About the Event:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his first official visit recently as PM to China, Canada’s second-largest trading partner. Mr. Trudeau focused on economic and business dealings with China. In his post-G20 public remarks, he urged his peers to challenge protectionist attitudes that he said have been fuelling populist “divisive, fearful rhetoric” around the world. The Trudeau government also announced the signing of 56 deals with China worth over US$1.2 billion during this visit. This sets the stage for deepening economic collaboration, as well as sustained growth in foreign direct investment into Canada.

Meanwhile, China is a rapidly maturing economy, with GDP growth at over 6% per year.As outlined in its 13th Five Year Plan, China’s next stage of growth will be led by sectors such as advanced manufacturing, education, financial services and healthcare can tremendously benefit from advanced economies.In comparison, Canada is a country with competencies that can help China achieve further growth through innovation, higher efficiency, customer connectivity, change management and other expertise. Conversely, China's market is huge in size, albeit among the world's most competitive and disruptive.

What will be the trajectory of trade development and investment facilitation between China and Canada given the current close bilateral ties?

How are Canadian businesses taking advantage of new growth opportunities in China?

What should Chinese companies focus as they continue their efforts to go global, especially in having greater presence in Canada?

Join us at this exciting panel discussion!

 

Event Sponsor

Opening remarks by:

Jodi Robinson
Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner
Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao

Jodi Robinson joined Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in 2003 and was appointed to the position of Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner to the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong in August 2016.Prior to assuming this role, she was managing the Trade Policy section at Canada’s Embassy in Beijing for four years.Previous to her postings abroad, she held a number of positions within the Trade Policy and Negotiations Branch at GAC in Ottawa.These include the Bilateral Market Access Division, the Technical Barriers to Trade Division, and the North American Trade Division.Ms. Robinson has been involved in international trade negotiations, including the market access chapters for goods negotiations toward a Canada-Korea FTA, as well as regional negotiations involving the development of standards for both organic and biotech products, and bilateral negotiations involving specific market access issues.

Ms. Robinson is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts Honours in Political Studies, as well as the Australian National University, where she completed her Master of Arts in East Asian studies, with a specialization in Chinese political and economic affairs.

 

About the speakers:

John Gruetzner
Principal and Founder
Intercedent

John Gruetzner is the principal and founder of Intercedent, a Canadian business and investment advisory firm founded in 1988 and focused on Asia. Intercedent has offices in Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore. Before joining Intercedent in 1991, Mr. Gruetzner served as the head of the Canada China Trade Council in Beijing. Mr. Gruetzner has also worked for the National Broadcasting Corporation, De Laurentis Entertainment, and Filmline. Mr Gruetzner received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto and studied Mandarin Chinese at the University of Nankai in Tianjin.

Mr Gruetzner has a diverse range of skills related to conducting business in Asia including market entry and sales development, investment advisory, capital raising and corporate government engagement strategies.Mr. Gruetzner’ scurrent focus is on facilitating commercial transactions arising from China’s new outward investment policy.

Mr Gruetzner has lived and worked in China for over 30 years. During that period he has advised approximately 10% of the Fortune 500 in financial services, telecommunications, logistics and air express and resources and manufacturing. Clients have included Allstate, Federal Express, Motorola, General Motors, IBM, Lexmark, Siemens, Syngenta,Teck, Reinsurance Group of America etc.

He is a Director on a number of public and private sector Boards. He is also an Executive in Residence at the University of Manchester Business School. Mr. Gruetzner contributes articles to a number of publications and lectured at or to over 20 MBA Schools worldwide.Mr. Gruetzner is also the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Jump Foundation. He received a Medallion last year from the Governor General of Canada in recognition of his contribution to the bi-lateral relations between China and Canada.
He also advised World Wildlife Fund, the World Bank, the Export Development Corporation of Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency in China at a period when it provided development assistance to the State Council in China.
In addition to speaking Mandarin Chinese, Mr Gruetzner speaks and has worked in French and lived in France. And through doing many cross-border deals between Chinese, US, European and other Asian companies.

 

Ryan Reynoldson
Partner,Head of Transaction Services
KPMG China

Ryan provides transaction-related advice, due diligence support, technical accounting and structuring advice, negotiation support , SPA assistance and strategic advice.
Ryan’s clients include multinational companies and private equity funds making investments in the Greater China and the Asia Pacific region, as well as Chinese State-owned and privately-owned enterprises making investments in the North American, European and Middle East markets. In addition to advising clients on large and complex M&A transactions, Ryan acts as a sounding board to many of the firms clients in relation to their M&A and investment activities in his role as the national Transaction Services leader.

Ryan is the national partner-in-charge of KPMG China’s Transaction Services practice, with offices in in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chongqing. Ryan previously had regional management responsibilities for KPMG China’s Transactions & Restructuring practice in the Eastern and Western China Region (including Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou),and prior to that for the Beijing and the Northern China Region.

Prior to relocating to China in 2002, Ryan had more than five years experience in KPMG USA’s Transaction Services practice, providing advisory services for multinationals and private equity investors on cross-border transactions in North America, Europe and Asia.

 

Bing Lin
Managing Director
CM Asset management (Hong Kong) Company Limited

Bing LIN has 14 years of investment experience and has worked in multiple investment firms as a fund manager, including Alpine River Capital, Keywise Capital, MICH Investments Limited, and State Street Global Advisors. He has also worked for Joho Capital LLC in New York. Before that, he was a CPA with Ernst & Young LLP in the U.S for 3 years. Mr. Lin has actively participated in various community work. He is an Executive Committee Member of Shanghai Finance Youth Association and an Adjunct Professor at Peking University in Accounting. He graduated from Harvard Business School in 2002 with an MBA degree.Together with his M.S. Degree in Accounting from Kent State University, Mr. Lin has deep knowledge on finance and accounting.

 

About the moderator:

Bernard Pouliot
Chairman
Quam Limited

Bernard Pouliot is Chairman of Quam Limited, a public company listed in Hong Kong with operations in Hong Kong, and associates in Dubai, Tokyo, Bangkok and China.
Quam Limited is an integrated financial services group active in the fields of corporate finance, securities and futures trading and asset management.

Mr. Pouliot has over 35 years’ experience in investment, finance, and corporate development. He is a founding member and Chairman of the Global Alliance Partners (GAP) network offering clients research and placement capability along with a wider platform for trading opportunities across different markets. Prior to joining Quam, Mr. Pouliot served as Group Managing Director of another publicly traded firm in Hong Kong and served as Vice President and Hong Kong Branch Manager of a Canadian Bank involved in corporate lending. Mr. Pouliot currently serves as Director of a number of companies located in Hong Kong and overseas.

Mr. Pouliot is a Trustee for Outward Bound and serves as a Director of the Alliance Française and HK Theatre Association in Hong Kong. Mr. Pouliot served as President and then Chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong from 2005 to 2007.

Mr. Pouliot holds a degree in Business Administration from the Universite du Quebec a Rimouski in Canada.