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Ioana has been based in Shanghai since 2003 where she worked for the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (European Chamber) from 2004 to 2022. From 2009 to 2022 she served as General Manager of the Chamber’s Shanghai Chapter and was responsible for implementation and development of European Chamber objectives, visibility, and advocacy activities on a regional level in Shanghai and neighbouring regions.

Ioana is currently an Associate Director with X-PM Transition Partners, a leading European Executive Interim and Transition Management firm with teams in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. X-PM is part of the WIL group, a network of 13 firms operating in 35 countries that deliver interim and transition solutions to clients around the world and offers a unique international “multi-sourcing” model that leverages the assets of each member firm and ensures the best assignments globally.

A German-qualified lawyer, Ioana practiced with a German law firm in Shanghai from 2003 and 2004. She also holds a PhD degree in law from Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, where she worked from 1999 to 2003 as a Senior Research Assistant focussing on the areas of Civil Law, Insurance Law, Comparative Law, International Private Law and Labour Law.

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Alain Le Couédic is a Partner at Roland Berger Greater China. He leads Roland Berger's Greater China Financial Services practice, and co-leads its Asia FS practice.

Alain has over 23 years of professional consulting experience, and has been based in Hong Kong for the past 20 years. During this time, Alain has helped clients solve issues related to strategy, organization, operations, merger & acquisitions, and private equity investments. His track record includes successful assignments for both multinational and local clients in the retail banking, corporate & investment banking, private banking & wealth management, asset management, insurance and securities industries.

He is also an expert on organization topics: organization design, organization effectiveness and efficiency. Prior to joining Roland Berger, Alain was a Partner and Managing Director of another leading international consulting firm in their Financial Institutions Practice, and also led that firm’s organization practice in Greater China.

Previously, Alain worked as a consultant at a global consulting firm in its New York and Hong Kong offices. Alain holds an MBA from Columbia Business School (New York) and an MS (Ingénieur degree) from AgroParisTech (Paris)."

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Jeanette Yu is Partner and head of Employment & Pensions Practice Area Group of CMS, China. She has more than 20 years’ experience in providing advice for international companies on labour law issues and compliance management. Her extensive track record comprises recruitment and dismissal of employees, formulating employee handbooks and implementing its policies, work permits and visa issues of expatriates, international secondment, data privacy, non-competition, social security, trade union and labour disputes. She has also been involved in significant projects of business transactions and restructuring, advising clients on employee transfer, relocation and lay-off of employees as well as negotiation of employment contracts and separation agreements.
Since 2017, Jeanette has been acting as the National Chair/Vice Chair of HR Working Group of European Chamber of Commerce in China. This year Jeanette was elected as the National Chair of HR Working Group of European Chamber of Commerce in China.
Starting from 2017, Jeanette acted as the Vice Chair of HR Working Group of European Chamber of Commerce in China, and the Chair in 2019. Jeanette is also a member of Shanghai Law Society Labour and Social Security Law Research Branch.

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Founder and Managing Partner of D’Andrea & Partners Legal Counsel, and Founder of DP Group.
Graduated in Law at the University of Teramo (Italy), he then subsequently obtained a Masters’ degree in Corporate Advisor at LUISS University in Rome and a Diploma in Chinese Studies at Nanjing Normal University and is a member of the Italian Bar Association.
Mr. D’Andrea arrived in China in 2005 and is fluent in Italian (mother tongue), English, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. He mainly deals with cross-border mergers and acquisitions, assistance in ODI/FDI and intellectual property rights.
He is also acting as National Vice President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

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Thilo Zimmermann is the General Manager of SEB Shanghai Branch since January 2019. SEB is a leading Nordic financial services group with a strong belief that entrepreneurial minds and innovative companies are key in creating a better world. Zimmermann joined SEB eighteen years ago and has wide experience in heading different teams within the bank.

Prior to that, Zimmermann worked at ING and Deutsche Bank back in Germany. Thilo speaks German, English, French and some Mandarin.