Event Details

Just as the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 brought historic volatility, from the steepest global downturn on record to the strongest rebounds, 2022 has also been remarkably turbulent, with multiple idiosyncratic shocks including supply and demand imbalances, persistent waves of covid-19, and the war in Ukraine.


What will 2023 bring?

With many central banks likely to remain on a monetary tightening course, a substantial rise in borrowing costs will suppress consumer activity as well as business costs. Have we finally reached the inflationary peak? And how will currency markets react to the pause in Fed hikes? Meanwhile, geopolitical risk is mounting against the drumbeat of self-sufficiency and protectionism. What will a bifurcated world with parallel supply chains look like? Will China's exit from zero-covid shift the balance of power back to Beijing? Further exacerbating economic stability, dwindling private sector savings will put the resiliency of emerging economies to the test as growth looks to remain well below pre-pandemic trends. Where are the new growth markets? And how will they fare against the continued tightening of global finances and weaker global growth?


We invite you to join us at this critical juncture for our March Regional Strategic Forecast. This flagship programme convenes twice a year to explore how companies can become more resilient in the face of risk and navigate emerging challenges to global business.


In this programme, we will:

- Present our latest analysis of the global and Asian economies,

- Address the question of whether inflation has peaked and the consequences of a pause in Fed hikes,

- Consider which emerging economies exhibit the most potential for consumer growth and which are on the wane,

- Explore changes in the global trade landscape and their implications for business, and

- Share perspectives on addressing current business challenges

Agenda

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Registration, Breakfast and Networking
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Presentation & Q&A
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Coffee break & Networking

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.

    view more
  • Lily Zhang (Director and CEO of Zhejiang CHINT Electrics Co., Ltd.; President of CHINT Global Co., Ltd.)

    Lily Zhang

    Director and CEO of Zhejiang CHINT Electrics Co., Ltd.; President of CHINT Global Co., Ltd.

    Ms. Lily Zhang is the founder and President of CHINT Global and has over 20 years of experience managing a leading electronical component manufacturer and smart energy solution provider in the global market.

    She joint Zhejiang CHINT Electrics in 1999 serving as the CEO of the company and has taken multiple critical roles within the corporation since then. She oversaw the IPO of CHINT Electrical, which has been successfully listed in the main board of Shanghai Stock Exchange since January 2010. In 2008, she founded Shanghai NOARK Electric, an internal venture project of CHINT Group, which successfully entered the mainstream markets of developed countries in Europe and America. As the founder and President of CHINT Global, she oversees the formulation of the company's globalization strategy and implementation of localization strategies. Under her leadership, CHINT Electrical made its way to China’s top exporter rankings as the first low-voltage electrical appliance brand for many years.

    Ms. Zhang also serves as Vice Chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of International Trade Promotion, Chinese President of Spanish Business Council of China Chamber of International Commerce, and the Director of the Africa Commission of Shanghai International Chamber of Commerce. Before CHINT, Ms. Zhang worked at the Wenzhou Branch of the People’s Bank of China.

    view more
  • Gayle Lacey (Chief Risk Officer at HSBC China)

    Gayle Lacey

    Chief Risk Officer at HSBC China

    Gayle Lacey has been with the HSBC Group for the last 20 years; working in the Middle East, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Latin America, Vietnam, Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China.

    Gayle is currently the Chief Risk Officer for HSBC China and moved to Shanghai in June 2021. HSBC China's network, which has the largest number of outlets and the widest geographical reach of any foreign bank in Mainland China, continues to expand. Gayle leads the Risk function in proactively managing all of the risks across the bank, which has a c.USD1bn PBT and +USD40bn loans and advances to customers, ensuring the business is sustainable, safe and positioned for growth.

    Previously, Gayle was the UK Chief Operating Officer for Commercial Banking. HSBC UK Commercial Banking supports businesses of all sizes; with a million customers and a PBT of c.GBP1.5bn.

    Gayle graduated from the University of Bath in the UK with a B.Sc. in International Management.

    Gayle is the co-Chair of Balance in Mainland China. Balance is a global community of HSBC colleagues with a mission of achieving gender inclusion and equality across HSBC.

    Gayle is on the board of the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and on the board of Girl Scouts in Mainland China. Gayle is also on the board of an education trust in the UK, the Wade Deacon Trust.

    In her spare time, Gayle loves to cook and enjoys exploring new places, especially trying new cuisines and learning about different cultures.

    view more
  • Mattie Bekink (China Director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network)

    Mattie Bekink

    China Director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network

    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.

    view more
  • Siu Fung Chan (Managing Director of Korn Ferry Greater China)

    Siu Fung Chan

    Managing Director of Korn Ferry Greater China

    Siu Fung is the Managing Director for Korn Ferry Greater China, based in Shanghai, leading Korn Ferry Greater China’s overall business and operations, covering Executive and Professional Search, Consulting, Digital, and RPO services.

    He has over 30 years of consulting and search industry experience, covering diverse industry sectors, including industrials, technology, consumer & retail, and private equity.

    Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Siu Fung was a partner at PwC China, leading the consulting practice for the Industrial Products & Services sectors.

    Before that, he was the managing partner for Monitor Group Shanghai office and the practice leader for the Industrial and Technology practice and co-leader for the Private Equity and M&A practice.

    Siu Fung received his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and his BS degree in Computer and Information Sciences from the National University of Singapore.

    view more
  • Yermolai Solzhenitsyn (Senior Partner, Shanghai at McKinsey & Company)

    Yermolai Solzhenitsyn

    Senior Partner, Shanghai at McKinsey & Company

    Over more than two decades with McKinsey & Company, Yermolai has worked extensively across the industrial and transportation space. Beyond the traditional areas of strategy, capital productivity, organizational systems, and operations, in recent years he has focused on digitization and transformation programs more broadly. Having worked for many years in Russia, the CIS, the Middle East, and Africa, Yermolai relocated to Shanghai in 2022.

    Before joining McKinsey, Yermolai spent several years working in China, and later served as a consultant at the World Bank in Washington, DC. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University, and a Master’s degree in International Relations from Princeton University.

    view more