Kenneth Jarrett, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai since September 2013. Prior to that he was the Greater China Chairman for APCO Worldwide, a Washington-based public affairs consultancy from 2008 to 2013, and before that a U.S. diplomat from 1982 to 2008. During his 26-year diplomatic career, his postings included Consul General in Shanghai, Deputy Consul General in Hong Kong, and Director of Asian Affairs at the White House National Security Council. He also served in Beijing, Chengdu, Singapore, and had several assignments in Washington, DC. Mr. Jarrett has degrees from Cornell University, Yale University and the National War College.

Jacob Parker is the vice president of China operations at the US-China Business Council. In this role he manages USCBC’s two offices in Beijing and Shanghai and oversees the development and execution of China-based research, reporting, and programming on trends of importance to US businesses operating in China. He has worked on a variety of international public and private projects throughout his career. Before joining USCBC, Jacob worked as a program manager at Philips Healthcare where he oversaw implementation of ExIm Bank, Nordic Investment Bank, and Ashra Bank international government loan projects for developing medical infrastructure in China. Prior to that, as the director of operations of the USA Pavilion Shanghai Expo 2010, Jacob was responsible for the set-up, maintenance, and general operation of the pavilion, and for sharing American culture and values with the more than 7 million visitors during the six months of operation.

Dr. Song Guoyou's research field covers Chinese economic diplomacy, Sino-U.S. relations, and international political economy. He is a professor and deputy director of the Center for American Studies, executive director of Asia-Pacific Cooperation and Governance Research Center, a Shanghai University think tank, and director of Economic Diplomacy Studies Center of Fudan University. Mr. Song is one of the members of advisory committee for China’s Ministry of Commerce. He also holds the posts of Senior Research Fellow of International Economics and Finance Institute of Ministry of Finance, member of the standing committee of China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation Council(PECC), and vice president of National Economic Diplomacy Research Association concurrently. Mr. Song got his Ph.D and Master degree in international relations in 2006 and 2003 from Fudan University.

Kent Kedl is a Senior Partner in Control Risks’ Greater China and North Asia region. Based in Shanghai, he is responsible for the overall commercial and business operations of the company in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, the Koreas and Mongolia. Mr. Kedl has consulted with multinational and local Chinese and Korean corporations across all industries on a diverse range of complex risk issues, from crisis management and operational business controls, to strategic and organizational development programs. He has particular expertise in the healthcare, food and beverage, and consumer product sectors. Prior to joining Control Risks, Mr. Kedl was general manager and co-owner of Technomic Asia, a boutique strategy consulting firm in Shanghai. His work included target selection, and pre-transaction corporate investigations and negotiations. He has worked as a journalist and radio broadcaster and is a frequent contributor to Asia-based media outlets, as well as the co-author of The China Ready Company (2006, China Pathways). He has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in East Asian studies from the University of Minnesota. He has also completed graduate studies in journalism and mass communication as a scholar at the China Times Centre for Mass Media and Social Studies.