Please note that this month’s Member Briefing will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 2nd, and not on Tuesday as usual.​

AmCham Shanghai would like to invite you to this month’s Member Briefing featuring the Future Leaders of the Year Awards on Wednesday, August 2nd from 17:30-19:30 at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Young professionals under the age of 35 have made significant strides in the Shanghai community as corporate executives, entrepreneurs and community leaders. Join AmCham Shanghai for a Future Leaders of the Year Awards program featuring keynote speaker Bessie Lee, Founder and CEO of Withinlink, and a cocktail reception that will celebrate these contributions and demonstrate why more and more companies are recognizing the value of investing in young talent.

Bessie Lee is Founder and CEO of Withinlink, a Shanghai-based startup incubator and early-stage venture fund focused on marketing technology that supports China’s media communications industry. She has more than 28 years of experience in the media communications industry in Greater China. Prior to founding her own company, Bessie was CEO of WPP China since 2013, where she was responsible for 14,000 employees and more than $1 billion in annual revenue.


About the Judges:

Robert Abbanat, a serial entrepreneur with a track-record for developing innovative and disruptive solutions. With 18+ years of experience, Rob has forged his own path by applying emerging technologies in novel ways to solve problems in the arenas of training and education. Rob’s career began when he founded Engineered Multimedia Inc. (EMI) which became a leading provider of interactive training and marketing solutions for the aerospace and telecommunications industries, and pioneered the use of interactive media in higher education. After selling EMI, Rob co-founded International Learning Enterprises (ILE). ILE is a premier online school for results-oriented business English and business skills learning programs. Driven by state-of-the art, live real-time video instruction, ILE provides scalable training solutions that enable students to succeed in global business.

Jean Liu, based in Shanghai, is a seasoned international executive in business development, marketing and corporate affairs. Currently Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at EF Education First, Jean has held senior marketing roles with IBM in Beijing and Shanghai. Prior to IBM, Jean was Vice President of Corporate Affairs for EDS in Hong Kong and Shanghai, and was a board member of an EDS China joint venture. Before joining the technology industry, Jean gained extensive advertising, PR, and marketing experience with leading global agencies in Hong Kong, Shanghai and the U.S. She is the co-chairman of AmCham Shanghai’s Women’s Executive Network.

Eric Zheng, President & CEO of AIG Insurance Company China Ltd. (AIG China). Headquartered in Shanghai, AIG China is the largest wholly-owned international property-casualty insurer in China with a history dating back to 1992 when China first opened its market to foreign insurance companies. Prior to his current position, Eric served as General Manager of AIG Shanghai Branch, the largest branch operation of AIG China. Before his branch management role, Eric was Head of Strategic Planning of AIG China responsible for planning and executing business expansion strategies for AIG’s operations in China. Eric has been with AIG in Shanghai since 2005 and has played a key role in establishing AIG’s wholly-owned subsidiary in China in 2007 and in solidifying its strong market position since then. He joined AIG in Hong Kong in 2004 as part of the China expansion planning team.

Prior to AIG, Eric served as the Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou. As the most senior commercial officer representing the U.S. Department of Commerce in South China, Eric was responsible for marketing U.S. products and services and for assisting American companies with their operations in China. Eric has been honored by the Shanghai municipal government with the prestigious Magnolia Gold Award in 2016 and the Magnolia Silver Award in 2013 for his significant contributions to the development of Shanghai.


This event is brought to you by Future Leaders Committee (FLC). FLC aims to connect, develop, and empower members of AmCham Shanghai under the age of 35 through programs, training and activities focused on personal and professional growth for leadership development. It encourages and supports young professionals to develop as leaders in AmCham Shanghai and the business community.

RSVP Cancellation: If you need to cancel your RSVP please notify AmCham Shanghai's Events Department at (86 21) 6279-7119 no less than 48 hours in advance.