China – Australia Business Workshop

Date and Time: April 16^th, 2018, 13:30 – 14:00

Address: East Chang An Ave, Oriental Plaza, E3-12FL

Language: English and Chinese, with simultaneous translation

To RSVP: please email Renee Rong at xrong@ckgsb.edu.cn

Lisa Renkin

Deputy Commissioner for Victoria in China

Lisa Renkin took up her appointment as the Deputy Commissioner for Victoria in China in April 2017. Based in Chengdu, Lisa supports the Commissioner and represents Victoria’s interests in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Lisa has worked in strategic and technical leadership roles in China since 2003, managing teams and establishing commercial and program structures in both the mainland and in Hong Kong SAR.

Before taking up this role with the Victorian Government, Lisa was Manager of International Initiatives and Head of the China program for the Burnet Institute, leading the development and implementation of an integrated public health and biotech initiative with an emphasis upon Western China.

Lisa was also Vice President of the Victorian branch of the Australia China Business Council (ACBC) and chair of its Health & Medical Research working group. Lisa holds an Adjunct position with Monash University as a Senior Lecturer and routinely undertakes teaching programs and student supervision in post-graduate courses.

Lisa’s international expertise spans twenty years of responding to health, humanitarian, development and commercial priorities, with a focus on effective programmatic and health systems strengthening initiatives throughout the developing world.

Lisa has previously lived and/or worked for extended periods of time in South Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, PNG, and in China: Yunnan, Xinjiang, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Hong Kong SAR and Beijing. Lisa speaks Mandarin.

Teng Bingsheng,

Professor of Strategic Management and Associate Dean for CKGSB Europe and Asia

Teng Bingsheng is Professor of Strategic Management at CKGSB and the Associate Dean for CKGSB Europe and Asia. He formerly served as a tenured Professor of Strategic Management at George Washington University (GWU), where he was a doctoral advisor and lead professor of the departmental doctoral program.

Teng has published over 20 articles in academic journals including Academy of Management Review and Organization Science. His research is included in most textbooks on strategic management.

An authority on strategic alliances, he has been interviewed by media such as The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

Teng is a member of the Academy of Management and serves on the editorial board of International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal. He has received many awards for his research, including the Wendell and Louis Crain Research Scholar at the GWU School of Business. His biography appears in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Higher Education.

Ylva Carosone

Director of Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, Australian Victorian Government

Ylva Carosone is the Executive Director of the International Coordination Office (ICO), within the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR). Commencing the role in June 2012, she has since led the coordination of the Department’s international engagement priorities to support trade, investment and whole-of-government outcomes. This includes responsibility for the network of twenty one international Victorian Government Trade and Investment (VGTI) offices, twelve of which are in Asia. Her team is also responsible for building the Asia-capabilities of public servants in trade and investment, as well as the Hamer Scholarship program to China, Korea, Japan and Indonesia.

Ylva has more than fifteen years’ experience in the public service, including previous roles in investment facilitation, science and technology policy and as an advisor to the Secretary.

Liu Nan

Founder and CEO of Mia

Liu Nan created the first Chinese flash sales platform for imported maternity & infant products. The business is a success as Chinese parents increasingly shop for safer products for their babies through online platforms. In just 3 years, she has increased Mia’s gross merchandize volumne to an impressive 500 million. The company has completed 4 rounds of financing and is valued at over 10 billion RMB. In 2015, Forbes named Mia the “the Unicorn Enterprise”.

Catherine Cervasio

CEO of AROMABABY Natural Skincare

Catherine Cervasio is a business woman with experience in the areas of presenting, writing, natural personal care (product development, consultancy and education), baby products, international trade, marketing and branding, spanning over two decades. She is a published freelance writer across a range of sectors from business to beauty, travel and style including in the Chemist Warehouse glossy magazine “House of Wellness”, The CEO Magazine and Provincial Living. She is a regular contributor to The Science of Beauty and Pharmacy Daily.

Catherine has presented at forums at State and Federal level including for Trade Victoria, Austrade, Asialink, Alibaba, China International Beauty Expo, Melbourne University, ANZ, Women in Global Business and various other organisations, on topics covering women in business, export and entrepreneurship. Her recent ANZ interview with Shark Tank’s Naomi Simson generated much interest resulting in a further business article on the ANZ SBHub website.

Catherine has conducted wellness workshops to both health professionals and consumers in several regions including Dubai, Hong Kong and China. Comfortable as the ‘face’ of not only her brand, but often her industry, she is regularly in the media and her business success story has been used as a teaching tool to educate tertiary students. She has presented segments from organic skincare to baby massage, fashion (Spring Racing Carnival) cooking with kids (Foxtel) and spa care for a range of television programs.

Catherine is most well known for having developed Aromababy – the world’s first skincare brand for mother and baby to combine the use of natural and organic ingredients with research, creating a new category in retail in 1994. An early adopter of the China opportunity, hers were the first Australian products of their kind to be approved for retail sale. Coupled with more than two decades of brand heritage, Aromababy is now as sought after by celebrities, as by mothers looking for premium, trusted products.  She holds a Diploma in Aromatherapy and is a trained Infant Massage Instructor. Aromababy has been featured in media with numerous celebrity parents including John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Princess Mary and Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order)

Catherine purposely scaled back her brand until 12 months ago, to focus on her family and other projects. She recently resumed a growth strategy and divides her time between managing the Aromababy brand, consulting on two external brand projects and providing her workshops.  A dedicated and committed advocate for supporting and empowering disadvantaged women in the community, Catherine is passionate about ‘making a difference’ to others.

Catherine was a recent winner of the National HKABA Export Award and won both CIBE China (Most Popular Natural Brand) and TBPA China (Best Brand Experience in 2017.

Julia Page

Managing Director and CEO of veski

Ms Julia Page was appointed chief executive officer of veski in 2004 after a career spanning the public, private and philanthropic sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom.

As the head of veski, Julia leads a team responsible for the continued development and delivery of veski’s programs focused on talent acquisition and support and global engagement.

Julia has taken an active lead in inspiring women around Australia as well as developing a suite of fellowship programs to inspire innovation including the recent introduction of a regional sustainable agriculture fellowship.  She has also been actively involved in developing the business case for Australia’s adoption of the successful Scottish Interface program, which connects industry and academia.

Julia relocated to Melbourne in 2000. She is trained as a technologist obtaining BSc (Hons) degree from the University of Essex, UK in Information Business Systems Technology and a post graduate of Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government in Emerging Leaders Executive Education.

Julia is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the board of St Vincent’s Hospital Foundation – Melbourne and the Victorian Inspiring Australia Board.  She joined the veski board of directors in March 2017.