Sunrise in the East - The Rise of Chinese Soft Power and Global Brands

David is the Chairman of Brand Finance Plc – the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. He has worked in the area of branded business, brand, and intangible asset valuation since 1991. He specialised entirely in the field after becoming the Director of Brand Valuation for Interbrand in 1995. He subsequently left Interbrand in 1996 to launch Brand Finance which is celebrating 25 years in business this year.

David represented the British Standards Institution in the working parties responsible for crafting international industry standards: ISO 10668 on Brand Valuation in 2010 and ISO 20671 on Brand Evaluation in 2019.

David is a passionate writer and has authored many articles on brand valuation, published in numerous marketing and finance newspapers and magazines, such as: Financial Times, Accountancy Age, and Marketing Week. He has also lectured on the topic of brand valuation for Harvard, Chicago, and London Business Schools.

David graduated from Bristol University with an English degree, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He is a Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has a practising certificate with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Manager, Head of China Strategy Team

Since joining Brand Finance in 2017, Rose has led a range of international projects, with a particular focus on Chinese brand valuations, strategic recommendations, detailed analysis, marketing investments, brand insights, and tailored initiatives.

With experience in both B2B and B2C markets, Rose has contributed across all of Brand Finance's service offerings as a Chartered Accountant (CIMA). She also holds a D.Phil. in Materials from the University of Oxford and a B.S. in Physics from Fudan University.

Scott co-founded Brand Finance China where he is currently Managing Director for the company. Over the years he has led the China team, jointly with the UK headquarters and other international offices branches of Brand Finance, to lay a solid foundation for the Greater China business. Scott is involved in project discovery, pitching, planning, technology input and final delivery across all China related projects, both domestically and internationally.

Scott has more than 25 years of experience in branding and marketing services within China where he experienced the start of Chinese branding from the 1980s after China's Opening Up Policy, and subsequently accumulated rich knowledge and expertise of the Chinese market. In addition to this, Scott has spent over 10 years both studying and working in the UK where he undertook his Postgraduate and Doctoral studies in Finance and Investment. His experience includes financial management and project investment for a world class insurance group and project management for global giants such as State Grid, Apple, Alibaba, Shell and COFCO, etc.

In addition to this, Scott is responsible for the daily management and operation of all other areas of Brand Finance China. He holds thorough expertise in technology, brand valuation and the strategic consulting for brand value growth and it is this unique vantage point of the Chinese market that gives Scott the ability to spot new opportunities and strengthen networks continuously and steadily in the region.

Antoaneta has lived and worked in China for more than 20 years. In her most recent role as a Director, Consumer Economy for the China Britain Business Council, she has supported numerous British consumer companies entering and expanding into the Chinese market.

Prior to joining CBBC, she worked as a Beijing-based reporter for several international media publications including the Economist Intelligence Unit and USA Today, covering China’s economic and social affairs. She has reported on some of the main trends and policies that have defined China’s economic trajectory over the years 2000-2010 including China’s stateowned enterprises reforms, the emergence of free trade zones, the rise of digital economy and the ascendence of the Chinese consumer.

Antoaneta is a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker. She holds a Bachelor’s in Chinese Language and Literature and a Master’s in Chinese Contemporary Literature & Film from Peking University.

Janet is the author of The Chinese Wine Renaissance (published by Penguin Randomhouse and shortlisted for ‘the Oscars of Wine’: Louis Roederer Wine Book of the Year 2019 and overall winner of 2020 Gourmand Awards World Wine category). She has appeared on British national radio and TV (BBC and Channel 4), TEDxSOHO, as well as running wine events for corporate and social occasions, beverage sector investors, universities (Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, SOAS), China-related forums and high-profile private members clubs such as 67 Pall Mall, to introduce wines and wine culture to experts and novices alike.

She is an internationally acclaimed specialist on Chinese wine, the principal Chinese speaking member of the prestigious Circle of Wine Writers and Association of Wine Educators, and Asia Region wine judge at the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Janet began her wine writing career in 2012. Prior to this, she graduated from the University of Cambridge in Computer Science and was an investment banker in London for ten years. She also combines her knowledge in wine, finance and technology to advise on private wine portfolios.

Laurence is an experienced affiliate marketing manager who has worked with leading digital publications such as Vogue, GQ, Marie Claire, Elle, Herworld, Yahoo, South China Morning Post… Specialising in performance and branding content for international brands, Laurence has collaborated with publishers to launch shopping columns and online sales events. With his expertise in e-commerce advertising channels, he has helped brands enhance their reputation in APAC markets and drive online sales. 

Qing Wang is a Professor of Marketing and Innovation at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, where she has been a faculty member since 2000. She has also held visiting professorships at several prestigious institutions, including Duke University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University.

In 2006, Professor Wang founded the MICE (Marketing, Innovation, and the Chinese Economy) network, significantly contributing to the study of marketing and innovation in China. She is widely regarded as a leading expert on the competitive strategies of Chinese enterprises in Western markets, particularly through branding. Her expertise also extends to analyzing the behavior of luxury consumers and developing strategic marketing approaches for luxury brands.

Professor Wang’s work is highly regarded and appeared in key publications such as the Oxford Handbook of Luxury Businesses, the Oxford Handbook of China Innovation, and leading journals like the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and Research Policy. In recognition of her impact on the field, she was awarded the prestigious Robert D. Buzzell Award by the Marketing Science Institute in 2009 for her outstanding contributions to marketing theory and practice. In 2013, she received a Higher Doctorate (Doctor of Science) from the University of Warwick, acknowledging her significant contributions to social science.

Beyond academia, Professor Wang is an active member of several influential organizations, including the Institute of Directors (IoD) and Marketing Science Institute (MSI), and holds the position on the board of directors of UK companies. She has also consulted for companies in the UK, US, and China on international market entry and branding strategies. Her insights and work have been featured in prominent media outlets such as the BBC, The New York Times, and Forbes.

Yang Ding is the founder of New Silk Route Digital and the Director at the Bristol and West of England China Bureau. With a unique mission to bridge the gap between China and the West, Yang has been instrumental in presenting Western brand values to Chinese audiences through creative digital solutions.

Yang’s expertise in the UK automotive sector has been demonstrated through his pioneering work with Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the most prestigious motorsport festivals in the world. His company, New Silk Route Digital, played a key role in facilitating live streaming and social media management for Goodwood’s Revival and Festival of Speed events, successfully bringing them to the Chinese market. Yang's efforts have highlighted the increasing influence of Chinese automobile brands in the UK.

• 2017: Joined EVE Group, serving as the Main designer for the EVE CINA brand.
• 2022: Advanced studies in Textile at the University of Southampton.
• 2023 - Present: Visiting Lecturer in Fashion Design at the University of Southampton and The UK representative for EVE Group.

With over 20 years’ experience in the events and experiential industry working with automotive brands in roles covering business development, account direction and project team management. Paul now heads up Strata’s Automotive Division. Paul understands the sector, their business, their audiences and expectations.

Heading up Stata’s automotive client business, Paul oversees a team responsible for delivering work for 20 automotive brands that look to us for support. This team has delivered multi-award-winning work, creating unique customer experiences in the UK and Internationally, working with legacy brands and new entrants to the market for whom some of this work that has led to International adoption. Paul has an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing the automotive industry and he and his team have developed an exceptional reputation within our clients in both the established and challenger, automotive brands in the UK market.