baiyao, Jinjiu, King's Luck Brewery, Wong Lo Kat, Jiaduobao, Dali, Hengan, Saky, Haitian, New Hope, Genki Forest, etc.
Ashley has 14 years of experience in digital marketing, brand and retail strategy with data solutions in the consumer goods industry.
As Head of Business Development at The Trade Desk, a globally leading AdTech company that empowers ad buyers to maximize the effectiveness, Ashley is responsible for localizing and executing sales strategy in China, revenue delivery and client relationship.
Most recently Ashley worked for Tencent as Director of F&B industry in Advertising and Marketing Solutions, leveraging Tencent’s eco-system to support manufacturers’ business growth.
Prior to Tencent, Ashley held management positions in Nielsen China and the United States, as commercial head of Digital Marketing Solutions and Retail Measurement.
Zhang Ning is Co-founder and CEO of HotMaxx. Mr. Zhang is a serial entrepreneur who spans the realms of business and social entrepreneurship. He has founded ventures in various fields including human resources, educational investment, convenience store chains, and energy services, and has incubated 168 public welfare projects.
Mr. Zhang was instrumental in establishing HotMaxx’s membership system and home delivery service platform from scratch. During the pandemic, he helped HotMaxx achieve counter-cyclical growth. Currently, Mr. Zhang is responsible for innovations in new store models and brand KA (Key Account) expansion.
Zhang Ning holds a bachelor’s degree from East China University of Political Science and Law and is a qualified lawyer. He also obtained his master’s degree from University College London and was selected for the first cohort of Lakeside University in 2015, where he served as a class officer.
Adam joined Costco in 1997 as a cashier assistant and parking lot attendant while attending the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA.
After graduating, Adam quickly developed a passion for the business and transitioned to a regional food buying position in 2001. He worked his way from inventory controller to buyer where he was a key part of Costco's global private label brand growth in several different food commodity categories including seafood, poultry and beef.
Most recently Adam led the Company's International Foods and Fresh Foods buying teams based at their headquarters in Issaquah, Washington, USA. In August, Adam and his family relocated to Shanghai where he is now Vice President, General Merchandise Manager for Costco in China.
James Macdonald was appointed as Head of Savills Research, China in 2007. He has the overall responsibility to ensure the successful delivery of research across mainland China, advise key clients and stakeholders of the latest market trends and future business opportunities as well as expand the adoption of technology systems and develop thought leadership.
Savills China Research Department is the backbone of Savills’ operations in China. By compiling much needed knowledge and support for our agency departments, Savills Research provides the leading edge needed in China’s increasingly competitive real estate market.
On an ongoing basis, we monitor a multitude of aspects within the various sectors of the property market—office, retail, residential, investment and hospitality. By compiling premium quality data, we enable ourselves and our clients to gain useful insights into China’s market dynamics.
Phil is an innovation specialist in the consulting industry, bringing creative approaches to human-centered design with nearly 15 years of consulting experience.
He is the pioneer of Deloitte’s “visual practice”. His approach is rooted in “human”, blended with multidisciplinary studies in anthropology, psychology, human factors, gamification, visual arts and interactive media on complex organization and innovation topics.
Phil serves as a Global Board of Directors of International Forum of Visual Practitioners, and is one of the 50 authors of the encyclopedia “The World of Visual Facilitation” and the only selected practitioner from China. Phil is passionate about travel photography and art creation, with cross-cultural working experience in China, the US, South East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.