2019 Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference

A Dialogue Across the Pacific

 

Friday, April 19, 2019
UCLA Anderson School of Management

Trade and economic relations between the U.S. and China are of great significance for the stability and development of the global economy. As the world’s two largest and highly interdependent economies tussle for global influence, there is a need to enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation and manage differences. The ongoing trade war, imposition of tariffs and restrictions on FDI and technology transfer, have caused companies across a variety of industries, such as the automotive and food and beverage, to adjust. However, amid protectionism and global trade wars, there also are companies seeking cooperation and business opportunities. While it is not quite business as usual, at a local level U.S. authorities and companies are continuing to build ties with China in areas such as technology development and environmental protection and the Chinese economy continues to innovate and technologically advance in areas such as new media, entertainment and healthcare. The millennials, the most powerful consumer and spending group in the world are influencing local and global brands so ensuring the most effective way to reach these consumers is vital for sustainable growth. A broad-based interdependence ties the two countries, interweaves supply chains and distribution networks and has resulted in significant cross-border investment. It is crucial for both sides to find a rational mechanism to control risks and conflicts and engage strategically as the world continues to integrate.

The 2019 Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference will bring together successful U.S. and Chinese leaders, investors and influencers who will share their perspectives on the changing dynamics of U.S.-China relations, and the implications and future of the U.S.-Sino relationship. They will discuss new and creative investment strategies and partnerships, and the importance of cross-border collaboration that embraces cooperation, stimulates innovation, drives sustainable economic growth and facilitates cross-border growth and expansion. They will also provide an analysis on the current state and future outlook of the two largest economies in the world and discuss the importance of innovation, collaboration, and new technology.

What to expect:
  • Successful and influential U.S. and Chinese business leaders and experienced investors across a variety of industries and sectors with expertise in cross-border business and investment;
  • Plenary and breakout sessions on: U.S.-China relations and the opportunities and implications for cross-border business and investment; technological innovation and the importance of collaboration in advanced technologies; investment financing, entrepreneurship and the growth of private equity; millennials and the emerging middle class; and improving peoples wellbeing, including opportunities in healthcare, housing, education and environmental protection;
  • Catered networking reception.

Conference Information

 

*Schedule subject to change.

2019 Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

REGISTRATION AND CHECK-IN | Korn Convocation Hall Foyer, Entrepreneurs Hall

11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.        

CAREER PANEL LUNCHTIME DISCUSSION | Executive Dining Room, Gold Hall, B208 and B209

Open to UCLA students only. Lunch will be provided.

1:00 - 1:20 p.m.

WELCOME REMARKS & OPENING ADDRESS | Korn Convocation Hall

Alfred E. Osborne, Jr. | Interim Dean, Professor and Faculty Director, Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, UCLA Anderson

Michael K. Woo | Son of Wilbur K. Woo; Dean, College of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona

Pin Tai | Chief Executive Officer and President of Cathay General Bancorp and Cathay Bank

1:20 - 1:40 p.m.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS| Korn Convocation Hall

Zak Dychtwald | Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Young China Group

1:40 - 2:15 p.m.

CHINA: A MACRO OVERVIEW AND A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE | Korn Convocation Hall

William Yu | Economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast

MODERATOR: Chan Fong | Tax Partner, PwC

2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

PLENARY SESSION I | Korn Convocation Hall

U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS: Opportunities and Implications for Cross-Border Business and Investment

Haiyan Liu | Counselor for Commercial Affairs, Consulate General of P.R. China in Los Angeles

Christine Loh | Visiting Professor, UCLA Anderson; Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Former Undersecretary for the Environment, Hong Kong S.A.R. Government

Brian Peck | Director, Transnational Law and Business Center, USC Gould School of Law; Former Deputy Director, International Affairs and Business Development, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development

MODERATOR: Jerry Nickelsburg | Adjunct Full Professor of Economics; Director, UCLA Anderson Forecast

Description: Trade and economic relations between the U.S. and China are of great significance for the stability and development of the global economy. As the world’s two largest and highly interdependent economies tussle for global influence, there is a need to enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation and manage differences. Over the last year, the escalation of trade tensions between the U.S. and China has become one of the major concerns of business and investment communities both domestically and globally. China’s strategy to upgrade its industrial and technological capabilities has been identified as critical to the country’s economic competitiveness and growth in the 21st century. While it can be argued that U.S. companies and international corporations are unfairly disadvantaged by such an upgrading strategy, such a strategy that aims to shift a country’s economy into higher-value added sectors is not unique to China and is quite standard for developing countries as they look to industrialize. For China’s economic partners such as the U.S., the country’s economic advancement could open up opportunities for a mutually beneficial deepening of economic, technological as well as political cooperation. In the short run, U.S. enterprises may benefit from an increased demand for smart manufacturing in China; however, in the long run, U.S. businesses may face rising competition from their Chinese counterparts. There are also causes for concern to U.S. businesses as the strategy appears to intervene in domestic markets to facilitate the economic dominance of Chinese enterprises and disadvantage foreign competitors. In principle, the global economy has good reasons to welcome China’s quest for increased innovation capacity, provided that China abides by the principles and rules of open markets and fair competition. It could also contribute to the development of both countries, promote market reforms in China and competitiveness globally. How will the new era of U.S.-China relations and China’s industrial and technological upgrading affect cross-border businesses and investment opportunities? How can enterprises navigate possible challenges and leverage opportunities to enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation and manage differences? What industries are synergistic to both countries and will provide the greatest opportunities for collaboration? What role will China’s own domestic market play in the country’s industrial upgrading? Panelists will share their thoughts and perspectives on these questions and issues.

3:15 - 3:45 p.m.

BREAK AND REFRESHMENTS| Marion Anderson Courtyard

3:45 - 4:45 p.m.

CONCURRENT PANEL DISCUSSIONS

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION: The Importance of Collaboration in Advanced Technologies, Scientific Advancements and R&D| Korn Convocation Hall

Jacky Huang | Chief Executive Officer, American Wonder Porcelain

Brice Nzeukou | Product Manager, Ampaire, Inc.

Julia Qian | Managing Director, The Blueshirt Group

Jeffrey Yang | Chief Financial Officer, Global Win Capital Corporation, a subsidary of Shanying International

MODERATOR: Heidi Feng (B.A. '02) | Deals Managing Director – Accounting Advisory, PwC

Description: As rapid technological advancements promise new and exciting changes to industry, society, and lifestyles, the U.S. and China - the world’s first and second largest research and development spending countries and home to the world’s largest tech companies – are well positioned to lead this next phase of technological innovation. During the 19th Party Congress, President Xi Jinping emphasized innovation as the primary driving force behind development and the strategic underpinning for building a modernized economy. Companies and institutions are pushing ahead on new frontiers of research, science and advanced and disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and autonomous driving, building a digital China and a smart society as well as its aspiration to become a world leader in artificial intelligence. Innovation in science, technology and R&D have long been core drivers of the U.S. economy. In China, technology driven transformation has more recently been enabled by Government policy, changes in consumer preferences and enterprise driven innovation. Companies based in China have also shifted their attention beyond the domestic market as the technology sector expands, and this trend is expected to continue. The U.S. has been a preferred destination for Chinese investors seeking investments that allow them to upgrade technology and innovative capacity in various fields ranging from environmental protection to food safety to medicine to hybrid vehicles. While China has led the world in such some technologies, such as mobile payments, it lacks technological innovation capacity in certain high-end science and technologies, such as industrial robots, chips, and medical devices, prompting Chinese companies to collaborate with the U.S. by investing in, forming research consortiums with, and acquiring U.S. counterparts. However, such collaborations face increasing challenges as Chinese authorities tighten administrative reviews for capital outflows and the U.S. government heightens its scrutiny of Chinese investments in the U.S. Amid the tension and uncertainty with U.S. and China relations, is there a path for a collaborative future of global innovation driven by the world’s two superpowers? Panelists will share their experiences driving innovation and change by developing new strategies, technologies, products and business models and discuss their successes, observations and lessons learned from cross-border collaborations. They will also share their vision on the globalization process of Chinese technology firms and offer perspectives on the trends and future opportunities that lie ahead for U.S.- China collaboration.

IMPROVING PEOPLES WELLBEING: Opportunities in Healthcare, Eldercare, Housing, Education and Environmental Protection | C-315, Entrepreneurs Hall

Greg Balen (’04) | Vice President, Corporate Homebuilding Operations, Landsea Homes

David N. Fong | Founding Partner, Redbridge Capital LLC

Ruhong Jiang | Chief Executive Officer, Applied StemCell, Inc.

MODERATOR: John Ho ('18) | Chief Executive Officer, Landsea Homes

Description: China’s rapid economic growth and modernization has led to increased awareness of the importance of wellbeing – both as a prerequisite for people's all-round development as well as a precondition for economic development and social stability. The development of a ‘Healthy China’ is central to the Chinese Government’s agenda for health and development – and has the potential to create huge opportunities across many sectors for businesses around the world. There will be new bright spots for investment in the areas of innovation and new technology, improving people’s well-being, green development and environmental protection. China’s rapidly aging population is also increasing demand for elder care, providing opportunities for both domestic and foreign companies alike. The U.S. is a country with significant experience and best practices in providing solutions that make positive contributions to the well-being of society. Hence, there are numerous opportunities for Chinese companies to both learn from and cooperate with U.S. firms in related areas such as healthcare, education, and environment protection. While limitations in transfers of capital overseas, foreign buyer restrictions, taxes in key markets and a predicted slowdown of the Chinese economy have presented barriers to Chinese investment in the U.S., investors have pivoted to different sectors, such as hospitals, education and acquisitions of preschools and student housing. At a local level, U.S. authorities and companies are continuing to build ties with China on everything from technology to climate change. Panelists will share their insights around the opportunities as well as mitigating the risks and challenges for companies promoting international cooperation in these areas and discuss areas that provide the greatest opportunities for cross-border success. They will also address emerging investment trends and new opportunities and pivoting plays in the real estate sector across the Pacific.

INVESTMENT FINANCING, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND GROWTH STRATEGIES: Cross-Border Investment and the Growth of Private Equity | D-301, Cornell Hall

Lee C. Cheng | Partner and Co-Chair Asia Practice, Maschoff Brennan

Victoria Slivkoff | Global Head of Strategic Partnerships for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the University of California system, University of California Office of the President

Alex Zheng  | Senior Vice President and Team Manager, Commercial and International Banking, Cathay Bank

MODERATOR: Thomas Lo | Executive Vice President and Director, Commercial and International banking, Cathay Bank

Description: After years of rapid growth, cross-border investment between the United States and China is experiencing an unexpected setback as tensions between the two superpowers reach all-time highs and threaten to dampen cross-border trade and investment. The impacts are reverberating into the capital markets, with cross-border investment flows and deal making looking vulnerable in part due to the United States enhanced investment review process and China’s own investment regime. Chinese outbound FDI into the U.S. has dropped considerably and according to a report by the Rhodium Group, in the first half of 2018, Chinese FDI into the U.S. was down 90% from the same period in 2017; the lowest level in seven years. Money is also being rapidly pulled out. The turnaround comes at a time when China's private markets were beginning to flourish and Silicon Valley’s dominance in VC investment was being challenged by China. However, a broad-based interdependence continues to tie the two countries. According to Rhodium, U.S. investment into Chinese tech companies has taken off in recent years, as has Chinese investment in foreign startups, particularly in U.S. companies. Despite the reduction in overall outbound FDI, China’s targeted acquisitions of technology and intellectual property persist and Chinese VC investment in U.S. technology centers such as Silicon Valley has intensified. A clearer picture of the investment landscape will emerge as the two superpowers continue to negotiate on key items such as technology transfer regime, licensing restrictions, and foreign ownership restrictions. Panelists will provide insights on the current cross-border investment landscape, effects of the U.S.-China trade war, the future outlook for the VC, PE and M&A spaces, as well as discuss new investment strategies and partnerships.

5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

PLENARY SESSION II | Korn Convocation Hall

MILLENNIALS AND THE EMERGING MIDDLE CLASS: Implications and Opportunities for Business

Zak Dychtwald | Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Young China Group

Humphrey Ho | Managing Director, Hylink USA

Mirei Takashima Claremon (Ph.D. ’16, ’11) | Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, Elavare Global Advisors; Chief Executive Officer, Mirei TC Consulting

MODERATOR: Sale Lilly | Senior Policy Analyst, RAND Corporation

Description: The Chinese middle class and millennials are becoming the central drivers for the global economy. According to a study by McKinsey & Co., 76 percent of China's urban population will be considered middle class by 2022 and the young generation is expected to account for 53 percent of total Chinese consumption by 2020, creating huge opportunities for Chinese and U.S. companies in many different markets and sectors. The Chinese millennial generation are the future decision makers for business in China and more experienced and better informed consumers than its predecessors. They grew up in a more open country, with more information and influences from the outside world and are now able to visit and experience that world. China represents the largest outbound travel market in the world, driven in large part by these millennials. It is also more consumption-based and the most powerful consumer and spending group in the world that is influencing local and global brands. They demonstrate drastically different consumer tastes, preferences and purchasing behaviors and are more individualistic, brand-oriented and digital natives who purchase various domestic and foreign products from online marketplaces facilitated by social media platforms such as Wechat and Alipay, that are bringing businesses both in China and the U.S. to a new stage of competition and collaboration. Panelists will discuss the impact of the changing consumer habits and demands driven by the Chinese millennials and its emerging middle class and share their perspectives on the implications and opportunities for businesses on both sides of the Pacific as these consumer groups impact and define the markets they enter. Panelists will also provide insights on how businesses can approach these central driving forces of the global economy.

6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

NETWORKING RECEPTION | Executive Dining Room, Gold Hall

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Zak Dychtwald

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Young China Group

Zak Dychtwald is the author of critically acclaimed Young China: How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country and the World (2018), as featured in the Wall Street JournalThe Washington Post, and BBC World News. Young China explores how the country's young generation, born after 1990, feels about everything from money and sex, to their government, the West and China's shifting role in the world. Dychtwald is also the founder of Young China Group, a think tank and consultancy, focuses on China's emerging identity on the world stage as well as the evolving East and West millennial mindset. Through YCG, he has worked with companies and governments worldwide on understanding how Chinese identity drives economic and political outcomes. A 28-year old Columbia University graduate, Dychtwald has spoken at forums and summits across four continents a rising authority on the subject. He is based in Beijing and New York.

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Greg Balen ('04)

Vice President, Corporate Homebuilding Operations, Landsea Homes

With over 30 years of experience as a homebuilder, land developer, architect and large scale asset manager, Greg Balen has been directly involved in all aspects of real estate development including land acquisition, entitlement processing, site development, product development, purchasing, construction, sales and marketing, customer service and risk management. He has built over 7500 homes, constructed over 9000 lots, and provided architectural design and programming for over 32,000 homes.

Balen has successfully operated throughout the U.S., primarily in the West. He has served at the executive level for a number of highly regarded privately and publicly held residential real estate developers including New Urban West, Taylor Morrison Homes, Ryland Homes (now CalAtlantic) and KB Home. Balen also has extensive executive level and consulting experience with several investment groups including Starwood Land Ventures and IHP Capital Partners.

Balen is a licensed general building and general engineering contractor, and a licensed architect with NCARB (national) certification. He obtained his BA degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

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Lee C. Cheng

Partner and Co-Chair Asia Practice, Maschoff Brennan

Lee C. Cheng is a two-time recipient (2014 and 2016) of the National Law Journal’s America’s 50 Outstanding General Counsel, and numerous other awards for innovation and excellence in the practice of law. He views legal issues and challenges from the client perspective, and understands that the ultimate purpose of all legal work is to meet client business objectives. Lee’s insights on client service comes from than 20 years working at top law firms such as Latham & Watkins, and as a C-level legal and operations executive in global, multibillion dollar companies such as Newegg.com and Gibson Brands.

Lee’s practice, Maschoff Brennan spans a broad array of disciplines, from corporate transactional work, M&A, governance, to intellectual property, licensing and litigation management and advice. He has provided legal advice and services to clients ranging from startup companies, venture and private equity investors, to multinational companies with global operations. He frequently travels to Asia and is knowledgeable about business culture and practices in a variety of Asian countries. Lee has delivered uniquely positive outcomes for clients in both commercial and intellectual property litigation matters and is regarded as a national expert on defending companies against frivolous patent assertions and other types of extortionary litigation.

Cheng presently serves on the Board of Industry Leaders of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the largest technology focused trade association in the world and the operator of the Consumer Electronics Show and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the CTA Foundation and the Asian American Legal Foundation. Cheng received his JD from UC Berkeley and AB magna cum laude from Harvard University.

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Heidi Feng (B.A. '02)

Deals Managing Director – Accounting Advisory, PwC

Heidi Feng is a Managing Director in the PwC deals practice providing technical accounting advice and assistance to companies who are pursuing or seeking to pursue a capital raising transaction or significant M&A activity. For over 15 years, she has advised public and private companies primarily in the entertainment, media, and technology sectors. She has provided advice to large multinational clients and smaller clients on the new revenue recognition standard, film accounting issues, co-financing arrangements, SEC technical accounting topics, accounting conversions, divestitures and acquisitions, as well as providing training to registrants and preparers on financial reporting matters. She also assisted in authoring several film entertainment and entertainment courses and whitepapers.

Feng’s clients rely on her ability to effectively evaluate and provide advice on finance and complex accounting matters including: revenue recognition, film cost capitalization, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing arrangements, consolidation and internal control related matters. She spent two years in Hong Kong China providing accounting advisory services and assisting private companies go public in the U.S. In addition to providing advice on technical accounting ramifications, she also highlights impacts to the business and provides a broader focus beyond financial reporting.

Feng is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She graduated high honors with a bachelor of arts degree in business economics, minor in accounting, and specialization in computing UCLA. She is fluent in English and Chinese. Feng is also on the board of Bresee Foundation, a Los Angeles based non‐for‐profit that provides education and support for youth.

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Chan Fong

Tax Partner, PwC

Chang Fong is a lead tax partner within the Southern California Private Company Services (“PCS”) practice with a focus on Chinese inbound companies. With twenty years of experience, he has extensive business and tax experience including federal and state tax compliance, transfer pricing, tax audit defense, and tax consulting. To effectively serve his multinational clients, Fong collaborates with foreign PwC offices as well as subject matter experts within PwC U.S. in the areas of advance pricing agreements, transfer pricing, international tax services, transaction services (mergers and acquisitions), state and local taxes, and credits and incentives. Fong serves a variety of industries including technology, wholesale and distribution, manufacturing, professional services, and real estate. He received his master of business in taxation and bachelor of accounting degrees from the University of Southern California. Fong is a certified public accountant in the State of California.

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David N. Fong

Founder and President, RedBridge Capital

David N. Fong serves as founder and president of RedBridge Capital, responsible for the firm’s strategic direction, investment strategies, capital raising, acquisitions and overall operational strategies and infrastructure. RedBridge Capital is an investment management firm focusing on student housing and apartment assets in the Western United States with a portfolio value of approximately $270 million.

Fong is recognized as one of the top investment consultants and legal experts in commercial real estate finance and acquisitions in the U.S. with over 26 years experience in the commercial real estate and finance industry. His legal expertise includes real estate finance, acquisitions, private equity, joint ventures, loan workouts and acquisitions, structured finance, commercial leasing and development. Previously, at Asia Pacific Capital Company, which manages primarily Asian investment clients in Southern California, Fong oversaw strategic joint ventures, distressed debt and asset acquisitions, investor relations and new business development and focused exclusively on representing Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong investors in real estate transactions.

Fong has been active in the commercial real estate industry since 1993 and started his career as a leading Wall Street attorney in commercial real estate finance, private equity, development and acquisitions. He has worked as a partner or senior attorney in some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms, such as Thelen LLP, Latham & Watkins, SNR Denton LLP, and Cadwalader LLP. Fong has regularly represented Fortune 500 companies, REITs and leading real estate clients, such as Arden Realty, AEG, JP Morgan Asset Management, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, GE Capital, Majestic Realty Co., Morgan Stanley, Lazard Real Estate Investors, Citigroup, Lone Star Funds, Southern California Edison, University of Southern California, Pebble Beach Company, Playa Vista Company, House of Blues, Inc. , Phillips Petroleum and has closed real estate development and debt transactions in excess of $7 billion involving multifamily, office buildings, mixed-use, retail, industrial, land and hotel and resort properties and power plant facilities.

Fong is a member of the Lambda Alpha Real Estate Land Economics Society, National Association of Securities Professionals, Asian Business Association and Asian Business League of Southern California and the Providence Little Company of Mary Hospitals' Foundation Board. He is also currently a strategic advisor to the John S. and Marilyn Long U.S.-China Business and Law Institute, a bilateral research institute that is part of the University of California, Irvine School of Law and the Merage School of Business and the Fudan University School of Management in Shanghai, China. He is also an advisory board member for the University of Southern California’s American Academy in China. Fong received his undergraduate degree in Political Science (1989) and JD degree (1993), both from New York University. He is admitted to practice law in the States of California and New York and is also a licensed California real estate broker.

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Humphrey Ho

Managing Director, Hylink USA

As Managing Director of Hylink USA, Humphrey Ho is focused on building the first global advertising agency that natively understands the Chinese digital landscape and the burgeoning group of Chinese companies seeking to go abroad. Having spent seven years in Shanghai as Wieden+Kennedy’s business director and as Leagas Delaney’s business operations director, Ho has experience serving clients across the automotive, agriculture, FMCG, tech, and travel sectors. He is also a former "Xoogler," previously having served as strategic partnerships leader at Google China before founding Hylink USA.

Since receiving the ‘Top 30 under 30’ award in 2009, Ho has lectured on an array of China-related topics for business schools around the globe, as well as various publications such as AdAge, Digiday, and AdWeek. He earned his MBA from Ryerson University, and his H.BSc in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto. Ho is currently a board member of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as the SFMoMA. He is also a China module adjunct professor of SKOLKOVO, in Russia, at the Moscow School of Business.

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John Ho ('18)

Chief Executive Officer, Landsea Homes

As CEO, John Ho is responsible for managing all U.S. operations. He is focused on acquisitions, development and sales of residential properties and value-added services in the United States. Before joining Landsea, he worked as the leading global real estate investment management and consulting firm, Colliers International and Jones Lang LaSalle. He served as director and vice president at Johns Lang LaSalle, leading the firm in cross-border business development, focusing on delivering transactional, consultancy and other integrated real estate services to outbound Chinese businesses and investing overseas. Ho received his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and earned his MBA from UCLA.

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Jacky Huang

Chief Executive Officer, American Wonder Porcelain

Jacky Huang has served as the chief executive officer and member of the board of directors of American Wonder Porcelain since June 2018. He joined the company as a management trainee in 2015 and was promoted to vice president of business development and operations in 2017. American Wonder Porcelain is an American company with international roots. With manufacturing based in Lebanon, Tennessee, the U.S. division operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of one of the largest and most financially stable tile companies in the world. American Wonder Porcelain is comprised of a team of tile veterans who have come together from leading organizations within the industry. The company incorporates proven processes and strategy as well as a new vision for manufacturing, marketing, and selling tiles in the United States. The U.S. division is committed to the future of the tile industry in America and believes future growth depends upon increasing domestic manufacturing, adopting new, innovative techniques and spearheading ongoing research and development within the industry. Huang received an B.S. in economics from Purdue University.

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Ruhong Jiang

Chief Executive Officer, Applied StemCell, Inc.

Ruhong Jiang is co-founder and CEO of Applied StemCell, Inc., a global leading company in stem cell and precise genome editing. He has held a variety of technical and managerial roles with increasing responsibilities in several biotechnology/biopharmaceutical companies. Before starting Applied StemCell, Jiang was general manager of MicuRx (Shanghai) Pharmaceutical, Inc., a California‐based biopharmaceutical company where he set up its entire China operation. From 2005‐2007, Jiang was head of the Pharmacogenetics program at Stanford Research Institute International (SRI) where he managed multiple pharmacogenetic and molecular genetics projects with multi‐millions of annual budgets. Prior to relocating to California, he was pharmacogenomics consultant at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and served as senior scientist, then director of project management at Genaissance Pharmaceuticals from 2000‐2004 where he played an important role in biomarker discovery, pharmacogenetics and clinical bioinformatics, diagnostic product development, alliance management and business development.

Jiang graduated from Fudan University with a B.S. degree in biology and received a M.S. degree in reproductive biology from China Agricultural University and a Ph.D. degree in Genetics from Oklahoma State University in 1997. He then went to Baylor College of Medicine where he furthered his education as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Douglas Burrin’s lab. Jiang has authored and co‐authored more than 40 publications in the fields of human genetics, pharmacogenetics and disease animal models. He has a deep interest in the science, ethics and societal issues of personalized medicine, regenerative medicine and global health. His demonstrated leadership has led to an established track record of success; especially in the areas of biomarker‐based molecular assays or diagnosis, CRO service, and drug research and development.

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Sale Lilly

Senior Policy Analyst, RAND Corporation

Sale Lilly is a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. His primary research interests are China's economic development, Chinese soft power in the entertainment industry and international crisis management. He is also a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School where he teaches Introduction to Blockchain Technologies. Before joining RAND, Lilly worked in management consulting designing crisis simulations and wargames for Fortune 50 clients in banking and healthcare, and also served for eight years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, working across Eurasia and Southwest Asia. Sale received his B.S. in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy, a masters in economic and social history and a second master's in modern Chinese studies from Oxford University.

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Haiyan Liu

Counselor for Commercial Affairs, Consulate General of P.R. China in Los Angeles

Haiyan Liu joined the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles in July 2013 as the Commercial Counselor. In this capacity, he is responsible for promoting trade and investment cooperation between China and the areas of Southern California, Arizona, Hawaii and New Mexico. His office works closely with Chinese and U.S. government agencies, trade organizations and companies, to identify business opportunities and facilitate two-way exchanges and cooperation.

Prior to his current post, Liu served as director of the Office of U.S. Affairs in China’s Ministry of Commerce, where he led the efforts of managing the dynamic China-U.S. trade relationship and addressing trade and investment concerns.

Liu received his B.A. and LLM degrees from the University of International Business and Economics, and has extensive experience working in China and the United States.

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Thomas Lo

Executive Vice President and Director, Commercial and International Banking, Cathay Bank

Thomas Lo is the executive vice president, director of commercial and international banking at Cathay Bank. He has more than 30 years of experience in commercial and international lending and has directly overseen profit centers with total loan balances in excess of $3 billion and core deposits over $2 billion.  Lo has also held senior leadership positions at East West Bank, Preferred Bank, Bank of the West, and United National Bank. He holds an MBA with emphasis in international business and finance from the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University, and a B.S. in finance from University of Southern California. Lo is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School.

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Christine Loh

Visiting Professor, UCLA Anderson; Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Former Undersecretary for the Environment, Hong Kong S.A.R. Government

Christine Loh served as the undersecretary for the environment in the Hong Kong S.A.R. Government from 2012 to 2017. Her direct policy responsibilities included air quality, energy, climate change and biodiversity. She worked with her Mainland Chinese counterparts to define new policies to control shipping emissions, an area of work she pioneered prior to joining the HKSAR Government, which has changed China's national policy in this area. She created new dialogue platforms between the government and business sectors in order to strengthen Hong Kong's capacity to meet the challenge of climate change. She worked directly to draft a range of key policy documents for the Environment Bureau. She currently serves as chief development strategist at the Institute for the Environment at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, as well as adjunct professor at the Division of Environment and Sustainability.

Loh was the co-founder of Civic Exchange, an independent, nonprofit public policy think tank that became internationally recognized, especially in the area of environmental issues. Prior to establishing Civic Exchange, she had a highly successful career in legislative politics. She was appointed to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in 1992 and was re-elected in 1995 and 1998. Prior to her career in politics, Loh had a 14-year career in the private commercial sector. She was engaged in commoditiestrading and strategic planning for Philipp Brothers, which became Phibro Energy, a division of U.S. multinational Salomon Inc. (subsequently Salomon Smith Barney and then Citigroup).

Loh has been involved with non-governmental organization (NGO) activities ranging from the arts to the environment to urban development to equal opportunity to constitutional reform. She has established various NGOs, as well as served on the boards of and chaired many such organizations. She is well known for her work in designing and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue processes to help deepen and broaden understanding on public issues.

She currently serves as director and trustee of CDP Worldwide, a London-based organization that runs a global disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions to manage environmental impacts, and she is a director of the Global Maritime Forum, the Robert HN Ho Family Foundation, as well as a member of BASF's Stakeholder Advisory Council. In the 2018 and 2019 winter quarters, she taught a course at the UCLA Anderson School of Management on Non-Market Risks and Understanding Politics: The Global Context for Doing Business.

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Jerry Nickelsburg

Adjunct Professor of Economics, UCLA Anderson; Director and Senior Economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast

Jerry Nickelsburg joined the UCLA's Anderson School of Management and The Anderson Forecast in 2006. Since 2017 he has been the Director of The Anderson Forecast. He teaches economics in the MBA program with a focus on business forecasting and on international business in Asia. As the Director of The Anderson Forecast he plays a key role in the economic modeling and forecasting of the National, California, and regional economies. He has conducted research in the areas of labor economics, industrial organization, statistics, and international monetary economics, focusing on the development of new data and the application of economic theory and statistical methods to policy issues. His current academic research is on labor markets, and transportation economics. He is a regular presenter at Economic Conferences and is cited in the national media including the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Reuters.

He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Minnesota in 1980 specializing in monetary economics and econometrics. He was formerly a professor of Economics at the University of Southern California and has held executive positions with McDonnell Douglas, FlightSafety International, and FlightSafety Boeing during a fifteen-year span in the aviation business. He also held a position with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors developing forecasting tools, and has advised banks, investors and financial institutions.

From 2000 to 2006, he was the Managing Principal of Deep Blue Economics, a consulting firm he founded. He has been the recipient of the Korda Fellowship, USC Outstanding Teacher, India Chamber of Commerce Jubilee Lecturer, and he is a Fulbright Scholar. He has published over 100 scholarly and popular articles on economic policy, monetary economics, statistics, labor economics, and industrial organization and he is the author of two books on monetary economics and exchange rates.

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Brice Nzeukou

Product Manager, Ampaire, Inc.

Brice Nzeukou leads product management and program execution efforts for Ampaire’s hybrid and electric aircraft. He has over five years of product management and product engineering experience spanning power electronics, automotive, and robotics industries. Before joining Ampaire, Nzeukou was the global product manager for the Performance Aftermarket at Garrett Advancing Motion, a leading turbocharging company. Nzeukou also has experience in government funded programs including generator hybridization efforts for the military, while working at Iris Technology Corporation. Nzeukou received his degrees in mechanical engineering and business economics and management from the California Institute of Technology.

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Alfred E. Osborne, Jr.

Interim Dean, Professor and Faculty Director, Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, UCLA Anderson

Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., is interim dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management, overseeing the institution's primary objectives to conduct essential research, educate students and serve the community. Previously, he served as senior associate dean, with oversight of a variety of key initiatives for the school, including resource development, alumni relations, corporate initiatives and executive education. Osborne also holds an appointment as Professor of Global Economics, Management and Entrepreneurship and is the founder and faculty director of the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. The Price Center serves to organize faculty research, curricula and student activities related to the study of entrepreneurship and new business development at UCLA Anderson.

Osborne's areas of academic expertise include social entrepreneurship and the development of a leadership approach that applies business models and methodologies to the nonprofit world. Under his leadership, the Price Center created a number of management development programs, including five in partnership with health care giant Johnson & Johnson: the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Head Start Management FellowsProgram; the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Advanced Management Institute for Head Start; the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Health Care Institute; the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Health Care Executive Program; and the Management Development Institute (MDI) for health care organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. Several related, innovative programs include the Institute for the Study of Educational Entrepreneurship (ISEE) and the UCLA/Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) Head Start Leadership Institute.

A deep belief in the value of entrepreneurship has guided Osborne's vision for what is possible throughout his decades-long tenure at Anderson. In addition to founding the Price Center, he facilitated infusion of an entrepreneurial approach to leadership into the Anderson culture and curriculum, including and transcending the notion of business startups. Osborne combines his emphasis on innovation with a deep belief in the value of a broad-based diversity that includes demographics but, just as important, a wide range of ideas. Osborne is an active participant in the business community, serving as a director of Kaiser Aluminum, Wedbush Inc. and First Pacific Advisors (FPA) family of mutual funds. His nonprofit affiliations include serving as a trustee of the Geffen Academy at UCLA, Fidelity Charitable, the Harvard-Westlake School and the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation. He served many years on the corporate boards of the Times Mirror Company, U.S. Filter Corporation, Greyhound Lines Inc., Nuverra Environmental Solutions Inc., First Interstate Bank of California, Nordstrom Inc. and K2 Inc., among others. Osborne received his Ph.D. in business economics, MBA in finance, M.A. in economics as well as B.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

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Brian Peck

Director, Transnational Law and Business Center, USC Gould School of Law; Former Deputy Director, International Affairs and Business Development, Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development

Brian Peck is currently the Director of the Transnational Law and Business Center at USC Gould School of Law; he also teaches international trade law and policy, global regulatory compliance and international IP law.

In 2013, Peck was appointed by California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., to serve as deputy director in charge of international affairs and business development for the Governor's Office. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing programs to expand international trade opportunities for California companies, and to attract foreign direct investment to California. He led several trade and investment missions to China; he also negotiated bilateral trade and investment MOUs between the state of California and Mexico, Japan, and Chinese subnational governments. 

Peck served as senior director for intellectual property, and director of Japanese Affairs at USTR. He was the lead negotiator for the IP chapters in the U.S.-Colombia, U.S.-Peru and U.S.-Panama FTAs, and led the U.S. delegation at the WTO TRIPS Council meetings. He also led bilateral talks with several Asian countries at the WTO under the Doha Development Agenda negotiations to liberalize market access for trade in services. Peck was an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he participated in a number of antidumping and countervailing duty cases, including litigation before the U.S. Court of International Trade as well as NAFTA and WTO dispute settlement panels. In his private practice, he advised multi-national clients on international trade law, regulatory and compliance matters, international government and policy affairs, and global IP asset management. Peck received his law degree, cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law and his BA degree from UC Berkeley.

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Julia Qian

Managing Director, The Blueshirt Group

Julia Qian is managing director of The Blueshirt Group. She runs the capital market advisory and investor relations efforts. Qian is a passionate, entrepreneurial and visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in global financial services. In her most recent role in Citi’s FinTech division, she was instrumental in supporting the development of the bank’s ‘National Digital Bank’ effort. Over the course of her 12-years of progressive leadership in Citi U.S. and Citi Asia Pacific, Qian’s work was critical to the turn-around of the U.S. consumer banking business. In Citi Asia Pacific, Qian developed new secured lending products. She has lived and worked in several countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, France, Australia and China) and has a diverse international career with several global corporates (GM, J&J, Dow and Citi). Her experience is complemented by strong academic and professional credentials that include an MBA, IMA and CPA. Qian earned her MBA from JiaoTong University in China. She earned a bachelor’s degree in financial accounting from Shanghai’s University of Finance and Economy. Qian is fluent in English and Mandarin, and is based in Blueshirt’s New York Office.

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Victoria Slivkoff

Global Head of Strategic Partnerships for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the University of California system, University of California Office of the President

Operating from the UC Office of the President, as global head of strategic partnerships for innovation and entrepreneurship for the UC system, Victoria Slivkoff builds programs that connect external partners (investors, corporations, philanthropic funds, and government entities) to startups across the UC on-campus and off-campus ecosystems. The UC system consists of 10 campuses, 6 medical centers, 3 national labs, and 60+ incubator & accelerator programs. She also drives the monetization of UC’s system wide patent portfolio (the largest IP portfolio of any academic institutions in the U.S.).

As a part of the mission to aggregate UC’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems and to further extend to global markets, Slivkoff also leads the efforts to build innovation platforms in high-growth, high-potential international markets to accelerate cross-border collaboration in technology development, commercialization, and investment.

Prior to UC, Slivkoff spent over ten years in the cleantech industry as a private equity investor, business operator and entrepreneur operating in the U.S., Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. She has extensive experience forming strategic public-private partnerships to drive investment and adoption of nascent technologies. Earlier in her career, she was a management consultant at Accenture. Slivkoff holds an MBA from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern California.

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Pin Tai

Chief Executive Officer and President, Cathay General Bancorp and Cathay Bank

Pin Tai is the chief executive officer and president of Cathay General Bancorp and Cathay Bank. He has over 30 years of commercial banking experience. He first joined Cathay Bank in 1999 as the general manager of the New York region and was charged with the goal of establishing its footprint in the East Coast region. Throughout his tenure, he has served in various capacities and key positions within Cathay Bank, including executive vice president, chief lending officer, deputy chief lending officer and head of the bank’s New York and eastern regions. He has been a board member of Cathay Bank since 2015 and Cathay General Bancorp since 2017.

Prior to joining Cathay Bank, Tai led the credit and business development, correspondent banking and marketing departments at Bank of China in the U.S., and he was also at Bank of America, in Hong Kong and China, where he was responsible for providing international banking services focusing on Chinese state-owned banks and companies, as well as multinational companies doing business in China and Hong Kong.

Tai is active in community organizations and serves on the boards of Western Bankers Association, Cathay Bank Foundation, Foothill Family Service and Worldwide Christian Churches Ministries. He graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in chemical engineering and received his MBA, with honors, from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

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Mirei Takashima Claremon (Ph.D. ’16, ’11)

Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, Elavare Global Advisors; Chief Executive Officer, Mirei TC Consulting

Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Mirei Takashima Claremon is a retail futurist and cross-cultural consumer insights expert based in Los Angeles. Her passion is to bridge the gap between academia and business, and East and West. Her academic research and consulting work focus on gaining insights into the cross-cultural differences between Asian and Western consumers, particularly in terms of what drives consumer brand loyalty, engagement, and choice. As a thought leader on consumer behavior and retail in Asia and the United States, she has presented at conferences around the world, and has published multiple articles on these topics. She is a co-founder and senior advisor to Elavare Global Advisors and is the founder and CEO of Mirei TC Consulting. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University, and her Ph.D. and MBA degrees from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. 

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Michael K. Woo

Dean, College of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona

Michael Woo, the son of Wilbur K. Woo, is the dean of the College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona, one of the leading schools producing architects, landscape architects, urban planners and graphic designers working in California. In addition to working as a full-time administrator, he is currently teaching a special course on disruptive innovation. Woo was the first Asian-American and the first trained urban planner elected to the Los Angeles City Council, serving eight years as a representative of Hollywood and surrounding neighborhoods.

In his spare time, Woo continues to be active in community affairs. Last year he was invited to join the board of counselors of the Save the Redwoods League, one of California’s most venerable environmental organizations. He previously chaired the boards of the Hollywood Farmers Market, Smart Growth America, and Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, and was a member of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

Relating to China, Woo is a trustee of the Lingnan Foundation, a U.S.-based charitable foundation that supports academic innovation and international opportunities at Sun Yat-sen University (which incorporated Wilbur Woo’s alma mater Lingnan College after 1949) in Guangzhou and at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. Like his father, Woo is a product of the University of California. He earned his B.A. in politics and urban studies from UC Santa Cruz, and his master of city planning degree from UC Berkeley.

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Jeffrey Yang

Chief Financial Officer, Global Win Capital Corporation, a subsidiary of Shanying International

Jeffrey Yang is the chief financial officer for Global Win Capital Corp., Founded in 2017, Global Win Capital Corp. is a subsidiary of Shanying International and serves as its international's business investment platform in North America as well as the management headquarters for the North American business group that makes strategic investments in pulp, paper, packaging, waste paper recycling, etc. in the U.S.

Yang has more than 15 years of experience in various finance-related positions in the paper and packaging, consumer packaged goods, personal electronics and chemical industries. He has an extensive background in cost control and revenue management, financial planning and operations, management and strategy, and a deep knowledge of total productive maintenance and lean manufacturing. Yang also has experience in corporate governance and development, internal control and risk management, financial planning and analysis, M&As and post-integration, ERP/SAP and customer interfaced systems implementation, tax and treasury management.

Prior to Global Win Capital Corp., Yang spent over 12 years with Tetra Pak in global and regional finance roles and was previously with The Dow Chemical Company. He has worked with international companies across China, Asia, Europe and the Americas. he is a certified public accountant and received his MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Donghua University.

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William Yu

Economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast

William Yu joined the UCLA Anderson Forecast in 2011 as an economist where he focuses on the economic modeling, forecasting and Los Angeles economy. He also conducts research and forecasts on China's economy, and its relationship with the U.S. economy. His research interests include a wide range of economic and financial issues, such as time series econometrics, data analytics, stock, bond, real estate, and commodity price dynamics, human capital, and innovation. Currently, he teaches business forecasting and data science courses at UCLA Anderson and UCLA Extension. He also serves as a faculty advisor for the Applied Management Research Program at UCLA Anderson.

He has published over a dozen research articles in Journal of Forecasting, International Journal of Forecasting, Journal of International Money and Finance, etc. He also published op-ed articles in Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. He developed the City Human Capital Index and the Los Angeles City Employment Estimate. He has been cited in the local, national and overseas media frequently including Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Time, Bloomberg, CBS Money Watch, Al Jazeera, U-T San Diego, LA Daily News, LA Daily Breeze, Straits Times, NBC, ABC, CNBC, CNN, and NPR, as well as various Chinese and Korean media. Yu has been invited as a speaker for various events, including the annual Woo K. Greater China Business Conference and National Association for Business Economics.

Yu received his bachelor's degree in finance from National Taiwan University in 1995 and was an analyst in Fubon Financial Holding in Taipei from 1997 to 2000. In 2006, he received his Ph.D. degree in economics from the University of Washington where he was also an economics instructor and won two distinguished teaching awards. In 2006, he worked for the Frank Russell Investment Group for Treasury and corporate yields modeling and forecasting. From 2006 to 2011, he served as an assistant and an associate professor of economics at Winona State University where he taught courses including forecasting methods, managerial economics, international economics, and macroeconomics.

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Alex Zheng

Senior Vice President and Team Manager, Commercial and International Banking, Cathay Bank

Alex Zheng is the senior vice president and team manager of commercial and international banking at Cathay Bank. He has been in commercial and industrial lending for nearly 15 years. Before joining Cathay Bank, Zheng was the senior vice president and team manager of the Ontario Corporate Building Center at East West Bank. Previously, he worked for Hainan Huayin Investment & Trust Company, one of the first investment and trust companies in China, to help set up and manage its LA office. Zheng holds an MBA in finance from California State University, Fullerton, and a B.S. in economics from State University of New York.  He is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School.

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The conference and networking reception will take place at UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Regular Admission: $40.00. UCLA Anderson and UCLA Alumni: $30.00 (alumni must provide graduating class year and major during registration, alumni status will be verified otherwise regular admission will be charged at check-in). This fee includes an evening networking reception, light refreshments and also includes parking when pre-registered (up until Thursday, April 18, 2019 at midday PST). A parking code will be emailed separately closer to the date of the conference and must be presented at the parking kiosk before 3:00 p.m. or the parking charge will be $12.00. Walk-ins are permitted, however parking will not be included for walk-in registrations.

UCLA Students, Faculty and Staff: Complimentary. Parking not included. Bruin ID must be presented at registration and check-in, or the regular admission fee of $40.00 will be charged.

ALL ATTENDEES WILL BE REQUIRED TO PRESENT ID UPON CHECK-IN.

There will be no refunds on tickets already purchased.

Registration includes entrance to the conference, an evening networking reception and light refreshments. Badges will be checked upon entrance to the reception.

Attire is business formal or business casual.

For driving directions to UCLA Anderson and parking information >>

For questions, please email global@anderson.ucla.edu

Wilbur K. Woo (B.S. '42), vice chairman emeritus of Cathay Bank and Cathay Bancorp, Inc., was known for his decades of leadership in the Chinese-American community, but his many achievements never caused him to forget his humble beginnings.

He was born in 1916 in a tiny village near Guangzhou in China's southern Guangdong province. He came to Los Angeles at age five. At 12, his father sent him back to Guangzhou to be immersed in Chinese language and culture. In 1940, after two years at Lingnan College (now part of Sun Yat-Sen University), he returned to Los Angeles to complete his education at UCLA.

Like many immigrants, he found humbling work, washing dishes in a small Chinatown restaurant. He also taught at Chinese language schools in the evenings and was popular with his students, who decades later would pay their respects to their teacher whenever they saw him in the community.

During World War II, Wilbur worked as a translator in the Office of Postal Censorship, rising to chief of the Technical Operations Division. After the war, he graduated from UCLA with a degree in business administration and went to work with his father managing Chungking Produce Company, which thrived for 40 years supplying restaurants and grocery stores with Chinese vegetables and other produce.

In 1962, at a time when mainstream banks would not make loans to many ethnic Chinese, Wilbur joined Cathay Bank - the first Chinese-American-owned bank - as a vice president. With a knack for community outreach, he played a central role in the bank's growth over the next decades and rose to senior vice president, administrative vice president and executive vice president.

Alongside his distinguished career in banking, Wilbur cultivated an extraordinarily rich variety of business, political, cultural and charitable interests. He served as chairman of the board of The Chinese Times, the oldest Chinese language newspaper in the U.S.; charter chairman of the Asian American National Business Alliance; founder and chairman of the California-Taiwan Trade & Investment Council; president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce; and organizer and secretary-general of the 8th World Chinese Traders Convention. One of his proudest accomplishments, as grand president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, was lobbying for the historic immigration reform bill of the mid-1960s that opened the doors to a new wave of immigrants from China and Taiwan.

He served as an honorary member (representing overseas Chinese) of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (or national legislature) and was a member of Taiwan’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, the California World Trade Commission and the California Commission for Economic Development. He was an organizer and convener of the World Chinese Bankers Convention held in Los Angeles in 1988. That year he was named one of the "20 Most Powerful Men in Los Angeles" by Los Angeles magazine.

In 1996, crowning his numerous awards for public service, Wilbur became the first Asian American to be honored by UCLA with the Neil H. Jacoby International Award.

In 2001 he and his wife, Beth, endowed the annual Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference at the UCLA Anderson School of Management with the goal of promoting understanding of the economic ties between the Greater China region and the United States. "I established the conference to show my gratitude for the training I received at my alma mater many years ago," he said.

Sadly, Wilbur passed away on November 12, 2012 and Beth, his wife of nearly 75 years, passed away on March 2, 2017. Wilbur and Beth are survived by their four children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

2018 Conference Highlights

 

2018 Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference Highlights

2018 Welcome Remarks and Opening Address

China: A Macro Overview & A Business Perspective

Advanced Technologies: The Importance of Collaboration in Technological Innovation and Scientific Advancements – Opportunities for Chinese and U.S. Companies

Entrepreneurship, Investment and Growth Strategies: Trends, Investment Patterns and Opportunities for Private Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investment

Financial Risk, Monetary Policy and Soe Recorms: Implications and Opportunities for Business

Real Estate: The Importance of Diversification, Localization and Community Engagement

Media & Entertainment: Understanding Hollywood’s Challenges and the Opportunities in China

Organizers

 

 

Platinum Sponsors

 
PwC

Silver Sponsor

 

Bronze Sponsor

 

Supporting Organizations

 
  
  

Past Conferences

 
Date Name Location
Friday | April 20, 2018 A New Era of Economic Ties and Bilateral Investment for the U.S. and China
Conference website
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Friday | April 21, 2017 A New Chapter for U.S.-China Relations – Investment, Growth Strategies and Collaboration Opportunities UCLA Anderson School of Management
Friday | April 22, 2016 Ten Years On - Innovation, Competition and Collaboration: The Evolving U.S.-China Relationship UCLA Anderson School of Management
Friday | April 10, 2015 U.S.-China: Economic Ties, Growth Strategies and Investment Opportunities UCLA Anderson School of Management
Friday | April 18, 2014 Success Stories of U.S.-China Investment UCLA Anderson School of Management
Friday | March 1, 2013 Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Strategies During a New and Transitional Era - A Dialogue Across the Pacific UCLA Anderson School of Management
Friday | March 2, 2012 The Global Impact of the Transforming Economy in China UCLA Anderson School of Management