Alex Font is a Sales and Client Services General Manager for Value Communication Services (Shanghai) Inc. Familiar with business practices in the U.S., Japan, China and Korea, Mr Font has twelve years experience in the call center industry. Font's tenure at Value Communication Services (VCS) began in April 2004 and he has headed New Business Development and Client Services Management for the past three years.

Prior to working with VCS, Font worked for four years at Telemarketing Japan in Tokyo and for five years at Sprint Telecenters Inc. in Orlando, Florida. He had the opportunity to work and manage several departments while working at Sprint, such as Operations, Quality Assurance and Work Staff Management.

Currently, Mr Font is a board member of the China DMA. He has held the Chairmanship of the Telemarketing Sub-committee for the American Chamber of Commerce Japan and is a current member of the American Telemarketing Association and the U.S. Direct Marketing Association.

Font graduated from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida with an economics major. He is a certified Professional Direct Marketer and graduated with honors from Temple University Campus in Tokyo, Japan, where he was also an instructor for their Call Center Management Course.

Mr. Wu Chen joined the Economist Group CFO China in May 2005. Prior to that, he has worked for BusinessWeek in Hong Kong and Bloomberg News in Singapore. Mr. Wu started his journalist career at the international news department of Xinhua (New China) News Agency in 1999.

Mr. Wu earned Master of Pacific International Affairs degree from University of California, San Diego and Master of Journalism from E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. He earned his B.A. from Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Kerry Kennedy is from Hawaii and has lived and worked in Asia for more than 20-years. He first visited Japan as a high-school student and studied at the University of Hawaii (Manoa), Sophia University in Tokyo and National Taiwan Normal University. He has more than 20-years of experience in media in the Asia Pacific - including print media, database / direct marketing, internet website development and now internet webcasting.

His previous company, Kennedy International Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) was one of Japan's first independent direct marketing agencies and conducted direct marketing for many of Japan's leading companies including American Express, Proctor-Gamble, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, General Motors Japan, Newsweek Magazine, Time Magazine and Northwest Airlines

Since doing his first webcasting in 1999 he has been one of Asia's leading pioneers in the development of streaming media / webcasting services through his websites, ITV-Asia and ITV-Japan.

ITV-Japan is now considered the largest content/video business portal in the Asia-Pacific region and contains more than 400 interviews on the subject of doing business in Japan. ITV-Japan is an official media partner of the American, British and Canadian chambers of commerce in Japan and the European Business Council (Japan).

Edward's background is rich in the intricacies of high end, corporate finance throughout Asia with particular emphasis on China. He specializes in economic analysis, finance and accounting structures, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. He is also an expert on the management and analysis of competitive intelligence.

During his long and successful career with a multi-national automotive supplier, he served a number of years as CFO of Greater China and Korea. He has an astute knowledge of the business practices in China where he established and managed the company's finance and accounting functions. He was also in charge of managing logistics, purchasing and costing functions; and led the establishment of a major holding company along with numerous joint ventures.

Edward set up effective planning and budget functions for all product lines and locations throughout China. His expertise helped this company grow from a minor player to the No.1 company in its industry in China.

Before entering consulting, Edward served as VP of Business Intelligence for all Asian operations. He is an expert at profiling competitors to identify their business models and providing regular monitoring and analysis of changes in strategic direction. He has also tracked economic and political developments of countries around the world to maximize his company's competitive advantage in its many theaters of operation.

Establishing or expanding a business in Asia can be extremely lucrative, but it is also can be fraught with financial pitfalls. Someone with Edward's hands-on experience and proven track record is an absolute necessity for bottom line success.

Edward is active in the American Chambers of Commerce in Shanghai and Beijing, serving as Chairman of the Washington DC "Doorknock" Committee. He was a recent candidate for AmCham Shanghai's Board of Governors.

He is currently Managing Director of DE Global Ltd. and Shanghai GuanShu Investment Consulting Co. Ltd; Executive Producer of Shanghai GuanShu Media as well as a Partner in Gravitas Partnership, an Asia-wide consulting group.

Sharon Landon is the founder and managing director of Cross Cultural Interchange (CCI), which provides counsel and works directly with corporate clients to refine programs providing solutions to intercultural challenges prevalent in their respective industries here in China and abroad. Ms. Landon is an advocate for managing cultural differences as an essential tool for enhancing individual and organizational success in today's global marketplace.

Sharon has facilitated intercultural understanding with both expatriates and local Chinese professionals. Her in-depth understanding of intercultural challenges faced by multinational companies operating in China and her own multi-cultural background enables her to provide unique insights and strategies for her participants. She is a frequent speaker at events relating to HR and intercultural issues in China.

Previously, she was general manager for Asian Relocation Management (China) and Director of Sales & Marketing with Hotelmark, Inc. Sharon's comprehensive experience in various service industries has always been driven by her focused interest on people issues.

Ms. Landon is active in several business and social organizations in Shanghai. Among them, the Board of Governor for the AmCham (2006); Chair and Co-Chair of Education & Training and Entrepreneur Committees (2004-2006); President and VP for EPWS (2003-2004)

She holds a degree in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii and worked extensively in the US, Asia-Pacific and other locations in China before moving to Shanghai in January 2001.

Frank Mulligan is the China Director for Accetis International and the founder of Talent Software, a Shanghai-based HRO provider which Mr. Mulligan built up using China's first bi-lingual ATS and testing solution.

Mulligan, who has lived in China for over 10 years, previously served as the Chief Representative of Norman Broadbent Executive Search in China, 1st Sec. (Commercial) for the Irish Embassy in Beijing and Strategic Planning Manager, Siemens Ltd. China.

Mr. Mulligan's award-winning blog can be found at http://www.talentinchina.com/, and features a guest roster of the world's leading HR thinkers. He is also a frequent contributor to Onrec, ERE, Netassets, SHRM and Recruiting dot com.

Born and raised in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Clare Cheng has lived and worked in New York City, Taipei & China and is now based in Shanghai, where she contributes more than 16 years of international branding and integrated marketing experience to both local and international clients.

After starting her advertising career at LLT in NYC in 1993 (key clients including MCI, Citibank, and New York Life), Ms. Cheng decided to return to her motherland in 1995, joining Ogilvy Advertising Taipei. She was then the Head of Brand Marketing Communication for Tower Records, Hachette Filipacchi, TVBS, and California Fitness center in Taiwan. In 2003, she moved to China to found the 4 IN GROUP- Brand Consulting.

Cheng specializes in creative branding and integrated marketing/PR programs, assisting multinational companies with their entry into Asia as well as assisting local brands with market launches, and has been acclaimed by major media in Taiwan, China & overseas as one of the leading creative brand marketing specialists in Asia. She is also a frequent speaker at Branding/ PR conference in China.

Ms. Cheng holds a M.A. in Marketing Communication from Boston University and a B.A. in Commercial Design from Chung Yuan University, Taiwan. She has also published three best-sellers, contributed to "The Economist: Business China," and occasionally writes lifestyle-columns for magazines in China.

David Turchetti leads 21 Communications, one of the leading mobile marketing agencies in Asia. Some of its key clients include Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, HP, Motorola, GE and BMW.

As CEO, David directs company strategy, including positioning 21 Communications within the fast moving markets of Asia, forging strategic partnerships with international marketing and technology firms and expanding revenue streams to ensure the company's long-term growth and success.

David's communications experience spans several fields. Before founding 21 Communications in 1999 he worked within the International Broadcasting Service (IBS) of Shanghai Television Station. In the United States David spent his early career as a speechwriter for US Secretary of State Warren Christopher. He began his career at an internet startup in San Francisco soon after completing his degree at U.C. Berkeley, where he graduated summa cum laude.

David currently serves on the Board of Directors of adTech and the Mobile Marketing Association APAC, and served two years on the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai. He is an active participant in business seminars and conferences. He speaks English, Italian and Mandarin Chinese and is a distance runner by hobby.

Andrew Hupert has spent the past five years as an independent management consultant and business writer in Shanghai, working with both local and multinational corporations on improving their sales, presentation, and leadership skills. He also regularly lectures on marketing, management, and strategy topics at various Shanghai business schools and universities.

Mr. Hupert first came to Asia in 1990 after receiving his MBA in International Finance from New York University Stern School of Management. He gained extensive senior sales and management experience with leading financial institutions in Taipei, Hong Kong, Kyoto and New York before he set up full time as an independent consultant and leadership coach in Shanghai.

Hupert publishes several websites and blogs concerned with coaching, executive performance and leadership in China. DiligenceChina.com focuses on issues of due diligence and negotiation in China, and is intended for investors and business people entering or expanding their presence in the China market. ChinaSolved.com addresses management issues for international managers already engaged in running a China-based operation. BestPracticesChina.com helps Chinese professionals and professionals in China become more successful at international marketing.

Kerry Kennedy is from Hawaii and has lived and worked in Asia for more than 20-years. He first visited Japan as a high-school student and studied at the University of Hawaii (Manoa), Sophia University in Tokyo and National Taiwan Normal University. He has more than 20-years of experience in media in the Asia Pacific - including print media, database / direct marketing, internet website development and now internet webcasting.

His previous company, Kennedy International Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) was one of Japan's first independent direct marketing agencies and conducted direct marketing for many of Japan's leading companies including American Express, Proctor-Gamble, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, General Motors Japan, Newsweek Magazine, Time Magazine and Northwest Airlines

Since doing his first webcasting in 1999 he has been one of Asia's leading pioneers in the development of streaming media / webcasting services through his websites, ITV-Asia and ITV-Japan.

ITV-Japan is now considered the largest content/video business portal in the Asia-Pacific region and contains more than 400 interviews on the subject of doing business in Japan. ITV-Japan is an official media partner of the American, British and Canadian chambers of commerce in Japan and the European Business Council (Japan).

As Design Leader for Haworth, Marc Fong had cultivated a varied and innovative portfolio of workplace furniture solutions. The highly sophisticated AllWays desk and storage system is among his creations and is distributed throughout Asia Pacific, Middle East and Latin America.

Marc Fong has designed furniture for the past 15 years with a passion for design and deep personal commitment to the environment. It was this combination of interests that led Marc to integrate the Design for Environment protocol while maintaining a design mentality. This saw the birth of a new generation of sustainable products, developed out of Haworth today.

Marc was born in Malaysia but spent most of his formative years in Australia where he studied Industrial Design at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Now residing in Shanghai, Marc enjoys reading non-fiction and cooking for his friends.

Considered a pioneer in China's Internet Word Of Mouth (IWOM) development, Sam Flemming has worked among the top Chinese Internet players in the field since 1996. In recent years, Flemming has guided key marketing agencies and brands in China on the subject. He is also a frequent speaker, lecturing on branding and marketing at conferences around China.

Before co-founding CIC, Flemming worked at Shanghai Huateng, a former joint venture of Tandem/Compaq Computers. Heading Corporate Communications and Business Development, he set in motion the launch of Chinapay.com which was eventually purchased by China Union Pay. He also cultivated strategic relationships with top international banks, including Citibank and HSBC.

Flemming earned a Master's Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA and a B.A. in Sociology and Religion from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.

A native English speaker, Sam Flemming has lived in Shanghai for 8 years and speaks Mandarin Chinese.

His blog can be found at http://www.seeisee.com/sam.

In 1987, Mr Couse began his career in property with De Groot Collis, a leading firm of surveyors in London focusing on City agency. He moved to Jones Lang LaSalle's City of London office in 1989, based in the firm's City Agency team; he relocated to Hong Kong in 1993 and to Shanghai in 2006. He is managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle's Shanghai Office.

Mr Couse is one of the most experienced commercial experts in Asia. His expertise covers marketing consultancy of major commercial developments, portfolio leasing, general market agency and tenant representation. He has worked on major projects in Hong Kong including Three Pacific Place, Charter House, Two ifc, Cheung Kong Centre, Times Square and Swire Properties' Island East portfolio.

Mr Couse holds a degree from the University of London and has attended a senior executive training programme at INSEAD, France.

Maria Trombly is founder and president of Trombly Ltd., an editorial process outsourcing company.

Clients include Securities Industry News, CardLine Global, Waters, Reed Elsevier's PharmAsia News, and dozens of other publications.

She has been based in Shanghai, China since March of 2004.

She was born Maria Viktorovna Korolyova in Leningrad, USSR and moved to the United states with her family in 1978. She graduated from Cornell University with a degree in mathematics in 1990. While still a student, she worked for the Cornell Daily Sun and the Ithaca Times. A cover story for the latter about town-gown relations won an honorable mention from the New York Press Association for best feature story of the year.

After graduation, she went on to cover the Lake County suburbs for the Chicago Tribune. A story on corporal punishment in the schools made the front page of the paper. Another, on the growing drug trade in Lake County, made page 3.

A year later, she went to Moscow, where she was a freelance war correspondent for UPI for several months before being hired as a reporter by the Moscow Tribune. Within two months, she was promoted to national editor.

Using her contacts with local journalists around the former Soviet Union, she put together a team of correspondents throughout the republics. A year later, she moved to Reuters to be able to spend more time in the field covering civil wars.

Her work took her to Chechnya, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia. She spent a month in the trenches with Abzhazian separatists, followed the Georgian guard as they looted and pillaged their way through Western Georgia during the civil war with the Zviadists, and was twice taken prisoner.

Family concerns sent her back to the U.S. in 1994, where she moved on to covering another type of revolution: the way the Internet is changing the way the world works. As a financial services writer for Computerworld, she was in the middle of the biggest change our economy has ever experienced.

Maria Trombly is active in the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2003, she received the society's President's Award for her work as the chair of the SPJ's International Journalism Committee. She is also past president of the New England Pro chapter of the SPJ.

Kerry Kennedy is from Hawaii and has lived and worked in Asia for more than 20-years. He first visited Japan as a high-school student and studied at the University of Hawaii (Manoa), Sophia University in Tokyo and National Taiwan Normal University. He has more than 20-years of experience in media in the Asia Pacific - including print media, database / direct marketing, internet website development and now internet webcasting.

His previous company, Kennedy International Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) was one of Japan's first independent direct marketing agencies and conducted direct marketing for many of Japan's leading companies including American Express, Proctor-Gamble, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, General Motors Japan, Newsweek Magazine, Time Magazine and Northwest Airlines

Since doing his first webcasting in 1999 he has been one of Asia's leading pioneers in the development of streaming media / webcasting services through his websites, ITV-Asia and ITV-Japan.

ITV-Japan is now considered the largest content/video business portal in the Asia-Pacific region and contains more than 400 interviews on the subject of doing business in Japan. ITV-Japan is an official media partner of the American, British and Canadian chambers of commerce in Japan and the European Business Council (Japan).