Speakers:

Andreas Andorfer is managing director of Bosch Lawn and Garden Ltd. (UK). The main focus of Bosch Lawn and Garden Ltd. is creating products and services to make gardening effortless. During his industrial career he held positions mainly in sales and general management. He gained experience in automotive, aftermarket and the life safety area. Seven years for Bosch in China gave him enough insight to understand and manage the challenges between the cultures from an economical, but also from a human resources point of view. Till today bridging the cultures is one of his favorite areas to work and the basis for his international success.

 

Ming - Po Cai is president of Cathay Capital Private Equity, the first Sino - French private equity firm. Originally from Fujian province, he moved to France in 1989 and earned a diploma at EM Lyon. In 1993, he became chief representative in China for Groupe SEB, one of the world’s largest household appliances companies. He later launched his own start - up, Stonest, which became the largest head stone trading company in France. In 2006, while completing his Executive MBA from China - Europe International Business School (CEIBS), he co - founded Cathay Capital, which has since launched three funds, the most recent of which is the Sino French Mid - Cap fund in partnership with BPI France and China Development Bank, with Euro 460 million under management. In addition to overseeing the establishment of Cathay Capital’s offices in Paris and Shanghai, he has also led the opening of the company’s New York office.

Dr. Makoto Makabe is director corporate training at Freudenberg. He was born in Frankfurt and studied Physics in Darmstadt, Niigata and Heidelberg, where he graduated with a master and doctor thesis in Physiology (life - sciences). He joined Freudenberg Mektec in 1997 as sales engineer for Japan - related customers. He spent three years in Tokyo working on coordination and support of development projects for European customers. In 2003 he was promoted to director of NOK Europe GmbH where he was responsible for coordination and support for divisions of NOK and Freudenberg in bridging the cultural differences with each other. In 2006 he became director international coordination, Freudenberg in 2013 he moved to the position of director corporate training.

Dr. Klaus Meyer is professor of strategy and international business at CEIBS, where he also serves as director of the CEIBS E&Y Center for Emerging Markets Studies. He previously taught at the University of Bath, University of Reading, Copenhagen Business School, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as well as Cheng - chi University in Taipei. Dr. Meyer’s research focuses on strategies of multinational enterprises in emerging economies. A fellow and vice - president of the Academy of International Business (AI B), he graduated from London Business School with a PhD in 1997.

Dr. Jens Oeding is regional director Asia and general manager at CLAAS Agricultural Machinery Trading (Beijing). Before joining CLAAS, Jens Oeding held various positions at Bühler, a Swiss - based technology company specializing in plant and equipment and related services for processing basic foods and manufacturing advanced materials. Within the Bühler Group he spent a year in Bangkok working as Business Unit Manager SEA. Prior to that, he spent four years at Bühler Engineering as business unit manager and then as division manager China in Wuxi, China. Jens Oeding earned his PhD in food science and technology, University Hohenheim.

Dr. Hanns Ostmeier has been a shareholder and executive chairman of Halder Group since April 2013. He started his career as a management consultant at Boston Consulting in 1991 and has been active in private equity since 1996. He was senior partner at European PE investors BC Partners until 2002 and senior managing director at Blackstone Group, New York, from 2003 to 2007, where his responsibilities included German business. Dr. Ostmeier has been associated with many landmark transactions, including the takeover of family - owned businesses, e.g. Friedrich Grohe, SULO , and Techem. He served on the management board of Bundesverband Deutscher Kapitalbeteiligungsgesellschaften (BVK), the association of private equity and venture capital firms in Germany, from 2007 to 2012 and has been its president since 2009. Ostmeier studied business administration at Westfälische Wilhelms - Universität Münster, Hochschule St. Gallen und Ohio State University, Columbus (USA). From 1986 to 1990, he was assistant to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Heribert Meffert and postgraduate research fellow at Marketing Science Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). He earned a doctorate degree from Westfälische Wilhelms - Universität in 1990.

Dr. Olaf Plötner is professor and dean of ESMT executive education, ESMT and Managing Director, ESMT CS. He joined ESMT as one of the first faculty members and managing director of ESMT Customized Solutions GmbH in 2002. Olaf’s current research and teaching focus on strategic management, industrial market management, and sales management in global B2B markets. His work is reflected in his most recent book Counter Strategies in Global Markets, published by Palgrave Macmillan, Springer, and SDX Shanghai. His research has been portrayed in journals such as Industrial Marketing Management and Journal of Business and Industrial Marking as well as in leading international media such as Wall Street Journal, Times of India, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, China Daily Europe, and Financial Times. Olaf Plötner is a visiting professor at Darden School of Business and a regular guest lecturer at Freie Universität Berlin and ESCP Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris.

Olaf Reus is member of the management board at Huawei Technologies Germany. After completing his studies in economics from the Universities of Muenster and Freiburg in 1999, Olaf Reus became the personal assistant to a member of the European Parliament. In 2002 he became head of the Department of Foreign Trade Policy and European Unification Policy for the Association of Enterprises in Berlin and Brandenburg e.V. Between 2006 and 2011 he held various positions at Telefónica, the first as European regulatory manager at Telefónica Europe, in Brussels, the second as the Berlin representative/coordinator of government relations at Telefónica o2 Germany. In 2011 Ol af Reus became member of the management board of Huawei Technologies Germany.

Dr. Hellmut Schütte is distinguished professor of international management, vice president and dean at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). He is also emeritus professor of international management at INSEAD, whose faculty he joined in 1981 and where he also served as dean of its fast growing Asia campus in Singapore. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo and Boston University as well as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. Dean Schütte’s teaching and research expertise is in international business, with a special focus on Asia and emerging markets. Prior to earning his doctorate from the University of St. Gallen, he worked in marketing and investment banking across Asia.

Dr. Joerg Ulrich is spokesman of the management board of Linde - Hydraulics. Before joining Linde - Hydraulics he spent four years as head of business development at KION Group and eight years as member of the management board at Booz Allen & Hamilton, International Management Consulting. Joerg Ulrich studied business administration at the European Business School in Oestrich - Winkel, Germany, where he also obtained his PhD in financial planning/private real estate management .

Dr. Marc Wucherer is executive vice president Siemens Ltd., China and president of Industry Sector, Siemens Ltd., China. He holds a master degree of electrical engineering from University of Erlangen - Nuremberg, master degree of industrial engineering from Open University of Hagen and a conferred doctorate of mechanical engineering from Chemnitz University of Technology. Dr. Wucherer joined Siemens in 1996, starting from technical sales engineer of Automation - Products / - Systems, Automation Technologies, Siemens AG in Fuerth and Cologne, Germany. From September 1997 to May 1998, he worked for Siemens Ltd., China in Beijing and other countries in SEA, as Sales & Marketing Manager of Automation - Products / - Systems. After four years’ engagement in the sales and marketing, and most of the time in R&D of Electrical Installation for Buildings business of then Siemens Automation and Drives Group (A&D) in Germany, Dr. Wucherer returned to China. Here he worked for Siemens Numerical Control (Nanjing) Co Ltd during the beginning of 2002 to mid of 2006, for most of which period he took the post of general manager of the company. In August 2006, Dr. Wucherer was assigned general manager of then A&D, region North - Rhine and spokesman of the regional office Cologne, of Siemens AG Region Germany. Two years later he became the CEO of Industry Automation and Drive Technologies Division, Region West and general manager of regional office Cologne of Siemens AG Region Germany. June 2010, Dr. Wucherer became senior vice president of Siemens Ltd., China and general manager of Drive Technologies Division, Industry Sector. It is the third time that he has working assignment for Siemens business in China. Starting from September 2010, Dr. Wucherer takes the post of executive vice president of Siemens Ltd., China and president of Industry Sector, Siemens Ltd., China.

Hang Xu is co - founder and chairman of the board of Shenzhen - based Mindray Medical International Limited, where he previously served as co - chief executive officer from 1991 to 2012. In 2006, he led the company’s listing on the NYSE, with the company since growing to become a leading global medical device manufacturer, with 2013 sales exceeding US$1.2 billion. The company’s products are sold in over 190 countries, supported by a global network of over 20 subsidiaries and 10 regional R&D centers. Mr. Xu received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Tsinghua University, China’s top technical university. He also earned an Executive MBA from China - Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in 2002.

Min Zhang is chairman and CEO of SGSB Group Co., Ltd. In 2005, he led China’s first acquisition of a German company, Durkopp Adler, a leading sewing machine manufacturer, following up in 2013 with the takeover of two other industry - related firms in Germany, Pfaff and KSL Keilmann Group. Mr. Zhang worked at a refrigerator compressor factory in Shanghai from 1983 to 1998, where he held a variety of roles, including senior engineer, director of finance and assistant general manager. From 1998 to 2001, he served as general manager of Shanghai Zanussi, another refrigerator compressor manufacturer, before joining SGSB as general manager and vice president.