7th Annual How to Do Business in the Pacific Rim

Master of Ceremonies

Lia Nitake, Public Policy manager, CalAsian Chamber of Commerce. Lnitake@calasiancc.org

Lia Nitake is the Manager of Public Policy at the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce. She is responsible for managing and executing the Chamber’s strategy around policies that affect the Asian Pacific Islander (API) and business community throughout the state of California. Prior to joining the Chamber, Lia served as an international development policy specialist at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. In this role, she worked on policy analysis and advisory in the Global Water Practice, focusing on climate change and gender issues in the water sector. Lia has served as a Junior Research Fellow at Carnegie Europe, analyzing European foreign policy issues including economic integration in Southeast Asia and trade policy in Eastern Europe. She also has experience at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Lia sits on the board of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA) Greater Sacramento Chapter. She holds an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. in International Studies from California State University Long Beach.

Welcome Remarks

Ms. Yim-Yu Wong, Interim Dean, San Francisco State University, College of Business. yywong@sfsu.edu

Yim-Yu Wong joined San Francisco State as an associate professor in 1995 and became chair of the Department of International Business at the College of Business from 2000 to 2003 and 2008 to 2016. She is an active member of the SF State University community. She served as a member of the Strategic Plan Coordinating Committee and co-chair of the College of Business Strategic Planning Task Force in 2015. Yim-Yu is positioned to realize the college’s vision and implement the strategic plan.

Mr. Tim Yamauchi, Board Member of CalAsian Chamber of Commerce, Dean’s Advisory Board for SF State. timyama@gmail.com

Tim Yamauchi has 30+ years of experience in Strategy Development, Business Innovation Initiatives and Capital Raising. Tim’s has” C- Level” experience in many functions including operations, finance, accounting, risk management, marketing, sales, procurement and corporate development. His financing experience includes public security offerings (including IPO’s and secondary offerings), venture capital financing, joint ventures, various types of commercial bank financing, start-up companies, debt restructuring and mergers and acquisitions. He has taken a leading role in several successful start-ups and early stage companies among those are: Stockpoint, a provider of online financial applications (now News Corp, NYSE: NWS), Total Pharmaceutical Care, a home health care service company (now Apria Health Group, NYSE: AHG) and Health Data Insights, a provider of health data mining solutions (now HMS Holdings NASDAQ: HMSY). Tim is a CPA (inactive) and holds a Harvard MBA.

Keynote Speakers

Keynote 1 Topic: Global E-Commerce and Website Optimization

James Bledsoe, Director of the U.S. Commercial Service E-Commerce Innovation Center, U.S. Commercial Service International Trade Administration (ITA) James.Bledsoe@trade.gov

James Bledsoe is the Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce- U.S. Commercial Service’s eCommerce Innovation Lab (EIL), based out of Tacoma Washington. James is a U.S. Air Force veteran (’99-’10) and holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS), where his focus was China’s heavy and light industries and market access; James also holds an undergraduate degree (B.A.) in China Studies from Washington State University. The eCommerce Innovation Lab (EIL) is an office within the U.S. Department of Commerce's U.S. Commercial Service, which focuses on advancing the expertise and knowledge of cross-border ecommerce and digital strategy among all U.S. small and medium-sized businesses. Visit eCommerce Resources on Official Website of the International Trade Administration for more information.

Keynote 2 Topic: Export with Sam’s Club

Pritpal Thind, Senior Export Manager for Walmart/Sam’s Club Pritpal.Thind@samsclub.com

Paul Thind is the Senior Export Manager for Walmart/Sam’s Club and has 10+ years of experience in Exporting and Importing. Paul and his team are responsible for all Export trading with Walmart/Sam’s Club for the Western Division. He is based out of Sacramento CA and has a Master’s degree in Business from Sacramento State university. Paul and his team are responsible for growing the Export business and have yearly revenue of over $500 million in California. Paul is very passionate in helping new exporters by educating and training them on the wonderful world of Exporting.

Breakout Sessions

Panel 1: Tools and Resources Conference Room 1: Please refer to the onsite signage. Topic: Learn about tools, processes and resources to assist with international trade and business expansion to Asia Market.

Moderator Mr. Douglas Wallace, Director, U.S. Export Assistance Center San Francisco, U.S. Commercial Service. douglas.wallace@trade.gov

Douglas Wallace is the Director of the U.S. Export Assistance Center in San Francisco. Prior to this position, Douglas was a U.S. diplomat in the Senior Foreign Service with rank of Counselor who served at the U.S. Consulate in Sydney, Australia as Commercial Counselor, where he managed a dynamic, high profile Commercial Service operation based throughout Australia and New Zealand. Throughout his career in the Foreign Service, Mr. Wallace has been responsible for promoting U.S. business interests abroad, partnering U.S. firms with foreign agents and distributors, and conducting commercial diplomacy to resolve trade problems and increase market entry for U.S. goods abroad.
Mr. Wallace’s previous assignments include:

• Commercial Counselor for Saudi Arabia– U.S. Embassy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2015-17)
• Commercial Counselor for North Africa – U.S. Consulate, Casablanca, Morocco (2013-15)
• Senior Trade Specialist – U.S. Export Assistance Center, San Francisco, CA (2010-13)
• Senior Commercial Officer – U.S. Embassy, Algiers, Algeria (2008-10)
• Deputy Senior Commercial Officer – U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, Israel (2005-08)
• Principal Commercial Officer – U.S. Consulate Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2004-05)
• Commercial Officer – U.S. Embassy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2003-04)

From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Wallace worked in the Commerce Department’s Office of Africa where he contributed to U.S. trade policy in West and Central Africa. Before working for the U.S. Government, Douglas taught English in Tunisia and studied advanced-level Arabic at the American University in Cairo. Mr. Wallace earned an MA in international economics at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a dual BA in Near Eastern Studies and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Douglas is married, a proud California native, and speaks advanced-level Arabic and French.

Panelists

Mr. Jeff Deiss, Regional Export Finance Manager-Northern California, US Small Business Administration, Office of International Trade. jeff.deiss@sba.gov

Jeff Deiss is a Regional Export Finance Manager with the US Small Business Administration (SBA), a position he has held since 2011. He works with exporters and commercial lenders in northern and central California to find export financing solutions for small businesses. Prior to joining SBA, Jeff was involved in commercial lending at USDA Rural Development where he was responsible for delivering a variety of financing programs to address the needs of rural communities. Jeff holds an MS and BS from the University of California Davis, and a BA from Claremont McKenna College.

Ms. Claire Gao, Senior Manager, Chief of Staff, American/Chinese Services Group, Deloitte LLP clgao@deloitte.com

Claire Gao is the Chief-of-Staff of the Deloitte Americas/US Chinese Services Group (CSG). In this role, she supports the Americas/US National CSG Leader to form and execute China strategies for the Deloitte Americas region and the US Group. She oversees the CSG team and works closely with the Deloitte experts to bring the cross-border services seamlessly to clients. Prior to assuming her current role, Claire was a manager at the Advisory practice of Deloitte and specialized in enterprise risk management and finance transformation advisory services. Overalll, she has around 18 years of international working experience and had served private and public clients in various industries and locations and managed different engagement teams with diverse backgrounds. Claire holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Economics and Management School of Tsinghua University and received her MBA degree from the Wharton school, University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Deep SenGupta, Founder & CEO of DSG Global, LLC. deep@dsgglobal.com

Deep SenGupta is the founder and chief executive officer of DSG Global, LLC (www.dsgglobal.com). DSG Global, LLC is a premier management consulting firm helping companies understand international trade rules on a worldwide basis. Deep is also the Founder of DSG Global Academy, which provides global business educational services. Prior to founding DSG Global, Deep led the global trade consulting practices for FedEx from 2002-2014 and was with KPMG’s Asia Pacific Tax & Customs practice from 1997-2000. Deep obtained his initial legal education in India (BA and LLB), arrived in the USA for his Masters in Law-Taxation (LL.M) from the University of Washington and received executive education on International Trade from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Deep was appointed by 4 successive U.S Secretaries of Commerce to serve on the District Export Council of Northern California (NorCal DEC). He is passionate about assisting companies explore international markets.

Mr. John Yung, Partner of Lewis Brisbois. john.yung@lewisbrisbois.com

John Yung is a partner in the Sacramento office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the corporate, finance and securities practice. John focuses his practice on corporate, securities, and international business matters with a particular emphasis on assisting Chinese companies access U.S. capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and cross-border transactions. With more than a decade representing publicly traded and private companies, John has extensive experience in a variety of financing transactions, including venture capital, private equity, secured debt, public offerings, private investment in public equity, and follow-on and secondary financings. Lewis Brisbois is the largest California-based law firm, the largest firm in Los Angeles County, and the 9th largest U.S. law firm. A full-service law firm, with more than 1,200 attorneys and offices in 42 cities and 26 states, Lewis Brisbois’ national practice is sophisticated, multi-faceted, and well-versed in current legal trends, while its individual state practices provide vast resources and knowledge of procedural and legal nuance.

Panel 2: Asian Business Outlook Conference Room 2: Please refer to the onsite signage. Topic: Learn about in country market research and insights, business trends and opportunities.

Moderator Ms. Nini Yang, Professor and Department Chair, International Business Dept. San Francisco State University, College of Business. nyang@sfsu.edu

Dr. Nini Yang is Professor and Department Chair of International Business at San Francisco State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Management and an M.A. in American Studies from State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY–Buffalo). She is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar to South Africa (2001), an Oxford University Resident (U.K., 2004), and China Resident Director (2012-13) for California State University International Programs centered at Peking University, Beijing, China. Her research covers globalization and cross-cultural management issues, such as corporate social responsibility and strategic options, SMEs and international entrepreneurship, cultural relativity of employee motivation, work-family interfaces in culturally distinct societies, gender equity and career trends, comparative industrial relations, and the changing landscape of higher education in the global economy. Her publications can be found in refereed journals, including Academy of Management Journal (AMJ), and six cooperative books. Dr. Yang has expansive teaching experiences through three state university systems (New York, Georgia, and California), and has also taught as a guest professor in Europe, Africa, and China. Her main areas of teaching include international business, comparative management, international human resource management, and global strategic management. In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Yang is actively engaged in professional services, consulting, and executive training and development programs. She has served on several ETS program committees (Educational Testing Services, headquartered in Princeton, NJ), including the College Level Examination Program for Principles of Management, Multi Fields Tests in Business, and GMAT. She provides book reviews and research paper reviews on a regular basis for a variety of publishers, refereed journals, and academic conferences.

Panelists

Mr. Meg Bo Kyung Bang, Manager of Kotra Silicon Valley. megbkbang@kotrasv.org

Meg Bo Kyung Bang is the Business Development and Project Manager of Kotra Silicon Valley. He is dynamic and results-oriented professional with more than 8 years of comprehensive experience leading global supply chain and product marketing for diverse companies in fast-paced, high-tech, and competitive industries including Automotive, Electronics, and Consumer Items. KOTRA (Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) is a state-funded trade and investment promotion organization operated by the Government of South Korea since 1962. It has facilitated Korea's rapid export-led economic development through various trade promotion activities such as overseas market surveys, SME export promotion, trade info services, government-to-gov't export, foreign investment in Korea (FDI) promotion and business matchmaking.

Mr. Chris Lo, Director of Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Los Angeles. chris.yf.lo@hktdc.org

As Director, Los Angeles of the HKTDC, Chris Lo is responsible for facilitating enterprises and traders in the United States to invest, trade and do business in Asia, particularly in China, through partnership with Hong Kong business community. His portfolio covers the HKTDC’s trade programs and operations in the West Coast of the United States. Chris joined the HKTDC in 2000 and has proven experience in directing trade and investment promotion for various prioritized manufacturing sectors, financial services, tech commercialization, infrastructure investment as well as real estate-related services. He was posted to the HKTDC Paris Office from 2005-07 as Marketing Manager. Prior to his current role, Chris led HKTDC’s promotion of Hong Kong’s creative industries including design, advertising and marketing services, and was actively engaged in capacity building program for Chinese mainland enterprises to upgrade and transform. Chris also worked for the United Nations, the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Hong Kong Tourism Board specializing in trade development, city branding and development.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Chris earned a master degree in public affairs (MPA) from the Institute d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and a master degree in e-business from Curtin University Australia. He is an amateur trail-runner, cyclist and an enthusiast in art and wine. HKTDC is a statutory organization responsible for promoting multilateral trade and investment for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a global network of 46 offices and is the organizer of over 30 international trade exhibitions, among which 5 are the world’s largest in scale. HKTDC also organize global conferences such as Asian Financial Forum, Belt and Road Summit, Business of IP Asia Forum, Asian E-tailing Conference, Asian Logistic and Maritime Conference etc.

Mr. Roblyn Simeon, Professor, International Business Dept. San Francisco State University, College of Business rsimeon@sfsu.edu

Before beginning his academic career, Professor Roblyn Simeon worked for several years on Wall Street and in Tokyo as a financial & securities analyst for American Express, Daiwa Securities and Swiss Bank (SBCI now UBS). He has also periodically engaged in business consulting activities. Professor Simeon has done research/taught at Kansai University (Japan), Waseda University (Japan), IAE, University of Nice (France), University of California, Berkeley (UCB), and San Francisco State University (SFSU). Professor Simeon has also published research covering topics such as online wine marketing, web-site evaluation strategies (AIPD), expatriate cross-cultural adjustment, popular culture branding, corporate governance & firm performance, international career management, diversity and information processing, venture business and organizational learning. His book entitled "Working in the Global Economy: how to manage your career across borders" (2013) explores international career development and reflects issues related to the global competition for talent and the increasing mobility of skilled workers. Over the years at SFSU, Professor Simeon has taught courses in comparative management, international business, strategic management, Japanese managerial strategies, emerging market business strategies, and international career dynamics. His most recent research covers wine markets in Asia, airline frequent flyer programs and career development in emerging markets.

Mr. Buddy Ungson, Y.F Chang Endowed Chair & Professor, International Business Dept. San Francisco State University, College of Business. bungson@sfsu.edu

Gerardo R. Ungson is the Y.F. Chang Endowed Chair and Professor of International Business at SF State since 2002. He also held a position as a Non-Resident Senior Resident Fellow with SKOLKOVO Institute for Emerging Market Studies in Beijing. His most recent research covers strategies in emerging and developing markets, poverty alleviation, ecological labelling, and website characteristics. He has co-authored nine books, including Rough Diamonds: For Successful Traits of Breakout Firms in BRIC (with Seung Ho Park and Nan Zhou) published in 2013 that was awarded the 2013 Best Book on Globalization by the Strategy + Business Journal. His recent book on emerging markets, co-authored with Seung Ho Park and Andrew Cosgrove, Scaling the Tail: Profitable Growth in Emerging Markets, was published by Palgrave- MacMillan in 2015. The third part of the book-series, ASEAN Champions: Stalwarts of Regional Integration, co-authored with Seung Ho Park and Jamil Paolo Francisco was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017. Since 2005, he has been working with Dr. Sixto K. Roxas on the transformation of communities and its impact on global poverty and ecological degradation.

Host Sponsor

CalAsian Chamber Circle of Excellence

Gold

Delta Airlines

Silver

Union Bank

Partner

Deloitte