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About the Event:
 

Digital technology is playing an increasingly significant and disruptive role in shaping corporate strategies. Moreover, start-ups and entrepreneurs are leapfrogging the corporates in their ability to leverage on innovation and technology to create competitive differentiation.
 
The property sector is one of the industries in which ample opportunities exist for innovation as well as differentiation of products and services. To survive and prosper, corporates must adjust their business strategies and adopt new business models.
 
We will discuss how businesses in the property sector can harness technology innovation to achieve competitive advantage. We will also investigate how businesses can leverage the latest disruptive technologies in content, social, mobile, marketing and other areas to achieve professional benefits.
 
How are property industry players taking advantage of the new opportunities provided by disruptive technologies? Conversely, what can corporates do to cope with the onslaught of these technologies which are undermining the existing business models? In what way can corporates collaborate with or integrate with innovative start-ups and entrepreneurs?  Join us at this exciting panel discussion.

About the Speakers:

Torsten Duwenhorst
Partner, Head of Data & Analytics, KPMG China

Torsten is a Partner of KPMG China, and the Head of Data & Analytics. He is also the Asia Pacific Head of Forensic technology. Torsten has lived and worked in greater China for the last 16 years and served MNC corporates in the litigation support, IT forensic investigation and forensic data analytics space.
 
As the regional lead partner for Forensic technology Torsten works with teams across the region to integrate technology and seamless services delivery across the region. 

In his role as the lead for the Data & Analytics, Torsten works with KPMG client lead and sector lead partners across the firm to support ongoing engagements with the appropriate analytics solution and approach. Torsten supports the firm to identify startups and new technology that are relevant to KPMG and our clients. Together with KPMG Capital, KPMG’s global investment fund, Torsten then supports K-Cap in evaluating these with a view to invest. Torsten is also a member of the global Data & Analytics steering committee for KPMG‘s Global Strategic Growth Initiative Data & Analytics. which is dedicated to developing and bringing advance and sophisticated analytics solutions and capabilities to clients as a trusted advisor.

Gary Tom
President, Walton International Group Ltd.

Gary is responsible for all aspects of Hong Kong and Singapore operations, including developing strategies and managing operational and sales duties while ensuring profitability through controlling budgets and expenses and also ensuring that sales investments and revenue continue to be generated.
 
Gary joined the Walton Group of Companies (Walton) in 2000 in a sales and marketing capacity, tasked with the development of marketing materials in addition to representing Walton investments to potential investors and distribution channels. 
 
In 2005, Gary was a part of the leadership group in Canada that oversaw the transition to security investments. Three years later, he relocated to Hong Kong and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and was subsequently promoted to President in June 2012. In January 2016, Gary’s portfolio was expanded to include the Singapore operations, where he now ably leads and manages a staff strength of almost 200 employees.

Sam Van Horebeek
Founder & CEO, Eastwestproperty.com

Sam Van Horebeek is the founder of Eastwestproperty.com - an online marketplace connecting buyers in Asia with properties throughout the US. The platform provides a “buy side” service in which analytics are used to provide independent advice to buyers in Asia.  The firm has been quoted in CNBC, Bloomberg, The New York Times, South China Morning Post and other media channels.
 
Prior to launching East-West Property, Sam worked in Deloitte Consulting and JPMorganChase. Sam has an MBA degree from Cornell University.

Colin Pritchard
COO & Co-Founder, www.interactivestudios.ca

Colin A. Pritchard is the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of InteractiveStudios Inc., a Canadian technology startup. InteractiveStudios Inc. specializes in providing technology driven solutions for improving large facility property management. Colin is currently operating out of Cyberport in Hong Kong and has a team working out of Ottawa, Ontario. He is a serial entrepreneur, starting his first business at the age of 14. After riding the entrepreneurial roller coaster of successes and failures for over 10 years, he is taking the next step to scale InteractiveStudios Inc. globally.

About the Moderator:

Christopher Dillon
Award-Winning Writer & Entrepreneur

Christopher Dillon is an award-winning writer and entrepreneur based in Hong Kong.

In 2002, he bought and renovated a floor in an office building in Hong Kong’s Central business district. Since then, he has purchased and refurbished a luxury apartment on the west side of Hong Kong Island and transformed a derelict steam laundry into a multimedia studio.
 
That experience inspired four books: Landed Hong Kong (2008), Landed Japan (2010), Landed China (2013) and Landed Global (2014), which includes case studies and data from more than 110 countries and territories. In 2015, he released an expanded and revised edition of Landed Hong Kong.
 
A native of Canada, Dillon lived in Tokyo from 1989 to 1992, when he moved to Hong Kong. Since 2012, he has served on the management committee of a 210-unit apartment complex in Hong Kong. He appears regularly in the international media, as both a contributor and a guest.

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