Weiping Zhao

Consul General of the People's Republic of China to Chicago

Opening Remark: The New Sino-US Era

Born in Zhejiang Province, China, Mr. Zhao graduated from China Foreign Affairs University. From 1991 to 1994, he served as the Attache, Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. From 1994 to 1997 Mr. Zhao served as the Attache, Third Secretary, in the Chinese Embassy in Australia. From 1997 to 2002, Mr. Zhao was the Third Secretary, Deputy Director, then Director of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From 2002 to 2003 Mr. Zhao was the Counsellor, Head of Political office at the Chinese Embassy in Canada. Following that, from 2003 to 2006 he was the Counsellor, Head of Congressional Affairs in the Chinese Embassy in the United States of America. From 2006 to 2010 he was the Counsellor, then Deputy Director-General, Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2010 to 2012, Mr. Zhao was the Chinese Ambassador to the Independent State of Samoa. In 2013 he was named the Chinese Consul General to Chicago.

Paul Christensen

Associate Dean and Executive Director, Global Programs, Kellogg School of Management

Welcoming Remark: Welcome to GCBC 2013

Paul Christensen is Associate Dean and Executive Director, Global Programs and Clinical Associate Professor of Finance at the Kellogg School of Management where he teaches courseson microfinance and international business. In addition, he helps direct the school’s International Business and Markets Program where he is involved in international curriculum development, visiting scholars and executives, student club activities and alumni outreach.

Prior to Kellogg, Dean Christensen served as the founder and President of ShoreCap International Ltd., a $28 million private equity company sponsored by ShoreBank Corporation which invests in financial institutions in developing countries throughout Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Having established the company in London, Dean Christensen built a portfolio of 15 leading devel- opment finance institutions serving over 1,000,000 microfinance and small business clients and produced annual fund returns in excess of 20%. From 2000-2003, Dean Christensen served as President and CEO of ShoreBank Enterprise Group, a $12 million-asset small business development organization in Cleveland, Ohio.

Prior to joining ShoreBank, Dean Christensen was an Engagement Manager for the consulting firm, McKinsey and Company, where he focused on operations performance, organizational effective- ness and strategic planning for clients in the financial services, manufacturing, consumer goods, petroleum, and electric utility industries. Dean Christensen received an MBA with distinction from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts, economics, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Dartmouth College.

Stephen M. Chipman

CEO, Grant Thornton LLP

Opening Keynote: China at the Crossroads

Chief Executive Officer, Grant Thornton LLP

Stephen Chipman is the Chief Executive Officer of Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd. With more than 500 partners and 6,000 U.S. employees, Grant Thornton LLP provides audit, tax and advisory services. Mr. Chipman has been with Grant Thornton for more than 30 years.

Executive leadership

Mr. Chipman currently serves as a member of the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ) Governing Board. Mr. Chipman also serves on the board of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago. Mr. Chipman serves on the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee and the International Engagement Committee for the Business Roundtable, and is also a member of the British-American Business Council.

Grant Thornton executive leadership

Before becoming U.S. CEO in 2010, Mr. Chipman served two years as CEO–Grant Thornton China Management Corporation. Mr. Chipman previously served as the Regional Technical Director for Asia Pacific in Hong Kong from 1992 to 1995. He currently serves on the Grant Thornton International Board of Governors.

Community leadership

Presently, Mr. Chipman serves on the Ravinia Festival Board of Trustees, a role that fits perfectly with his passion for music.

In 2008, Mr. Chipman worked with Half the Sky — a charitable organization focused on orphaned children in China — to coordinate Grant Thornton’s response to the Sichuan earthquake. Mr. Chipman joined the Half the Sky Foundation Board in 2011. Half the Sky has created a unique model for orphanages in China that is so nurturing and successful that the Chinese government has adopted it as a national standard.

Education

Educated in Plymouth, England, at Plymouth College and Plymouth Polytechnic, Stephen launched his career with Grant Thornton in 1981 in Plymouth, England.

Li Lu

Founder & Chairman, Himalaya Capital/LL Investment Partners

Closing Keynote: Value Investing in China

Li Lu was born in China in 1966. He attended Nanjing University in China from 1985 to 1989. From 1990 to 1996, he attended Colum- bia University and earned three degrees simultaneously: a B.A.in Economics from Columbia College, a J.D. from Columbia Law School, and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Upon graduation, Mr. Li worked in an investment bank until late 1997, when he founded Himalaya Capital Management, which today manages funds that are focused on publicly traded securi- ties, as well as venture capital funds, both on a global basis. He serves on the board of directors of a number of technology and high growth companies, as well as several not-for-profit organizations.

Mr. Li received the John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement from Columbia University in 2012. He was nameda Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2001, and a Henry Crown Fellow by the Aspen Institute in 1998. He also received the Raoul Wallenberg Human Rights Award from the Congressional Human Rights Foundation and the Reebok Human Rights Award for his work of advocating for human rights.

He is a member ofThe Council on Foreign Relations,TheYoung Presidents Organization, Pacific Council for International Relations and Committee 100.