About the conference

Eric Zheng, President, American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai

Eric Zheng is President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. With nearly 3,000 members, AmCham Shanghai is the largest American chamber of commerce in Asia Pacific. He also serves as Chairman of Heng An Standard Life, a Sino-UK joint venture life insurance company in China. Eric has been active in a number of non-profit and charity organizations. He is a member of The Committee of 100 and currently serves as Chair of Committee of 100 Greater China Region.

Ambassador Gary Locke, Former U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China; Chair, Committee of 100

As Governor, Gary oversaw the creation of 280,000 new private sector jobs. He also had the most diverse cabinet in state history and over half his judicial appointees were women. His management skills and innovations won him acclaim by nationally recognized organizations, including Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. During his tenure, Washington was ranked one of America’s four best managed states.

As Commerce Secretary, Gary led President Obama’s National Export Initiative to double American exports; assumed a troubled 2010 Census but which under his supervision ended on time and $2 billion under budget; and achieved the most significant reduction in patent application processing in the agency’s history.

As U.S. Ambassador to China, he opened markets for made-in-USA goods and services; reduced wait times for visa interviews of Chinese applicants from 100 days to 3; and through the Embassy’s air quality monitoring program, exposed the severity of China’s air pollution.

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Join Scott Kennedy, Trustee Chair in Chinese Business & Economics at Center for Strategic & International Studies, and Bryan Larzan, Expert in Global Economic Policy at Mercury, as they examine the implications of U.S. election outcomes on U.S.-China relations. This panel will discuss how changes in U.S. political leadership and policy direction could shape future diplomatic, economic, and security strategies between the two nations. Gain insights into the potential challenges and opportunities for U.S.-China engagement and how these shifts may affect Chinese American communities and the broader international landscape.

Scott Kennedy, Trustee Chair in Chinese Business & Economics, Center for Strategic & International Studies

Scott 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 and US-China commercial relations, Scott has been traveling to China for 36 years. Ongoing areas of focus include China’s innovation drive, Chinese industrial policy, U.S.-China relations, and global economic governance.

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. Major publications include: U.S.-China Scholarly Recoupling: Advancing Mutual Understanding in an Era of Intense Rivalry (CSIS, March 2024); (with Wang Jisi) Breaking the Ice: The Role of Scholarly Exchange in Stabilizing U.S.-China Relations (CSIS, 2023); China’s Uneven High-Tech Drive: Implications for the United States (CSIS, 2020); Global Governance and China: The Dragon’s Learning Curve (Routledge, 2018); The Fat Tech Dragon: Benchmarking China’s Innovation Drive (CSIS, 2017); and The Business of Lobbying in China (Harvard University Press, 2005).

Scott hosts the “China Field Notes” podcast, which features voices from on the ground in China, and the Trustee Chair co-runs the “Big Data China” initiative, which introduces pathbreaking scholarly research about China’s economy to the policy community.

From 2000 to 2014, Scott 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. Scott received a PhD in political science from George Washington University, his M.A. from Johns Hopkins-SAIS, and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.

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Bryan Lanza, Expert in Global Economic Policy, Mercury

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X. Rick Niu (Moderator), Founder & CEO, Nexus Worldwide LLC

A global business entrepreneur and financial industry executive for nearly three decades, Rick specializes in principal investing in the U.S. and across Asia as well as leading multinational businesses in developed and developing economies. Having held top management position at AIG, ING and C.V. Starr, he also advises world leaders, Fortune 500 CEOs, major asset owners and prominent private families on 21st-century forces with worldwide impact such as artificial intelligence, China and new globalization. Built on over one hundred years of institutional presence on the ground, Rick’s network in the Indo-Pacific in particular is considered one of the most sophisticated and influential in decision-making circles.

A civic leader in Asian-American belonging and prosperity, Rick has been involved in numerous efforts helping to develop the next generation of global leadership and actively advancing constructive U.S.-Asia relations. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Economic Club of New York. Rick also serves as a Founding Advisory Council Co-Chair of the Asian American Foundation. He is a Global Council member of Junior Achievement Worldwide.

Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Rick earned a BS from Tsinghua University in Beijing, and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He also attended INSEAD’s Senior Executive Leadership Program in Paris and Singapore.

This panel, featuring experts Jeffrey Lehman, Vice Chancellor of NYU Shanghai, and Adam Webb, American Co-Director and Resident Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins Nanjing Center will explore the impact of U.S.-China educational exchanges on global collaboration and leadership development. The panel will highlight how these exchanges foster cultural understanding, address global challenges like healthcare and climate change, and prepare future leaders with a global mindset. Case studies of successful student exchange programs will demonstrate their value in solving international issues. The discussion will also emphasize the importance of expanding cultural exchanges beyond academia to broader societal and professional sectors.

Jeffrey Lehman, Vice Chancellor, NYU Shanghai

Jeffrey S. Lehman is the Founding Vice Chancellor of NYU Shanghai (the first “Sino-American Joint University”). He has previously been President of Cornell University, Dean of the University of Michigan Law School, and Founding Dean of the Peking University School of Transnational Law.

Early in his career he was a Law Clerk to Chief Judge Frank Coffin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and to Associate Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court. Jeffrey has been Chair of the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, and Co-Convener of the U.S.-China Trade Policy Working Group. He was a member of the American delegation to the China-US Legal Experts Dialogue during President Obama’s administration. Jeffrey’s honors include the National Equal Justice Award from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., life membership in the American Law Institute, membership in the Council on Foreign Relations, and membership in the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Jeffrey is an honorary citizen of Shanghai and a recipient of China’s Friendship Award. In 2018 China named him one of the forty “most influential foreign experts” during the country’s first forty years of “Reform and Opening Up.”

Xin Li, Associate Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Studies and Research, Duke Kunshan

Xin Li received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA in 2005, and the M.S. and B.S. degrees in Electronics Engineering from Fudan University, Shanghai, China in 2001 and 1998, respectively.

He is currently a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University and serves as the Associate Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Studies and Research at Duke Kunshan University. He serves as the Chief Scientist for Convertlab, a start-up company providing the native marketing cloud in China. Starting from 2023, Xin serves as an Independent Board Member for Foxconn Industrial Internet in Shenzhen, China. From 2007 to 2016, he was an Assistant/Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. In 2005, he co-founded Xigmix Inc. to commercialize his PhD research, and served as the Chief Technical Officer until the company was acquired by Extreme DA in 2007. In 2011, Extreme DA was further acquired by Synopsis (Nasdaq: SNPS). His research interests include algorithms, methodologies and systems for data analysis of emerging applications such as smart manufacturing, digital marketing and financial technologies.

Xin was the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Trans. on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems (TCAD). He received the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) in 2012, two IEEE Donald O. Pederson Best Paper Awards in 2013 and 2016, the Best Paper Award from Design Automation Conference (DAC) in 2010, two IEEE/ACM William J. McCalla ICCAD Best Paper Awards in 2004 and 2011, the Best Paper Award from International Symposium on Integrated Circuits (ISIC) in 2014, and the Cadence Academic Collaboration Award in 2018. He is a Fellow of IEEE.

Adam K Webb, Co-Director and Resident Professor of Political Science, Hopkins-Nanjing Center

Adam K Webb is Co-Director and Resident Professor of Political Science at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, an overseas campus of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

He has been on the HNC faculty since 2008 and became Co-Director in 2019, in time to navigate and eventually emerge from the prolonged challenges and displacements of the pandemic. Previously he received his AB in Social Studies from Harvard and MA and PhD in Politics from Princeton, taught at both Princeton and Harvard, and was a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Adam brings an international perspective to HNC and China–US relations, including a background of living in England, Spain, the US, and China, as well as doing fieldwork in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. His intellectual interests cut broadly across political thought, globalization, and critiques of modernity. He has also engaged topics connected with politics on the ground, including social movements, alternative development, and public opinion on cosmopolitanism and the rise of China.

Adam is the author of Beyond the Global Culture War (Routledge, 2006), A Path of Our Own: An Andean Village and Tomorrow’s Economy of Values (ISI Books, 2009), Deep Cosmopolis: Rethinking World Politics and Globalisation (Routledge, 2015), and the forthcoming book The World’s Constitution: Spheres of Liberty in the Future Global Order (Routledge, 2025).

Wei He (Moderator), CEO and Artistic Director, Tianjin Juilliard School

Wei He is the CEO and Artistic Director of Tianjin Juilliard, leading the joint-venture institution in bringing innovative approaches to music education throughout the region, and strengthening Juilliard’s global presence in Asia. He joined the Tianjin Juilliard administration in 2017 as the inaugural Artistic Director and Dean where he was responsible for recruiting world-class resident faculty and establishing the highest artistic standard while overseeing all academic and performance activities at Tianjin Juilliard. A firm believer that the art of music bridges cultures and brings people together, Wei has been actively pushing boundaries through exciting programming, performance collaborations, community outreaches, commissioning new works as well as creating art festivals.

Prior to joining Tianjin Juilliard, He taught at San Francisco Conservatory of Music as professor of violin for 17 years and also served as Chair of the Strings Department. He frequently gives master classes at top music conservatories and universities in the States, Europe and Asia, and has also served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist.

Wei received his early music training at the middle school of Sichuan Conservatory of Music. He furthered his education at the University of Texas at Austin for his undergraduate studies and finished his graduate studies in Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He founded the award-winning New China Trio while in college. He joined the first violin section of the San Francisco Symphony shortly after graduating. He then co-founded Bridge Chamber Virtuosi with principle players of San Francisco Symphony. He has also served as co-artistic director of SF – Shanghai Chamber Music Festival, and is a founding member of QingPei Festival in China. Wei He chairs the Educational Task Force of Committee of 100, and also co-chairs the Educational Committee of AmCham Tianjin, China.

In this engaging conversation, internationally renowned opera bass Tian Hao Jiang and media icon Yue-Sai Kan will delve into their personal journeys. Tian Hao Jiang will offer reflections on his life in opera and the cultural bridge he’s built between East and West. Yue-Sai Kan will discuss her experiences as a trailblazer in media and beauty, exploring how her career has shaped perceptions of Chinese culture globally. Together, they will reveal the personal and professional challenges they’ve overcome, the lessons learned, and their hopes for future generations.

Hao Jiang Tian, Internationally-renowned opera singer

Hao Jiang Tian, born in Beijing, has sung over 1400 performances of 50 operatic roles worldwide. The only Chinese who has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera for 20 years, Hao Jiang has also been highly praised for his appearances in many international theaters such as the Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Arena di Verona, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, San Francisco Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Washington National Opera, and opera houses in France, Belgium, Spain, Holland, Portugal, Chile, Russia, Japan and China.

His autobiography, “Along the Roaring River: My Wild Ride from Mao to the Met”, was published by Wiley and Sons as a Lincoln Center Book. A PBS special, based on this book, was made in 2009 and aired nationwide. CNN featured him and his one-man show Sing Brother Sing in Talk Asia in 2012.

Hao Jiang received his master’s degree in voice from Lamont School of Music, Denver University which honored him as a distinguished alumnus with the Professional Achievement Award (2008) and the Arts and Humanity Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award (2014). A Committee of 100 member, Hao Jiang has been the founder and artistic director of iSING! International Young Artists Festival since 2011, an initiative of introducing Mandarin as a lyric language to the opera world. This music, cultural and educational Festival has attracted world-wide attention and made its American debut concert at Lincoln Center in 2013.

On July 4, 2011, Hao Jiang was an honoree of the “Great immigrants: Pride of America” and appeared on a full-page ad by Carnegie Corporation in the New York Times. On May 9, 2015, Hao Jiang was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Yue-Sai Kan, Emmy-Winning TV Producer and Host

Yue-Sai Kan is an Emmy-winning television host and producer, successful businesswoman and entrepreneur, fashion icon, bestselling author and humanitarian. People magazine called her “the most famous woman in China” and Time magazine proclaimed her “the Queen of the Middle Kingdom.” She founded Yue-Sai Kan Productions and created a weekly television series “Looking East,” the first of its kind to introduce Asian cultures and customs to a growing and receptive American audience. The series garnered critical acclaim and won dozens of awards, and lasted 12 years. Based on this and other work, Yue-Sai was mentioned in the US Congressional Record and credited as the first TV journalist to connect the East and the West.

In 1984, PBS invited Yue-Sai to host the first live broadcast of a television program from China on the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The program was the first ever co-production of an American TV station and China’s CCTV national network. This led the Chinese government to offer her a new television series, One World, which was produced and hosted by Yue-Sai, and aired on China’s CCTV. With a weekly viewership of 300 million people, One World gave many Chinese their first glimpse of the outside world, captivated the entire nation, and made Yue-Sai a household name.

Since 2011, Yue-Sai held the position of National Director for the Miss Universe China Pageant. She uses the final pageant as Shanghai’s most glamorous charity ball, having raised millions to build hospitals in poor regions, fund cleft lip and palate correction surgeries and grant scholarships for students in China’s best music, TV and film schools. Her own charity organization Yue-sai Kan One World Foundation commits to prompt respect, tolerance and cultural inclusivity among individuals, societies and cultures around the world. She is a director of IMAX China, which went public on the HKSE in the fall of 2015. Additionally, she has written 10 best-selling books in Chinese.

This panel will explore the current state and future prospects of U.S.-China commercial relations, featuring insights from experts Kenneth Jarrett, Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group, Craig Allen, President of US-China Business Council and Harry Hui. The session will discuss the evolving business environment in China, key challenges and opportunities for American companies, and the broader implications of geopolitical tensions on bilateral trade. Panelists will provide perspectives on how U.S. and Chinese businesses can navigate these complexities while fostering collaboration. The discussion will also highlight strategies for maintaining strong commercial ties amid regulatory and market shifts.

Craig Allen, President, US-China Business Council

On July 26, 2018, Craig Allen began his tenure in Washington, DC as the president of the US-China Business Council (USCBC), a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 270 American companies doing business with China. Prior to joining USCBC, Craig had a long, distinguished career in US public service.

Craig began his government career in 1985 at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA). From 1986 to 1988, he was an international economist in ITA’s China Office. In 1988, Craig transferred to the American Institute in Taiwan, where he served as Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He held this position until 1992, when he returned to the Department of Commerce for a three-year posting at the US Embassy in Beijing as Commercial Attaché.

In 1995, Craig was assigned to the US Embassy in Tokyo, where he served as a Commercial Attaché. In 1998, he was promoted to Deputy Senior Commercial Officer. In 1999, Craig became a member of the Senior Foreign Service. From 2000, Craig served a two-year tour at the National Center for APEC in Seattle.  In 2002, it was back to Beijing, where Craig served as the Senior Commercial Officer. In Beijing, Craig was promoted to the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service.

After a four-year tour in South Africa, Craig became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. He later became Deputy Assistant Secretary for China. Craig was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Brunei Darussalam on December 19, 2014.

Craig received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Political Science and Asian Studies in 1979. He received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1985.

Harry Hui, Founder and Managing Partner, ClearVue Partners

Harry is a versatile corporate leader in Asia, with a career spanning senior positions in consumer products marketing, entertainment, media, and private equity. Over the past 25 years, as chief executive officer, investor, and TV producer, Harry has signed some of the most prominent Asian Artists, written and produced multiple number one rated TV shows, invested in several “unicorn” companies and early investor of crypto currency.

Harry is the founder and managing partner of ClearVue Partners (cvpcap.com). Formed in Shanghai in 2011, CVP is a private equity firm investing in China and Asia’s consumption, technology and technology, AI and Robotics. In 2022, CVP partnered with Nolimit holdings (nolimitholdings.xyz) to invest in global digital assets and blockchain.

Previously, Harry served as the chief marketing officer and head of Pepsico Investment (China) limited and head of CSR strategy for PepsiCo’s China Beverages division from 2007 to 2011. Before PepsiCo, Harry spent five years as president of Universal Music SE Asia, the world’s largest music company. From 1998 to 2002, Harry was EVP and MD, North Asia at MTV Networks Asia.

Harry has been a popular speaker at numerous global conferences. Harry received an M.B.A. from USC and BA from SUNY Albany. Today, he resides between Hong Kong and Shanghai, China, with his wife and three children.

Kenneth Jarrett, Senior Advisor, Albright Stonebridge Group

Kenneth Jarrett is a Senior Advisor with the Albright Stonebridge Group, a strategic advisory firm based in Washington, DC.  He previously served as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai from September 2013 to December 2018. 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 Kenneth’s 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.

Kenneth has degrees from Cornell University, Yale University and the National War College. He is a frequent commentator on the business environment in China, and has been quoted in outlets including Bloomberg, the Economist, the Financial Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Los Angeles Times among others. Kenneth is the recipient of the Magnolia Award (Silver) from the Shanghai government and is a member of the National Committee for US-China Relations.

Brian A. Wong (Moderator), Chairman and Founder, RADII Media

Brian A. Wong is an entrepreneur, investor, and author whose career has spanned e-commerce, education, and digital media. As the first American and 52nd employee to join Alibaba Group in 1999, Brian contributed to the company’s early globalization efforts in various business roles, such as head of international marketing and business development, and vice president of global sales. He also served as Special Assistant to founder Jack Ma, Executive Director of the Alibaba Global Leadership Academy, and as Group Vice President where he led the Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI) team. With AGI, he developed and led capacity building programs for entrepreneurs, universities, and government leaders in emerging markets from Africa to Asia with the purpose of sharing how the digital economy can create a more inclusive society for all. Brian’s award-winning book, The Tao of Alibaba (Hachette, 2022), codifies many of these management principles and has become an invaluable reference for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and policymakers.

Today, Brian is Founder and Chairman of RADII (www.radii.co), a leading digital media company dedicated to bridging the understanding between youth in the east and west. Brian was previously an executive with the McGraw-Hill Companies, and served as Special Assistant to San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown. Brian has been an advisor to various governments on e-commerce strategies and has been featured as a speaker at conferences such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, WEF ASEAN and Africa Forums, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) eCommerce Week, and the B20 Business Summit.

Brian was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2015. He is a China Aspen Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, a member of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2023, as well as a Committee of 100 Board member.

This panel will focus on the critical importance of advancing women into top leadership roles and the societal benefits of gender-diverse leadership. Panelists Echo Li, Global Chief Commercial Officer of Dentsu Sports International, Xiangwei Gong, Asia President & ExCom Member of AptarGroup, and Sophia Wu, CEO of Shang Xia will share their personal journeys, discuss the unique challenges women face in leadership, and explore strategies for navigating gender bias and overcoming obstacles like the “glass ceiling” and “glass cliff.” They will also highlight the vital roles of mentorship and sponsorship in career advancement and offer practical solutions for organizations to close gender gaps in senior leadership. The session will conclude with a discussion on the broader impact of gender diversity in business and society and advice for aspiring women leaders.

Xiangwei Gong, Asia President & ExCom Member, AptarGroup

Xiangwei Gong is Asia President and an Executive Committee member of AptarGroup, a global leader in drug delivery, consumer product dispensing and material science solutions. She also serves as a non-executive director on the board of Oterra, a world leader in natural food colors headquartered in Denmark, and is an advisor to EQT Group in Sweden. Xiangwei holds a rich career of 30+ years spanning Pharma, Beauty, Personal Care, Food, and Nutraceutical industries at multinational companies, including 20+ years in Switzerland, China, and America for Roche and DSM before joining Aptar in 2018.

Xiangwei is a frequent speaker and panelist on topics such as Doing Business in China and US-China Business Relationships. On February 25, 2024, Xiangwei appeared in an interview by CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl on CBS 60 Minutes, alongside US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. In the interview Xiangwei spoke about her optimism on China’s long term market potential.

Xiangwei is passionate about the development and advancement of women, young professionals, and youths in less economically developed areas. She is a senior advisor to sHero China and serves on the Board of Governors of Shanghai YZL Philanthropy Fund.

Xiangwei received her Bachelor of Economics from the University of International Business & Economics in Beijing and her EMBA from Columbia Business School in New York.

Echo Li, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Dentsu Sports International

Echo Li leads global sports and entertainment sales and consulting offerings at Dentsu Sports International, a subsidiary of Dentsu Group, one of the largest advertising agency networks in the world, as Global Chief Commercial Officer. She sits on the global executive team and spearheads the team growth and market expansion in Americas, EMEA, APAC and Africa. 

Named “Leaders Under 40 Class of 2020” by Leaders Sports Awards, and the first juror from China for Cannes Lions’ Entertainment Lions for Sports in 2024, Echo is renowned in global sports industry for facilitating sports rights holders’ commercialization and fan growth and supporting Asian brands’ global journey by leveraging the power of sports. Her marquee projects include facilitating the ground-breaking partnership for OPPO and UEFA Champions League, marking OPPO as the first Chinese brand to step onto premium club football competition in history; leading Hisense’s FIFA World Cup global creative activations in 2018 and 2022 which won Hisense numerous awards in ESG and business for good; designing and bringing to life commercial programs for premium sports properties including F1, Boston Marathon, AFC, Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain, Inter Milan, Singapore Sports Hub and WTA Finals in Asia; leading sports and esports marketing strategies and activations for EA Sports, Subway, TCL, Volkswagen etc. 

Prior to joining Dentsu Sports International, Echo was the Managing Director of Greater China and SVP of Global Partnerships at SPORTFIVE and was the youngest member to sit on SPORTFIVE’s global leadership team. She began her career at the organizing committee of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010, and then moved to United Arab Emirates to lead a series of premium sporting events, military demonstrations and festivals for Abu Dhabi Tourism Bureau. 

Echo was nominated as “CEO of the Year” in the 2022 Women Leading Change Awards by Campaign and named “40 under 40 Business Elites” by Fortune China in 2022. 

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Sophia Wu, CEO, SHANG XIA

Sophia Wu is a veteran in the luxury fashion industry, boasting over 20 years of experience in luxury brand management and an additional decade in finance management. 

As Chief Executive Officer of SHANG XIA, Sophia leads a dynamic team, propelling the brand into a new era and elevating its status to unprecedented heights. In her previous role as Chief Operating Officer at SHANG XIA, she demonstrated exceptional leadership. Her strategic initiatives led SHANG XIA to achieve its highest sales and profit within her first year. Sophia’s leadership continues to drive SHANG XIA forward, blending traditional Chinese craftsmanship with modern design to create a brand that is both innovative and timeless.

Before SHANG XIA, Sophia held senior management roles at several prestigious luxury brands, making significant contributions to their expansion in China. As China General Manager for Qeelin from 2013 to 2015, she played a pivotal role in the brand’s acquisition by Kering, making Qeelin the first Chinese brand to join a global luxury group. From 2011 to 2012, she served as China General Manager for Dolce & Gabbana. At Chloé, part of the Richemont Group, she was the China General Manager from 2006 to 2011, where she transformed Chloé into a household name, and achieved a global growth record for the brand in China. From 2003 to 2005, she served as Retail Area Manager for Dior.

Sophia’s career also includes a decade as a Finance Manager at Procter & Gamble, where she established a robust foundation in systematic brand management through financial analysis. Her extensive managerial experience encompasses strategic brand planning, merchandising, marketing, supply chain management, big data analytics, new retail initiatives, and talent development. Her strong financial background equips her with deep expertise in P&L management and internal control. 

Nora Wu (Moderator), Trustee Member, University of San Francisco

Nora Wu currently serves as a trustee member for the University of San Francisco, she chairs for the advisory board of USF Center for Business Studies and Innovation in Asia Pacific “CBSI”; Nora serves as an independent director for JD Logistics, a Hong Kong Listed company, Meditrina, a medical equipment start up company and Invincikids, a Silicon Valley nonprofit organization that focuses on the use of immersive technologies for pain management in children. Nora additionally serves as a senior advisor for ShangBay Capital, a private Equity Firm focus on investments in medical equipment devices in the Bay Area.

Prior to her retirement in 2016, Nora was the former Vice Chairwoman and Global Human Capital Leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd. As the first woman from Asia to hold this global leadership role in the company’s 165-year history, Nora was responsible for driving and leading the human capital vision and strategy for the firm’s global network of 230,00 people in 157 countries.

Nora is a strong advocate for women’s leadership and issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, serving on the PwC Global Diversity Leadership Committee. She initiated the annual PwC Women in Business Leadership Roundtable in Shanghai, and was a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai’s Women’s Executive Network. In 2016, she was named onto the Financial Times UPstanding Leader’s List of the Top 100 Ethnic-Minority Executives in the U.S. and U.K.

Nora graduated from the University of San Francisco with an accounting degree in 1988. In 2018, she completed a Fellow program at the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute.

Ambassador Gary Locke, Former U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China; Chair, Committee of 100

As Governor, Gary oversaw the creation of 280,000 new private sector jobs. He also had the most diverse cabinet in state history and over half his judicial appointees were women. His management skills and innovations won him acclaim by nationally recognized organizations, including Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. During his tenure, Washington was ranked one of America’s four best managed states.

As Commerce Secretary, Gary led President Obama’s National Export Initiative to double American exports; assumed a troubled 2010 Census but which under his supervision ended on time and $2 billion under budget; and achieved the most significant reduction in patent application processing in the agency’s history.

As U.S. Ambassador to China, he opened markets for made-in-USA goods and services; reduced wait times for visa interviews of Chinese applicants from 100 days to 3; and through the Embassy’s air quality monitoring program, exposed the severity of China’s air pollution.