Date: November 17, 2022
Time: 09:00-10:15 UK Time/17:00-18:15 Beijing Time
Alongside the US, China is now the primary actor driving the global data landscape and shaping regional digitisation strategies. As countries in Asia and beyond look to develop their own digital capabilities, navigating the divergent digital strategies of key trading partners represents a major challenge.
Beijing has been keen on digitising its services in a manner that simultaneously preserves national economic and security interests while facilitating trade openness and safeguarding existing economic relations.
With these divergent digitisation strategies, the lack of standardised data regulations, and the ever-increasing ‘digital divide’ between the key actors, international businesses operate in an increasingly complex digital ecosystem, challenged by the relative lack of digital interoperability.
Organised by CKGSB in partnership with Asia House, this digital conference will explore China’s domestic digital transition, and its role in shaping regional and global digital transformations strategies. The virtual event, which will take place on Thursday 17 November, will also explore the challenges stemming from the relative lack of digital interoperability on international businesses.
Sun Tianshu is the Professor of Information Systems and Director of the Center for Technology, Big Data and Digital Transformation at CKGSB. He has been tenured at USC Marshall School of Business, held a joint appointment in Computer Science and been recognized with Robert R. Dockson Named Professorship.
Tianshu’s research is focused on digital transformation, digital technology, digital platform, and digital economy. His research conducted in collaboration with leading private and public sector organizations addresses how firms and governments can combine data analytics, field experiment, causal inference, machine learning, and economic models to improve business decisions and industry policies. He has worked closely with a variety of organizations including Facebook, Alibaba and Adobe. Many findings from these studies have been implemented by collaborating organizations.
Tianshu received his Bachelor in Physics from Nanjing University, and Master in Physics and PhD in Information Systems from University of Maryland.
Dr. Li is Associate Professor of Marketing at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. He received a Ph.D. in Marketing from Columbia University, a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University, and a B.S. in Electronics from Peking University. His research focuses on big data marketing analytics, with emphases related to pricing, consumer choice, and competitive strategy. Professor Li has published on leading academic journals such as Management Science, Marketing Science, and Journal of Marketing Research. At CKGSB, Dr. Li teaches marketing management to MBAs, EMBAs and Executive Education. He has also consulted for Tencent, Baidu and Yonghui Groups, and currently holds a US patent.
Roan Kang, Vice President for Microsoft and Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft Greater China Region (GCR), is in charge of establishing and executing product and marketing strategy as well as business operations in the region. In this role, he is also accountable for managing in China Global Accounts, Microsoft’s largest global multinational customers. Roan has also been the executive sponsor of Diversity and Inclusion in GCR for Microsoft since 2016.
Roan joined Microsoft in 2002. Prior to his current role in GCR, Roan was the General Manager of Marketing and Operations at Microsoft Taiwan, responsible for all of the products and services of Microsoft Taiwan and ensuring the effective operation of the subsidiary. At the same time, from 2015-2021, he also served as the AI and Internet of Things Lead (IoT) across the Microsoft Greater China Region, responsible for the strategy and promotion of Microsoft IoT solutions in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In 2017 he also served as the GCR Solutions Technical Unit Sales leader.
Previously, Roan served as the Office business group lead of Microsoft Japan. Prior to that, he was also the chief of staff for President of Microsoft International, Jean-Philippe Courtois, based in France. He began his career at Microsoft in the headquarters in Seattle, WA, as the executive speechwriter of Chairman Bill Gates, the worldwide launch lead of Office 2007, and the first worldwide product manager for Microsoft OneNote.
In 2015 he won a Platinum Circle of Excellence award, which is given to less than 1% of employees at Microsoft.
Roan received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and has an AB in East Asian Studies focused on the economic and political history of Modern China from Harvard University.
Anthony is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for IBM Middle East and Africa and based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is responsible for leading IBM’s most complex technology and engineering projects across the region and helping clients to leverage emerging technologies, such as AI, quantum, and blockchain,to transform their organisations, ecosystems and industries. He was previously the CTO for IBM’s Software business in Middle East and Africa providing technical leadership across the entire software portfolio with specific focus on artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud. Prior to that, he was technical leader charged with leading the establishment of IBM’s Cloud and AI businesses in the region. Anthony has held multiple global roles, including leading the global transformation of one of IBM’s largest natural resources sector clients, consulting to a global payments provider on new forms of digital payment, and developing a set of services offerings around digital currencies and crypto-assets. He is a member of IBM’s Academy of Technology, founder and chairman of MEA’s patent development board, and was appointed by the IBM Chairman and CEO as a Distinguished Engineer in recognition of sustained technical leadership across the company and his contribution to advancing the body of knowledge in blockchain and cognitive technologies. He holds multiple patents in the fields of blockchain, mobile payments, artificial intelligence, and security; and holds a Masters of Engineering from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology with a thesis in distributed systems.
