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Anja Manuel
Co-Founder, Principal of RiceHadleyGates LLC,Former diplomat, author, and advisor on emerging markets, Anja Manuel is Co-Founder and Principal along with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in RiceHadleyGates LLC, a strategic consulting firm that helps US companies navigate international markets.
She is the author of the critically acclaimed This Brave New World: India, China and the United States, published by Simon and Schuster in 2016. From 2005-2007, she served as an official at the U.S. Department of State, responsible for South Asia Policy.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Manuel was an attorney at WilmerHale working on corporate governance, international and Supreme Court cases, and represented special committees of major corporate boards before the US Congress, Department of Justice and the SEC. She was also an investment banker at Salomon Brothers in London.
A graduate of Harvard Law School and Stanford University, Manuel now also lectures at Stanford.
She currently serves on two corporate boards: Overseas Shipping Group, Inc., a NYSE listed energy transportation company, and Ripple Labs Inc., a leading blockchain payments company.
Manuel also serves on advisory boards of Flexport Inc., Synapse Inc., Center for a New American Security, and the boards of the American Ditchley Foundation, National Committee on US-China Relations, and Governor Brown’s California Export Council.
She is a frequent commentator on foreign policy, and technology policy, for tv and radio (MSNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, BBC, Charlie Rose, NPR, etc.) and writes for publications ranging from the New York Times, to Fortune, The Atlantic, and Newsweek, among others.
She serves as a Senior Fellow for the Harvard Initiative on Technology and Public Purpose with Former Sec Def Ash Carter, and is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Ms. Manuel lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.
Orville Schell
Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia SocietyOrville Schell is the Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society in New York. He is a former professor and Dean at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Schell is the author of fifteen books, ten of them about China, and a contributor to numerous edited volumes. In addition, he is a frequent contributor to many widely read magazines and newspapers.
Schell was born in New York City, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University in Far Eastern History, was an exchange student at National Taiwan University in the 1960s, and earned a Ph.D. (Abd) at University of California, Berkeley in Chinese History. He worked for the Ford Foundation in Indonesia, covered the war in Indochina as a journalist, and has traveled widely in China since the mid-70s.
He is a Fellow at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, a Senior Fellow at the Annenberg School of Communications at USC and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Schell is also the recipient of many prizes and fellowships, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Overseas Press Club Award, and the Harvard-Stanford Shorenstein Prize in Asian Journalism.
James Chou
Managing Director & CEO, Microsoft for Startups Shanghai of Microsoft (China) Co., LtdJames Chou is the Managing Director and CEO of Microsoft for Startups North Asia, Chair of Technology and Innovation Committee of American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai. Within Microsoft, he leads the effort to scale up the business for some of the best and most innovative startups in China by providing unprecedented access to top Microsoft partners and customers, venture capitalists, and technical knowledge. Through the acceleration, he helped his portfolio companies raising hundred of million dollars and increased their valuation more than 300% in average in only 4 months to 10+ billion dollars. He is a frequent speaker on Innovation and China Startups, also an advisor to several VC funds, a mentor to several leading accelerators and incubators in China. He has more than 20 years experiences in TMT space in China and US. Before joining Microsoft, he was a serial entrepreneur and a venture investor. He has founded or co-founded three high tech companies in China. Previously, he served senior management positions at AsiaInfo and UTStarcom, the first 2 NASDAQ listed Chinese technology companies. Prior to that, He worked product management, sales, and engineering roles at Hewlett Packard and NEC in Silicon Valley for 7 years. James got his MBA from Santa Clara University.
Todd Wilcox
Senior Executive Vice President and Deputy CEO of HSBC Bank (China) Co., Ltd.Todd Wilcox is Senior Executive Vice President and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited (“HSBC China”). Mr. Wilcox joined HSBC in Canada in 2005 to expand the Group’s operations in western Canada.
Before moving to Asia, he was also Head of Retail, Marketing and Public Affairs for HSBC Bermuda. Mr. Wilcox became Chief Operating Officer for the Risk function in the Asia Pacific in 2011, overseeing the function for 11 markets in the region. Mr. Wilcox was appointed Chief Executive Officer Brunei for The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in 2012. He became Head of Remediation Management Office for HSBC China in August 2016.
Prior to joining HSBC, Mr. Wilcox worked for Royal Bank of Canada for 16 years in a wide range of business and functional roles. Mr. Wilcox holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.
Donghua Wang
Consul General at Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in San FranciscoAmbassador Wang Donghua is the Consul General at the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco. Prior to holding the position of Consul General, Ambassador Wang held various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), including Official at the Director-General level.
In addition to working at the MFA, Ambassador Wang was the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Kingdom of Tonga, the Consul General in Mumbai, India, and the Deputy Mayor of Ankang City, Shanxi Province. Ambassador Wang also held the position of
Counselor, Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations. Prior to his position at the UN, he was the First Secretary in the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs in both Macao and Hong Kong.
Elizabeth Chien-Hale
Partner at CKR LawAs a patent attorney, Elizabeth brings a combination of skills, including in-house and outside counsel, litigation and prosecution, and US and international experience to solving clients’ legal and business problems.
Elizabeth is rooted in prosecution and opinion work in electrical-mechanical arts, having started her career in Silicon Valley firms serving clients such as 3M, Palm, Adobe and Applied Materials. Through her Chinese skills, she quickly added litigation to her practice areas, serving Chinese/Taiwanese clients in ITC and district court cases. She then moved to a top international law firm’s Hong Kong Office, pioneering its patent practice with high-profile Hong Kong companies, including Cheung Kong, PCCW, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and many start-ups. She continued her prosecution/litigation practice in her inhouse capacity with Apple, Industrial Research Technology Institute (“ITRI”) of Taiwan, and Eaton, handling cross-border disputes in Asia Pacific. Upon returning to private practice, she continues to serve her clients in patent and other IP litigation/dispute matters.
Notable Representations:
• Represented UMC/MediaTek and Asus in ITC cases.
• Defended iPhone invalidation challenges and other NPE challenges in China.
• Worked on patent monetization models for Taiwan LED industry.
• Defended various Eaton trademark challenges in China and India.
• Represented Mylex in an extensive trade secrets arbitration
John "Bud" Colligan
Senior Advisor for International Affairs and Trade at State of CaliforniaBud is the Senior Advisor for International Affairs and Trade in the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Bud was previously co-founder and co-chairman of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership from 2014 to 2019. In addition, he was a partner at Accel Partners from 1998 to 2015.
Prior to Accel, Bud co-founded Macromedia in 1992 through a merger of Authorware and Macromind-Paracomp. Bud headed Authorware as President and CEO from 1989-92. At Macromedia, Bud served as CEO from 1992-97 (taking the company public on NASDAQ in December 1993), and as Chairman until July 1998. During Bud’s tenure, Macromedia grew from a start-up to over $100 million in revenue. In 1996, Bud was named Software Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. In 2005, Macromedia was acquired by Adobe Systems for $3.4 billion.
Prior to Macromedia, Bud worked at Apple Computer’s Macintosh division from 1983-85, where he assisted in the launch and development of the ground-breaking Macintosh personal computer. From 1985-88, Bud headed Apple’s higher education marketing, and grew this strategic market for Apple to more than a half-billion dollars in three years.
Bud graduated cum laude Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University in 1976 with a BSFS in International Economics. In 1983, Bud received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Pilar Dieter
Senior Partner at YCP Solidiance, Ltd.Pilar Dieter serves as Chief Representative and Managing Partner for Solidiance, Asia’s premier strategy consulting firm leading North Asian operations from their Shanghai office. Headquartered in Singapore with offices in China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Lebanon, Thailand, U.A.E., and Vietnam, Solidiance serves Fortune 1000 Global MNCs focused in 3 specific verticals: Industrial, Technology and Healthcare.
Pilar has served as an advisor to clients seeking process improvements and growth opportunities for the past 17 years. She has advised multinational companies such as BASF, Baxter, Parker Hannifin, Caterpillar, GE and Rockwell Automation.
Based in China for over 10 years, with previous postings in Kuala Lumpur, the UK and across Asia Pacific, Pilar has worked with leading MNCs in expanding their global footprint in emerging markets through both supply chain initiatives as well as market expansion programs. Frequently sought out as a market expert on China and Asian related trade matters, Pilar is a frequent panelist and speaker at emerging markets and global trade conferences and widely published in various media including the Wall Street Journal, Shanghai Business Review, Shanghai Daily, China Economic Review, the Financial Times, the South China Morning Post and Supply Chain Quarterly. Following her time at Accenture Consulting, she led Professional Services and Product Strategy divisions in the Silicon Valley. Pilar graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, she holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and in 2013 served as a Governor on The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai’s Board of Governors.
Ker Gibbs
President at AmCham ShanghaiKer Gibbs first came to China in 1985 and has worked in various roles giving him broad exposure to US-China relations and business issues facing American companies operating in Asia.
In the 1990s Mr. Gibbs worked for the Boston Consulting Group in Shanghai. Since then he has split his time between Asia and Silicon Valley, serving in executive positions with Apple, Disney, and high-growth Internet businesses. He moved to Shanghai in 2002 as head of Asia Pacific for a Nasdaq-listed network security company that was acquired by McAfee. His career in high tech led him to banking; he became head of technology and media in greater China for HSBC. As an investment banker he worked with Alibaba, Baidu, and other firms advising on mergers and cross-border transactions.
From banking Mr. Gibbs moved to direct investments. He was a founding investor in the Crystal Orange hotel group, helping grow the company to 130 properties and 1,500 employees in China. He also led successful investments in real estate, e-commerce, and medical technology companies.
Before his appointment as president, Mr. Gibbs was elected three times to the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and served as chairman for 2016 and 2017. He also sits on the board of the United Way in China and volunteers with Renewal, a local homeless shelter. He is an op-ed contributor to the Wall Street Journal, South China Morning Post, and other publications.
Ker Gibbs holds a BA in economics from UCLA and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Veomayoury Baccam
GR & CSR Director of The American Chamber of Commerce in ShanghaiVeomayoury Baccam is the Director of Government Relations & Corporate Social Responsibility at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, known as the "Voice of American Business" in China, was founded in 1915. AmCham Shanghai was the third American Chamber established outside the United States, and now has 3,000 members from 1,500 companies. As a non-profit, non-partisan business organization, AmCham Shanghai is committed to the principles of free trade, open markets, private enterprise and the unrestricted flow of information. She is responsible for coordinating the Chamber’s advocacy efforts with the U.S. Government and Chinese government and its Corporate Social Responsibility programs. Prior to joining AmCham, Ms. Baccam worked for 12 years in the U.S. diplomatic service. Her previous postings include Moscow, Geneva, Washington D.C., and Shanghai. She received her bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a Masters of International and Public Affairs from Columbia University.
James Green
Senior Advisor at McLarty AssociatesJames Green has worked for over two decades on U.S.-Asia relations for the U.S. Government and in the private sector. Currently, Mr. Green is the creator/host of Georgetown University's U.S.-China Dialogue Podcast and a senior advisor at the global consulting firm McLarty Associates. From 2013-2018, Mr. Green was the Minister Counselor for Trade Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. As the senior official in China from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Mr. Green was deeply involved in all aspects of trade negotiations, trade enforcement, and reducing market access barriers for American companies, service providers, and farmers.
In prior government service, Mr. Green worked on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff responsible for East Asia, drafting policy proposals and public speeches for the senior leadership the U.S. Government on major issues from handling the rise of China to U.S. participation in the shifting regional architecture in the Asia-Pacific. Earlier in his career, Mr. Green worked at the State Department’s China Desk on bilateral affairs and served as the China Director of the White House’s National Security Council, where he coordinated interagency political, economic, and military policy towards China. In the late 1990s, Mr. Green was posted at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing as an economic officer reporting on the private sector and the corporatization of state-owned enterprises.
In the corporate sector, Mr. Green was a Senior Vice President at a leading a global strategy firm where he advised a range of Fortune 500 companies and industry associations on market-access opportunities and challenges in China. In the mid-2000s, Mr. Green established and headed the government relations department at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai – Asia’s largest AmCham. In this position, Mr. Green launched government outreach programs to numerous Chinese officials, managed social corporate responsibility programs, effectively lobbied the Shanghai government to improve the business climate, and led efforts to address concerns over implementation of China's World Trade Organization obligations and improve intellectual property rights protections.
Mr. Green attended Brown University, where he earned his B.A. with honors in political science. He is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC where his M.A. degree work concentrated on China studies and international economics.
Mr. Green speaks proficient Mandarin and conversational Italian. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Cameron Johnson
Partner at Tidal WaveCameron has almost 20 years management experience across various industries in China. He currently drives the APAC consulting and advising initiatives at Tidal Wave Solutions, a Staffing and Consulting Firm based in Shanghai, China. His expertise focuses on developing strategy in difficult business environments, executing across all functions, turning a business around to profitability, and operational excellence across a global company.
Cameron was the Asia General Manager at a leading global carbon fiber company for seven years, where he delivered an average of 48% annual revenue growth. He was also the Operations Director for a global sourcing and risk management company that served Costa Coffee and FIFA, and served as Business Manager at a Microsoft JV.
Cameron participates extensively in the American Chamber of Commerce in China. He served as the Chairman of the Aerospace Sub-Committee in 2015-2017, and Co-Chaired the Future Leaders Committee in 2016-2018. He is currently the Vice Chair of the Manufacturers’ Business Council.
Cameron received a Graduate Business Certification from the University of Wales, and graduated from the University of Washington with BA’s in Communications and Comparative Religion.
Andy Rothman
Investment Strategist at Matthews Asia- The Real China: Panel Discussion with Shanghai-Based Business Executives
- Panel Discussion: China's IP Issues
Andy Rothman is an Investment Strategist at Matthews International Capital Management, LLC. He is principally responsible for developing research focused on China’s ongoing economic and political developments while also complementing the broader investment team with in-depth analysis on Asia. In addition, Andy plays a key role in communicating to clients and the media the firm’s perspectives and latest insights into China and the greater Asia region.
Prior to joining Matthews in 2014, Andy spent 14 years as CLSA’s China macroeconomic strategist where he conducted analysis into China and delivered his insights to their clients. Previously, Andy spent 17 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, with a diplomatic career focused on China, including as head of the macroeconomics and domestic policy office of the U.S. embassy in Beijing. In total, Andy has lived and worked in China for more than 20 years.
He earned an M.A. in public administration from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and a B.A. from Colgate University. He is a proficient Mandarin speaker.
Bill Russo
Founder & CEO of Automobility LimitedBill 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 includes 15 years as an automotive executive, including 14 years of experience in China and Asia. He also worked in the electronics and information technology industries for nearly 12 years. 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 was previously the regional head of Chrysler in North East Asia, where he successfully negotiated agreements with partners and obtained required approvals from the China government to bring six new vehicle programs to the market in a three-year period, while concurrently establishing an infrastructure for local sourcing and sales distribution.
Bill is also the current Chair of the Automotive Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.
Don S. Williams
Office Managing Partner & Chief Representative at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP Shanghai Rep. Office, U.S.Mr. Williams is the Managing Partner and Chief Representative of the firm's Shanghai office and a partner in the firm's Corporate Practice Group. Mr. Williams' practice encompasses a broad range of general corporate and transactional matters in both the PRC and US, including private equity and venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions and public offerings. Mr. Williams has been recognized as one of the top China-based private equity/venture capital lawyers by Chambers Asia-Pacific in each year from 2009 through 2018. Mr. Williams was also co-chair of the Legal Committee of The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai from 2010 to 2016, and remains a Vice Chair today.
Don received his B.A. from Stanford University and his J.D. from Harvard University.