Event Details

Against the backdrop of the covid-19 pandemic geopolitical events, such as the war in Ukraine and US-China tensions, have created great uncertainty for businesses. In response to the resulting supply disruptions, and in anticipation of a slowdown in trading activity in 2023, businesses are focused on enhancing their resilience for the longer term with the aim of insulating themselves from future shocks.


As China takes a stricter approach to corporate concerns, such as data privacy and financial dividends, executives say that the mood is tenser than ever. Since the spring, Chinese officials have searched the offices of consultancies Capvision and Bain and they have detained employees from Mintz, an American due-diligence firm, and Astellas, a Japanese pharmaceutical company. This has prompted an unprecedented capital outflow from China, estimated at $755 billion in 2023 by EIU.


Some of that capital may be flowing over to Japan. While other emerging economies, such as Vietnam and increasingly India, are attracting significant foreign capital and driving the relocation of critical manufacturing, such as electronics and pharmaceuticals, Japan still offers important economic and political advantages that may entice some companies, especially Western firms, to move here. Join us at this event where we will bring together Simon Baptist, chief economist at EIU, and a panel of corporate executives from key sectors to discuss how companies operating in Japan may stand to benefit from the shifting supply chains in the region.

Agenda

8:00 AM - 8:20 AM
Registration and Networking
8:20 AM - 9:30 AM
Panel discussion and Q&A

Speakers

  • Dr. Simon Baptist (Global Chief Economist & Editorial Director of The Economist Intelligence Unit)

    Dr. Simon Baptist

    Global Chief Economist & Editorial Director of The Economist Intelligence Unit

    Simon Baptist is Editorial Director and Chief Economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit. Prior to his current role, he has held a number of other senior management and editorial positions in the business, including Managing Director for Asia, Regional Director of our Asia editorial team, Director of Global Forecasting, and Consulting Director in both Europe and Asia

    Simon’s focus is on the global economy, national and international political developments, and public policy. He engages with business, government and international organisations, helping them to understand the operational and strategic implications of the EIU’s forecasts.

    He has a doctorate in economics from and was a lecturer at Oxford University, along with degrees in economics and science from the University of Tasmania. His academic research investigated technology and the determinants of productivity in manufacturing firms.

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  • Ikuya Kawasaki (President at Infineon Technologies Japan K.K.)

    Ikuya Kawasaki

    President at Infineon Technologies Japan K.K.

    Ikuya Kawasaki has held several senior management roles in the semiconductor and electronics industry.

    He served as the General Manager of the unit responsible for the mobile platform and chipset business at Renesas. He also led the alliance with overseas operators at NTT DOCOMO, INC.

    Ikuya was the President and CEO of Renesas Mobile Corporation, where he managed over 1,800 employees globally. Prior to joining Infineon in 2018, he held the position of Senior Director and General Manager of the IPS business unit (mixed signal and analog LSI) at ON Semiconductor.

    He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington.

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  • Ben Simpfendorfer (Leading specialist on China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI)/Asia Pacific Lead at Oliver Wyman)

    Ben Simpfendorfer

    Leading specialist on China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI)/Asia Pacific Lead at Oliver Wyman

    Ben Simpfendorfer is a Partner at Oliver Wyman based in Hong Kong. He leads the Oliver Wyman Forum in Asia Pacific, the firm’s think tank for senior leaders, and works across a range of practices, including public policy, finance and risk, and analytics.

    Ben is the former CEO of Silk Road Associates where he advised Fortune 500 multinationals and leading Asian firms on their commercial strategies in Greater China, South East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as developing the firm’s proprietary SRA Intelligence®, an alternative data and analytics solution.

    Ben has worked in Asia and the Middle East for 25 years. He was previously chief China economist at RBS and senior China economist at JPMorgan in Hong Kong. He started his career in Beirut in the 1990s, later working as a Middle East & North Africa senior analyst for Dun & Bradstreet in London. He has briefed CEOs and boards worldwide.

    Ben is also a Mandarin and Arabic speaker, and author of The New Silk Road (2009) and The Rise of the New East (2014). He is a leading specialist on China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) and was part of a Foreign Experts Committee advising the Chinese government on BRI’s implementation. He is a Board Member of PBEC, one of Asia’s oldest business organizations, and a former ExCo and Board Member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He is also a regular commentator on Bloomberg & CNBC.

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  • Rodrigo González (Director, Tokyo of Economist Intelligence Corporate Network)

    Rodrigo González

    Director, Tokyo of Economist Intelligence Corporate Network

    Rodrigo González is the Director for Tokyo of Economist Intelligence Corporate Network.

    He works closely with regional business leaders to assist them in economic and market trends, business competitiveness, monetary and fiscal policy and general economic advisory to help them optimise their business strategies and further enhance their connections to their c-suite peers.

    He has vast experience in statistical analysis, strategy consulting and market research in different industries in and outside Japan. Rodrigo is a published author in environmental and transport economics and has spoken at international conferences in global warming and fiscal policy throughout the world.

    Rodrigo holds a PhD in Economics from Keio University and is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Japanese.

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Venue

Coriander, 2F, Grand Hyatt Tokyo

Minato City, Tokyo, Japan

If you have any questions please contact EICN North Asia

Contact Organizer

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