Di Yao is currently Head of Legal at Google's Shanghai office. Prior to joining Google, Di previously held key positions such as the Head of Legal and Business Development for the Asia Pacific region at GoPro, and Managing Associate at King & Wood Mallesons. Di is actively involved in the legal community and holds various social positions, including Chairman of the Legal Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and Director of the Stanford University Shanghai Alumni Association. He is also engaged in academic activities as a lecturer at Shanghai International Studies University Law School. Di's educational background includes a Bachelor of Laws from Shanghai International Studies University, an LL.M. from Stanford Law School, and executive education from Harvard Kennedy School.

Charlotte Smart is Consul, Science and Technology at the British Consulate Shanghai, where she leads UK diplomatic engagement across science and innovation in China. With a MSc in ‘Social Science of the Internet’ from Oxford University, her career has focused on the interface between technology, international development and foreign policy. Previous roles include leading UK peacebuilding programmes in Sri Lanka, and design and delivery of UK government programming to deliver digital access in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia.

Michael Zhu serves as the Global Vice President and Managing Director for China at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), where he has significantly enhanced the company's presence in the Chinese market, building upon a 40-year legacy as the inaugural U.S. high-tech firm in the region. With a rich and diverse history of senior leadership roles at esteemed technology companies such as HPE, HP, Western Digital, and 3Com, Michael stands as a seasoned executive, possessing profound expertise in geo-leadership and global corporate strategy. His professional journey has traversed the United States, China, and Japan, affording him a nuanced grasp of cross-cultural business dynamics.

Michael Zhu is an ardent champion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). His leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief of the symbiotic relationship between diversity and innovation. This commitment extends to Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Under his stewardship, HPE China garnered multiple accolades in 2022, including "Most Respected Company in China" and "Outstanding ESG Company of the Year," reinforcing its reputation as an exemplar of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Beihang University in China and earned an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in the United States.

As GCR chief operating officer , Chris Tao is responsible for end-to-end accountability for Microsoft all-up business in Greater China Region, across Strategy, business development, marketing, operations and long term business planning, leading Microsoft MCAPS Group to deliver trusted, effective, innovative and sustainable Microsoft and cloud services to drive digital business growth and transformation across GCR region.

Chris Tao has been with Microsoft for more than 17 years, with rich field enterprise solution consulting and sales experiences across China, US and Canada market. Before relocating to Microsoft GCR region in 2019, Chris Tao was Client Tech Strategy Lead covering US PacWest High-Tech and Retail industry to drive cloud strategy and adoption landing with Top 10 Fortune 500 accounts. Before US, Chris was the Client Strategist Lead covering Western Canada Enterprise market to drive cloud and digital transformation. Chris also has rich experiences in China market, where he covered East China region MNC, Government, Auto, Retail industry solution sales and consulting business for 8 years. Chris was part for various Microsoft product R&D and field consulting teams including Office 2007, Dynamics CRM, Speech Server, SQL Server etc. where he gained rich technical background and experiences.

Besides Microsoft, Chris is also teaching DevOps course at University of British Columbia, also served as part-time coach in startup incubators.

Mattie Bekink is responsible for the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network’s China strategy, including programme development and client engagement across China.

Ms Bekink has extensive experience in the public, private and policy sectors. Prior to joining The Economist Group, she was the Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in the Netherlands. She also ran an eponymous consulting business, advising businesses, universities and non-profit organisations on China policy, strategy, public affairs, and CSR. Ms Bekink practiced law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, has worked with the US-Asia Law Initiative at NYU Law School and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative China Program, and served in the legal department at General Motors China.

Ms Bekink has a BA in International Relations from Stanford University and a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Weisi Xie is the Shanghai Director at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network (EICN), and is responsible for engaging with top executives in the region on key economic and political issues as well as industry-specific analysis to support their businesses in the dynamic Chinese market.

Mr. Xie served as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University before joining EICN. As a trained trade economist, his teaching and research mainly focused on the fields of international trade, industrial economics and economic development, with a particular emphasis on China’s economy in a global perspective. He also possesses extensive expertise in the non-profit sector through work experience with think tanks and international organizations, including the Shanghai Institute for National Economy and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, where he contributed to multiple government counseling projects and policy studies. His work has appeared in leading academic journals as well as major economic policy publications.

Mr. Xie has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a B.A. in International Business from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.