We work with over 50 professionals and renowned economists with solid government connections as well as strong economic and industry backgrounds. We bring together the expertise, resources and relationships which are critical to help clients to build successful businesses in China and overseas. Our core team members are:

Management Team:

Dr. Yang Tao
Chief Economist
Director General of RBIF; Secretary General, Research Center for Financial Policy, CASS. Dr. Yang has relationships with senior officers from international financial institutions including the US Federal Reserve, The US Congress, the Parliament of the UK, the Reserve Bank of Australia, the European Central Bank, etc. Dr. Yang was invited by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia as a visiting scholar. He was previously engaged in senior management roles in investment banks, commercial banks and provincial governments. His key research areas include fiscal policy, monetary theory and policy, investment and finance, financial markets and innovation, rural finance, and so on. Dr. Yang holds a PhD in economics and a postdoctoral degree in management.

G Bin Zhao
G. Bin Zhao is a co-founder of the Group. Bin is also a columnist at Forbes China and a frequent contributor for the Xinhua News Agency (the Chinese state press agency with the highest authority in the country), South China Morning Post, and so on. And Bin was an advisor for a leading Chinese investment bank. His articles in both English and Chinese have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and numerous other publications in China and across the globe. He has been frequently invited to speak and participate at many global conferences and forums.
Previously, Bin was vice president at Goshawk Corporate Opportunities, the co-manager of a $1.35 billion investment fund. He was also appointed as interim CEO at a mid-sized mining company for one year. Prior to that, Bin was a researcher and then head of research for Greater China at a German consulting firm founded by former partners originally from McKinsey & Company.
Bin is a native of China and has worked, lived and studied in North America, Europe, and Asia. He received most of his higher education in the west, including an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and the Schulich School of Business, and a Master’s of Science in financial economics from Gothenburg School of Economics.

Rebecca Chen
Rebecca is a co-founder of the Group. Rebecca was a consultant with McKinsey & Company and possesses a wealth of strategy project experience in various industries across the Asia-Pacific region. She has played a strategy management role in a world leading healthcare company. Prior to that, Rebecca served with ACNielsen Research and top consumer goods companies focusing on retail and marketing strategies. Rebecca received an MBA degree from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (with an exchange program at the Manchester Business School in the UK).

Dr. Khan H. Zahid
Managing Director
Dr. Zahid has 27 years global experience. Most recently, he was Chief Economist and Vice President for 10 years at Riyad Bank, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest financial institutions. He initially came to Saudi Arabia as a Senior Economic Advisor from the US government to the US-Saudi Arabian Joint Economic Commission. In the USA, he was Manager of Research for the American International Group (AIG). At AIG, as the Lead China researcher for its CEO, Mr. Maurice Greenberg, he produced a number of keynote reports for the Mayor of Shanghai. He has also worked at the World Bank in Washington DC, and as a professor in the USA. Among his most notable contributions, he produced one of the world’s first micro insurance models for Prof. Mohammed Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Dr. Zahid holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University in New York and was a recipient of the prestigious Wien International Scholarship from Brandeis University in the USA.

Fernando Bensuaski
Senior Advisor
Fernando has over thirty years of commercial and investment banking, financial management and investment experience with more than ten years in Asia. He has operated in his native Brazil, the US, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and China. He has held executive management and board positions in private and public-reporting companies in the US and with a US-listed company based in Hong Kong. He has served as an advisor to the World Economic Forum on matters related to the Chinese private equity market, and has lectured at universities in the US, Taiwan and mainland China. He holds a BA in Physics.

Peter R. Aylward
Managing Director
Peter has held key positions in sales, marketing, business development, customer service and supply chain operations in a variety of industries, including medical equipment & clinical information systems, telecommunications services, software systems, consumer packaging, supply and production sourcing.
Peter brings an informed and discerning perspective to the technological, regulatory and economic development trends that impact business operations and strategic decisions for clients in North America and Asia seeking inbound or outbound business and investment opportunities.
Peter holds a BA in Political Science and History, MA in International Management from the University of Maryland. He earned a graduate certificate in Chinese studies from the Johns Hopkins–Nanjing University Center.

Research and Consulting Team:

The Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS, 中国社会科学院) is the “think-tank” for the Chinese government and strategic corporations. Its Research Base for Industrial Finance (RBIF, 中国社会科学院产业金融研究基地, http://www.rbif.org.cn), a team of top-tier economists and industry experts, work together with us to provide clients with exclusive “Insiders’ Insights” into the economy, industries and policies, to enable you to successfully develop business opportunities in China and overseas. Key team members are:

Dr. Li Yang
Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS); a former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People’s Bank of China; Chairman, Academic Committee of the Research Base for Industrial Finance (RBIF) . Dr. Li has significant influence on the economic development of China and around the globe. He is delegated as a nonvoting attendee at regular meetings of the State Council (国务院常务会议列席成员). He is active at the decision-making level and formulates strategies related to important national and international financial and economic issues. Dr. Li has solid relationships with senior government officers from various countries and leaders of financial institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, OECD, Asian Development Bank, Central Banks, etc. He is also frequently invited to be a key note speaker at the World Economic Forum and as a featured economist for Bloomberg, Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Li was a visiting professor at Columbia University and is a professor at such top-tier Chinese universities as Peking and Tsinghua.

Dr. Wang Guogang
Director General of the Institute of Finance and Banking, CASS; Director of the Board, RBIF. Dr. Wang was senior advisor to more than 10 government institutions focusing on financial industry reform and development. He has also worked as a managing director for more than 40 corporations handling IPOs, Mergers & Acquisitions and organization restructurings.

Dr. Jin Bei
Director General of the Institute of Industrial Economics, CASS; Deputy Director of the Board, RBIF. Dr. Jin was invited by UC Berkley in the US to be a visiting professor and is also a professor at top-tier universities in China. Dr. Jin is president of China Business Journal and China Economist.

Cao Honghai
Dual PhD in economics and finance, was a consultant for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, a professional member of APEC, a visiting scholar at Columbia University, and a member of the American Economic Association; key research areas: financial markets, and payment and settlement systems.

Fei Zhaoqi
PhD in economics from Durham University, was a researcher at the asset management department of China Life, one of largest insurance companies in the country; key research areas: international financial markets, and asset management.

Guo Jinglong
PhD in economics, a visiting scholar at Australian National University; was a senior government officer at the provincial level; key research areas: insurance and social security.

Hu Bin
PhD in finance, and JD, is a leading contributor to China’s asset securitization and financial laws; key research areas: financial laws and regulations.

Huang Guoping
PhD in economics, has worked on many research projects funded by the People’s Bank of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and other ministries and commissions; key research areas: risk management, assets valuation, and macro-economy.

Liu Yuhui
PhD in economics, was a senior advisor for a leading funds management company and a security company; a visiting fellow at Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA); key research areas: financial markets, corporate finance, and institutional economics.

Peng Xingyun
PhD in finance, was a manager for the research department of a security company; a visiting scholar at Stanford University; key research areas: monetary theory and policy.

Wang Lina
Master’s degree in economics, is also an advisor for the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development; was a head of research for many government funded projects, as well as international projects sponsored by the Ford Foundation, Asian Development Bank, etc; key research areas: real estate finance and urban economics.

Wang Qin
PhD in management; was elected as “the youngest economist in China” in 2009 by cuaa.net for his distinguished research; a visiting scholar at Tilburg University; key research areas: strategic and innovation management.

Yao Zhanqi
PhD in economics; was a visiting scholar at Asian Institute of International Studies, Netherlands, the University of Missouri, Russian Academy of Sciences; key research areas: policies and productivity in the service industry.

Yi Xianrong
PhD in economics, a prominent economist in China, and a columnist for many major Chinese news papers and magazines, such as China Daily, and Mingpao in Hong Kong; key research areas: real estate, and macro-economy.

Yin Zhongli
PhD in economics, has worked at Shenzhen City Commercial Bank, China Merchants Securities Company, and other public companies; key research areas: financial policy, and capital markets.

Zeng Gang
PhD in finance, was a chief researcher for banking and financial policy within CASS; was a visiting scholar at Yale University; key research areas: monetary and financial policy, and banking.

Zhang Bin
PhD in economics; was chief editor of World Economy, an acknowledged academic journal in China; key research areas: international finance and macro-economy.

Zhang Yaowen
PhD in economics, was an economic journalist with Xinhua News Agency; key research areas: financial asset management, and reform of China's capital markets.

Financial Services Team:

Dr. Peter Lukesch
(based in Vienna, Austria)
Peter has many years experience in investment banking, consulting, and management. Currently he is also the CFO of a manganese ore exploration and mining company, and partner of an investment bank based in Austria. Earlier in his career Peter worked as CFO, partner, member of the board of directors, and president at various private and public companies in Austria, the US, UK, Canada, and China. Peter graduated with an MBA and a doctoral degree in economics from the University of Economics in Vienna.

Henry Chiang
Henry has rich experience in investment banking, private equity, and real estate investment in both the US and China. Henry was head of China at a New York based investment bank. Previously he also established and led a real estate investment business in China for a US based hedge fund. He received his Master’s degree in real estate investment from Columbia University, dual Master’s degrees in finance and economics from the University of North Texas, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in finance from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in China.

Franz Kozich-Koschitzky
(based in Toronto, Canada)
Franz has a wealth of experience in investment banking, venture capital, and management. Currently, Franz is the CEO of a listed mining company in Canada, and a board member of another public company. He has established businesses in mining, wholesale and retail, etc. Franz studied communications and also spent one year in Cardiff, UK expanding his knowledge of electronics.

John Du
John was a Managing Director at a US based Private Equity firm. He funded Tengsheng Investment and Consulting Company in Guangzhou, specializing in distressed asset investment. Prior to that, John was a project manager at the world famous Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) in Chicago. He received his MBA with honors from the University of Chicago, and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri.

Lei Pan
Lei was head of research at a leading PE based in Hong Kong. He has assisted securities fraud cases such as Enron, AOL while work at a well-known management consulting firm. He also had 5 Years engineer experience. Lei received his MBA from University of Calgary and Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Jiangsu Institute. of Petro-Chemical Tech. He holds CFA certificates.

Friedrich Pindt
Friedrich has rich financial and consulting experience. He is also a founding partner of Pindt & Partner Consulting S.r.o. in Vienna, Austria. Since 2008 he has worked for an international bank as group auditor, was in charge of asset management, treasury and risk management. In 2005 he joined a privately owned Austrian bank as portfolio manager. His next career step led him to a Hong Kong based mining exploration company, as Chief Controller. He graduated with a master's degree in International Business Administration from the University of Vienna. During his studies he worked full time for one of the big four accounting firms, whereby he gained a profound knowledge in the different state-of-the-art company valuation methods and financial analysis. Thereby, he also got acquainted with mergers and acquisitions business.