Keynotes (Tentative)
Jeffrey Shafer Vice Chairman of Global Banking
|
Jeffrey R. Shafer is the Vice Chairman of Citi's Global Banking and Senior Asia Pacific Officer in New York where he is responsible for key Asia Pacific government and corporate client relationships. Mr. Shafer was previously the Head of Economic and Political Strategies, which was responsible for identification and analysis of key global economic and political issues. Since joining the firm in February 1997, Mr. Shafer has worked with governments in Asia, Latin America and Europe on financial stabilization, liability management, debt issuance and privatization. In February 1999, he took on the role of Head of Privatization for the firm, and in 2003, became Vice Chairman of the Public Sector Group. While directing Citigroup's privatization effort, he has personally worked closely with governments around the world, including France (Credit Lyonnais), Japan (NTT), Korea (POSCO), India (VSNL), and China (China Life). He has also been involved in landmark sovereign and quasi-sovereign bond transactions for Korea, Turkey, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Shafer was Assistant Secretary and subsequently Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for International Affairs. At the Treasury Department, he was responsible for international economic and financial issues, focusing on strengthening economic growth and financial stability in both developed and developing countries, fostering financial market development and liberalization, and strengthening the IMF and multilateral development banks. He was also responsible for the inter-agency CFIUS process to review foreign investment in the United States. From 1984 until 1993, Mr. Shafer held a series of high-level positions at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Prior to the OECD, he served with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Federal Reserve Board and the Council of Economic Advisors. Mr. Shafer holds a B.A. in Economics from Princeton University and M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from Yale University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. |
Rick Helfenbein President
|
Mr. Helfenbein has over 30 years of experience in the apparel and textile industries and has held key executive positions within the Americas and Asia. He currently serves as the President of all USA operations for Luen Thai Holdings Limited. In this capacity, he is responsible for the operations of the Luen Thai USA Companies in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and California. Luen Thai is the largest publicly listed apparel supply chain services company on the Hong Kong Exchange. Customers include Polo Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Dillards, Banana Republic, Underarmour, Victoria's Secret, Macys, Ann Taylor, Adidas, and Uniqlo in Japan. In previous years, Mr. Helfenbein has been credited with numerous achievements leading to the success of various apparel brands such as the launch of the Le Tigre brand, as well as marketing famous basketball star Wilt Chamberlain, representing "big" and "tall" product to the American market. In 1990 he helped engineer the split between the IZOD brand and Lacoste. Mr. Helfenbein also introduced Burlington Industries into the apparel manufacturing segment. In addition, he has served on the management boards of Campus Sportswear (Le Tigre), Crystal Brands (Lacoste), and the Board of Blythedale Children's Hospital in New York. He currently sits on the Executive Committee and Board of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the Fashion Advisory Board of the University of Arkansas, and the Board of The Greyston Foundation. As the apparel business has shifted strategies, Mr. Helfenbein has been a pioneer in sourcing restructure and quick response. In 1984, with direction from the Reagan Administration, he was first into Haiti with the Caribbean Basin Initiative. Following successful expansion into Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, he ventured into Mexico under North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In 2009, Mr. Helfenbein has returned to Haiti with a group of potential investors, in an attempt to help revitalize the Haitian Economy. Mr. Helfenbein has been an active part of the Luen Thai team that was created to establish China 's first Supply Chain City for the USA Apparel Industries. This extraordinarily creative enterprise follows the business model of the footwear industry, to establish a mega complex that centralizes all the functions of an often small and segmented apparel industry. Today, Supply Chain City is one of the largest, most efficient, state of the art apparel manufacturing facilities in Asia . Mr. Helfenbein holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the Wharton Business School. Every year, he participates in the Consortium for Operational Excellence in Retailing at Wharton and Harvard, and often lectures at distinguished Universities and industry conferences on the subjects of International trade and supply chain management. |
Huagang Zhang President
|
Mr. Zhang Huagang is the key member of the Board of Directors and the President of Gemdale Corporation. Mr. Zhang has been serving in the position since March 1999 and is in charge of the overall business operation in Gemdale. He began his career in Gemdale Corporation in 1993. Since then, Mr. Zhang has held a series of leadership positions, including Vice President for Strategy and the Business Development, CFO overlooking affairs of overall corporate finance. Mr. Zhang has been playing a key role in creating and leading Gemdale's expansion and growth, boosting the corporate management practice and brand, building the largest developer of residential specialization in the industry, as well as pioneering the new form of Real Estate Funds. Mr. Zhang is a Senior Economist and has an MBA from the School of Management, State University of New York in Buffalo. In recognition of his leadership role and contribution to the industry, he was elected as the Vice President of the Shenzhen Real Estate Association (SREA). Mr. Zhang was also honored for his business accomplishments and was awarded the "Top 10 Leaders in China Real Estate" in 2004. |
Philip Yun CEO
|
Philip Yun joined ijji.com in December 2004 and has since been an integral part of the company's successful launch into North America, including establishing the popular game portal, which is focused on providing quality, hardcore gaming content in a free-to-play model. In 2008, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the company. As a veteran in the gaming, online entertainment and software development industries with a decade of experience, Philip continues to find new and exciting ways to deliver compelling and engaging entertainment to the public. Prior to ijji.com, Philip turned his passion for gaming into a career with Sony Computer Entertainment Korea where he managed the PlayStation business, marketing and publishing. Before that he was a project leader and software engineer for ISIS Korea Inc., a subsidiary of IBM Korea. Philip earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Seoul National University. He's a borderline addicted gamer, but always makes time to be with his lovely wife Soo Kim, with whom he has two adorable twin girls, Isabelle and Helen. |
Wharton Asia Business Conference Sponsors
