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.

Seokgil Park is an Executive Director and Chief Korea Economist at J.P. Morgan, analyzing Korean macro economy and policies. Before joining the firm in 2015, he worked at the International Monetary Fund (2010-2015) and the Bank of Korea (2002-2005). He received his B.A. from Seoul National University, and a PhD in Economics from Indiana University focusing on monetary and fiscal policy interaction issues.

Lena Schipper is Seoul bureau chief for The Economist. Previous to this role she worked as assistant news editor in London. Before joining the paper in 2016, Lena was a freelance journalist in Beirut and a staff reporter on the business and economics desk of Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, a leading German weekly. Prior to becoming a journalist, she worked as a researcher for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, for the German Institute of International and Security Affairs in Berlin, and as a political-risk consultant for clients across the Middle East and Africa. She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics and International Relations at Oxford University.

Takuji Okubo is the North Asia Director of The Economist Corporate Network, managing the Networks in Japan and in South Korea.

Prior to joining The Economist Group, Takuji was the Managing Director and Chief Economist at Japan Macro Advisors, serving global fortune 500 companies and financial institutions in Japan and abroad. In his past career, Takuji was a Chief Economist at Societe Generale, in charge of Japan and of South Korea, and a senior economist at Merrill Lynch and at Goldman Sachs. Outside his role at ECN, Takuji also serves as a non-executive director at Japan Risk Forum, an association of Chief Risk Officers among Japanese financial institutions.

Takuji holds B.A in Economics from Tokyo University and while at the university he was a recipient of prestigious INOUE scholarship. He holds MBA from INSEAD and Msc. In Economics from UPF in Barcelona. Apart from work, he enjoys motor-cycling, scuba-diving, cooking as well as worrying about the future of the Japanese economy.