Alex Holmes heads up EIU’s analysis and forecasts for Asia Pacific markets and is based in Singapore. His career to date has been focused on macroeconomic research, both deep country-level analysis and delving into the cross-cutting themes affecting Asia. Being in a region where external trade plays such an oversized role in the economy, Alex takes a particular interest in related issues, including structural supply chain reconfiguration, the global electronics cycle and models of export-led development. Alex regularly appears in the media and has also co-hosted a business video-podcast produced by Bloomberg.

Prior to the EIU, Alex was Lead Economist at Oxford Economics, following stints at Capital Economics, ICAP, Barclays Bank and the UK Government Economics Service.

Alex holds a BSc in economics from the University of Sheffield and an MSc in financial economics from the University of London.

Dr Joachim Hensel is the CEO & Director of Herald International Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., a BMW Group Company. He is responsible for one of the largest automotive captive leasing companies in China.

Before joining the BMW Group more than 20 years ago, he worked in academics and management consultancy. Within BMW Group, he previously held different senior management positions in different countries before locating to China in 2022.

Dr Joachim Hensel has doctor degree in Economics from the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg i.Br. (Summa Cum Laude) and diploma in Economics (Diplom-Volkswirt) from the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg i.Br.

Hong Zhang is the Vice President for Shell China leading Strategy, M&A and New Business Development. Her passion is to contribute to the world’s energy transition and net carbon zero emission targets.

Hong is a seasoned business leader with over 20 years management experience in strategy and planning, finance management and M&A. In the past 24 years, she took various roles in Royal Dutch Shell Group both in the headquarter functions in London as well as in front line operating companies and joint ventures in China.

Hong is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA) and a member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) in the UK. She graduated with M.Phil Degree from University of Cambridge and Bachelor’s Degree from Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Anke Schrader is the China director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network. Utilizing over two decades of living and working in China, Anke works closely with network members to help inform their business strategies through political, economic, and operational insight and to connect them with their senior leadership peers.

Anke is also a recognized sustainability expert. She is the author of numerous publications on ESG, citizenship, and sustainable development issues in China and served six years as Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in China’s Business Sustainability Committee.

Before joining The Economist Group, Anke was the Asia Research Director at The Conference Board, where she led strategic planning and execution of thought leadership research for China and the Asia region, leading a team of economists and researchers covering macroeconomics, human capital, and sustainability research. She also previously worked as a strategy consultant at PwC in Beijing advising multinational clients on macroeconomic, policy, market entry strategy, and operational issues.
Anke has led multi-year China research partnerships with Cornell University and Indiana University (funded by the Henry Luce Foundation and the Ford Foundation), was a guest lecturer at Cornell’s Employment and Disability Institute, and a mentor for the Schwarzman Scholars Program at Tsinghua University.

Anke received scholarships for Chinese language studies at the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing and Shanghai Jiaotong University’s international MBA program. She holds an M.A. in politics and management from University of Konstanz.

Robert Xiao is the Director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network (EICN) in Beijing. He is responsible for engaging with top executives in the region and providing insights on economic and policy trends to support their business development in the Chinese market.

Mr Xiao was previously a PhD Supervisor and Deputy Director of the Impact Finance Hub at Deakin Business School before joining EICN. His research mainly focused on the fields of corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, and economic and financial policy analysis related to the Chinese market. He has authored multiple publications in Financial Times Top 50 Journals and been awarded major research grants jointly by the Australia Academy of Social Sciences and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He also has more than a decade of experience teaching business courses including in Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Finance, and Bachelor of Commerce programmes at leading universities.

Mr Xiao has a Ph.D. in Finance and B.Com. (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from Monash University.