At the China Speakers Bureau, we mostly organize excellent experts on different fields regarding China. But our clients now and then are also looking for people who can guide an debate, host an event an act as moderators. A few of our speakers have earned their stripes in the way, and here are a few of them.
Zhang Lijia
Zhang Lijia, author and social commentator
Lijia Zhang is a rocket factory girl-turned writer, journalist and social commentator. She is the author of acclaimed memoir “Socialism is Great!” where she recalls her struggle of leaving a secure job in a state-owned factory for military equipment. She taught herself English, against the social pressure in her native Nanjing, and ended up in Oxford. Her journey from a factory worker to an international writer reflects the dramatic transformation that China has undergone.
Zhang Lijia is currently living in Beijing and working on a new book project on prostitution in China, where she takes the life of her grandmother as a starting point. She is an experienced speaker, moderator and has been hosting a talk show for two years.
Paul French
Paul French is founder of market research company Access Asia. As a China specialist he has been quoted in a wide variety of publications including the FT, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal Asia, the South China Morning Post and the LA Times. Paul studied history & economics in London and also has a M.Phil in Socialist Theories & Economics from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He studied Chinese at the City Literary Institute in London.
In 2012 he published the very popular book “Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China.” The rights for a TV-show on the book have been sold.
Wei Gu
Wei Gu, is CFA and wealth and luxury editor at the Wall Street Journal
Since early 2013 Gu Wei interviews leaders in the luxury industry in China, and writes columns on China´s financial developments for the Wall Street Journal.
Wei Gu wrote until 2013 commentary about China’s economy and finance for Reuters Breakingviews. Wei was one of Reuters’ first columnists, started for Reuters its Chinese News in 2005.
She was nominated Reuters Columnist of the Year in 2009, for setting the agenda on topics like the Chinese currency. Before that she wrote about U.S. technology companies out of New York.
Born and raised in Shanghai, Wei was an on air correspondent and produced a TV program for China Business News during 1998-2000. She has a master’s in business and economic reporting from New York University.
Wei appeared on CNBC, China Central TV, Phoenix TV and Reuters TV. She has won journalism awards from the Overseas Press Club of America, the New York Financial Writers Association, and New York Foreign Press Association. Wei is also a committee member of the Society of Newspaper and Publishers.
Wei Gu is living in Hong Kong
William Bao Bean
William Bao Bean, Investment Partner at SOS Ventures and Managing Director of Chinaccelerator, the first and longest running startup accelerator program in China based out of Shanghai.
Before that, he has been working both in the financial and telecommunication industry, working for the Deutsche Bank and Singtel.
Apart from knowing the ins and outs of finance, telecom and startups, William brings people together for debate, exchanges and other meetings to bring people and companies to a higher level.
In his new function, assumed in January 2015, he is preparing mainly startups on mobile solutions to explore a global market. He is a leading voice on global mobile innovation, explaining traditional industries why they will die, unless they adopt.
As an investor and manager of Chinese startups, William Bao Bean has been a matchmaker between what consumers what and what innovation can offer, with a focus on mobile software and device companies. He is living in China, but has been working with companies all over Asia, including Japan and India.
William Bao Bean lives in Shanghai
Mario Cavolo
Mario Cavolo, Vice President of Scott PR China
As Vice President of Scott PR China, Mario Cavolo delivers expertise to multinational clients including CBRE, Dow Chemical, AEGON-CNOOC, Weiden & Kennedy and others in communications advisory, leadership development, media/PR training and events. He is an Expert Resource Speaker for Vistage International and selected facilitator for GE’s Professional/Advanced Leadership Development Program. Mario has lived as an entrepreneur in China for 14 years, starting in Chengdu in 1999 where he joined with the U.S. Consulate, MOFTEC and the Chengdu Foreign Affairs office as a speaker for a series of WTO business conferences.
Mario Cavolo lives in Shanghai
Paul French, moderating a forum on Myanmar