Welcome to CBBC’s inaugural UK-China Business Week 2020 – a comprehensive online programme of themed digital events: designed to support UK businesses of all sizes as the UK economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bringing together dedicated and comprehensive sessions on Macro Economy & Policy, Retail & Consumer, Education & Employability, Tech & Innovation, an SME Salon and perspectives on China’s FDI; UK-China Business Week 2020 promises to be an unmissable opportunity for any organisation wishing to proactively seek opportunities within China’s resurgent economy post COVID-19.
SESSION
SME DAY
China Supply Chain - Managing Current Challenges and Beyond
9AM - 10AM BST
4PM - 5PM CST
COVID-19 has caused widespread disruption and exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains not only in China, but across the world. Change might be inevitable, so how are companies responding to mitigate risk and ensure the resilience of their supply chains in the future.
Join our panel of experts as we discuss the following topics, as well as answering your questions.
Topics
China’s emergence from COVID-19 lockdown, how supply chains have been impacted and the challenges currently faced by UK businesses such as increased volatility, new regulations for operations and logistical bottlenecks;
Implications for strategy and how supply chains need to be changed to build in value, visibility, agility and resilience;
Practical advice on effectively communicating and managing relationships with Chinese suppliers and manufacturers in these uncertain times;
A look into the medium and long-term future of China in the supply chain: key considerations for companies wanting to understand trends, potential risks and opportunities.
Speakers
Alex Makino-Farrell
China Market Business Adviser
China-Britain Business Council
Alex has spent 10 years living and working in China and is fluent in Mandarin. His career to date has included 5 years working for Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs ("HMRC"), working with the Chinese Law Enforcement authorities to combat the flow of illicit goods from China to the UK. He then moved to a UK law firm in South China where he advised a wide range of clients on enforcing Intellectual Property Rights across China. He has in-depth knowledge and experience of Customs and supply chain security and is currently studying towards an MSc in Operations and Supply Chain.
Andrew Nyadzo
Head of Procurement
Volution Group PLC
Andrew is an experienced procurement and supply chain professional, having worked for businesses that manufacture HVAC equipment and components for the aerospace and automotive sectors. His career includes job roles including inventory management, supply chain and procurement activities for manufacturing and distribution businesses. His experience includes working with suppliers and contract manufacturers in LCC sourcing markets in the Far East, Eastern Europe & India.
Andrew has recently assumed the role of Head of Procurement for Volution Group PLC, who are leaders in the design and manufacture of ventilation products. Volution has prominent ventilation brands in the UK, Benelux, Central Europe, Nordics and Australasia.
Some key areas of interest for Andrew include sustainable/ethical sourcing, supply chain risk mitigation, and increasing procurement’s influence on product design to achieve a circular economy. Andrew holds a BA Hons degree in Business Studies and a Post Graduate Certificate in Management from Oxford Brookes university.
Pete Riches
Managing Director
Sinoscan UK Ltd.
Pete is a chartered engineer and was originally trained in mechanical engineering, but subsequently extended his knowledge and experience into the fields of electrical, electronic and software engineering. He has spent a significant period of his career working in robotics, factory automation, systems engineering and ultrasonic technologies.
During this period Pete’s career development path encompassed design, project engineering, project management through to serving as technical director within a corporate company environment.
In 2005 Pete was invited to start a business in the UK as a subsidiary of the Danish company SinoScan A/S. SinoScan UK has since grown to become a multi-million pound business for product development and manufacture. During this period the company has seen many changes in the commercial landscape, production environment and technical capability of manufacturers in China, which has realised opportunities as well as challenges.
Emily Zhu
Head of Logistics Development & Sourcing Asia
AkzoNobel China
Joined AkzoNobel in 2011, holding various regional managerial positions in procurement and logistics, currently leads the sourcing function in Asia for Logistics across all BUs and functions in close cooperation with the internal stakeholders while staying well-aligned with the global sourcing strategy, successful running regional 4PL/TMS/Tableau implementation and e-commerce logistics solution to enhance regional logistics technology strategy. Initiate and guide implementation of synergy, cost savings, processes, innovation and risk reduction programs jointly with Business Units, country organizations and functions.
SESSION
SME DAY
Realising the China Opportunity from a Distance: Finding Clients and Partners
11AM - 12:15PM BST
6PM - 7:15PM CST
In the current situation, dealing with the Covid-19 situation and with travel restrictions likely to be in place for some time, this session looks at how this will impact the way in which companies go about finding clients and partners in China in the future. In particular we will be considering any immediate changes but also expectations for different approaches over the longer term.
We will be joined by leaders with experience of the market, from various sectors and seeking their views on a number of aspects. We look forward to them sharing how they have approached the market in the past and what they would expect to do differently, now and in the future.
What have been the typical routes to markets?
Which have been most effective?
How does the current situation affect these routes?
What can be done differently to overcome current restrictions?
What lasting changes are anticipated in approach over the long term?
Speaker
David Gregory
China Market Business Adviser East Midlands
China-Britain Business Council
As CBBC’s, China Market Business Adviser, covering the East Midlands area David aims to deliver clear and practical advice to clients to support their business with China.
Before returning to UK in 2015 David spent almost 17 years based in China and South East Asia as an executive for multi-national companies, in the building materials sector, including stints as the regional CEO for Knauf and Xella.
James Love
Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP
James is an internationally recognised expert in the field of intellectual property, an area in which he has specialised for over 25 years. In 2006, he set up a law practice having the specific aim of selling legal services overseas, with China as a priority market. At an early stage he joined CBBC and became a regular visitor to China including on trade missions with DIT and the Lord Mayor of the City of London, and including visits to CBBC offices in China. This has enabled him to build up a substantial client base in China, with his views having been sought on television and radio, and quoted in the FT and South China Morning Post. He sits on the Law Society International Committee and the steering committee of the Leeds City Region China Business Club. Based on his work in China, in the 2018 Northern Powerhouse Export Awards he was awarded Most Entrepreneurial Exporter of the Year. Last year his practice combined with transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson where exporting professional services to China remains a priority.
Ian Patterson
Sales & Marketing Director
CoolLED
Ian Patterson is Sales and Marketing Director of CoolLED Limited. He has a wealth of experience in international sales and marketing of engineered products. He started his career as a Sales Engineer, progressing through management to Sales and Marketing Director positions within technology providers to the Oil, Chemical, Polymer, Food and Pharmaceutical Industries. Ian has extensive international experience and has been travelling regularly to China for the past 20 years. He is a Chartered Chemical Engineer and holds an MBA.
CoolLED designs and manufactures cutting edge LED illumination systems for researchers and clinicians in the field of fluorescence microscopy. Since providing the first commercially-available LED illumination system to the market in 2006, the Company has grown quickly in international markets. With its principal operations in Hampshire, UK, CoolLED has Sales representation in the USA and recently established a presence in Guangzhou, China through the CBBC Launchpad scheme.
Jack Porteous
Client Services Director
Samarkand Global Limited
Samarkand Global is a specialist e-commerce technology and logistics company, providing the gateway connecting Western brands & retailers with the enormous and rapidly growing Chinese eCommerce market. With offices in London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, Samarkand is perfectly positioned to support simple, accessible, and profitable results for our brand partners.
Jack recently joined Samarkand from the China-Britain Business Council, where he spent 3 years as head of Retail & E-Commerce in London. He is the Client Services Director for Samarkand - heading up the UK-based team who work alongside Samarkand's brand partners, as well as speaking to new potential partners from across Europe. He is a speaker of Mandarin, and has now spent 8 years working either in, or with China.
Emma Zhou
Business Development Manager (China)
Denby Pottery
Emma is the Business Development Manager – China at Denby Pottery. She brings a diverse set of skills and a wide-range of experience to her workplace, with a dynamic personality that fits into the fast growing, entrepreneurial environment. By successfully taking brands into the China market, she has developed a deep understanding of business development through her study and work experience in China and in the UK. Bridging the gap between British brands' ambition and Chinese consumers' needs, her expert insight and perspective on Chinese culture and business methods is valued by international companies, especially SMEs. This applies to clients with existing operations in China or those interested in entering the market.
BREAKAWAY
SESSION
In collaboration with
Pivoting to China through Social Commerce
2PM - 3PM BST
9PM - 10PM CST
Social commerce is revolutionising the online retail sphere in China. In today’s post-Covid, hyper-digital era, ‘traditional’ routes to cross-border ecommerce no longer capture the attention of the post-90s consumer generation.
From live streaming, to Mini Programs, to Key Opinion Consumers ("KOCs"), brands are turning to content and influencers not only to market but to directly sell their products. In this session, social commerce experts TONG will discuss how brands can pivot to China through the latest in retail innovation.
Speaker
Rachel Zheng
Managing Editor
Jing Daily
Rachel (Ruonan) Zheng is the managing director of Jing Daily Greater China, where she reports on luxury, fashion and beauty brands, the e-commerce retail market and the purchasing power of Chinese consumers.
Pearl Zhu
China Business Advisor
Retail & E-commerce
China-Britain Business Council
Working in fashion, media and e-commerce over the past 8 years, Pearl has delivered strategic partnerships and global campaigns for brands like Harrods, Aspinal of London, Bourjois, SuperNanny and Shanghai Fashion Week across China and the UK. She is experienced in helping brands with their marketing and branding strategy with the aim of generating significant revenues and awareness in the China market.
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Upcoming Events
23rd June 2020
24th June 2020
Invitation to a Dialogue on YRD Policy with Shanghai Government
30th June 2020
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The China-Britain Business Council ("CBBC") is the UK’s national business network promoting trade and investment with China. Since 1954 we have acted as the independent voice of business, located at the heart of the action, engaging across both countries in every sector and region. We support our members and partners by delivering the advice, analysis and access which they need in order to seize the China opportunity. Our diverse membership includes leading UK companies and universities, many of the UK’s most dynamic SMEs, and an ever increasing number of Chinese companies exporting to and investing in the UK.
英中贸易协会(“CBBC”)是英国促进对华贸易和投资的国家级商业贸易网络。自1954年以来,我们一直作为独立的商业声音,处在行动的核心位置参与两国在每个行业和地区的合作。为了协助我们的会员与合作伙伴更好地抓住中国的商业机遇,英中贸易协会不遗余力地为其提供所需的商业建议、解析与渠道。我们的会员包括众多英国领先的公司与知名大学、英国最具活力的中小企业,以及越来越多向英国出口和在英国投资的中国企业等。