Forging Futures Forum - Cambridge

A flagship event of ​the ​​2017 Living Technology Summit™, the Forging Futures Forum offers students and graduates the opportunity to meet and hear from leaders of four of China's most successful and forward-thinking companies. Attendees will receive an introduction to the companies and their visions and plans for expansion and development, and discover the roles and opportunities available to motivated, internationally- and business-minded graduates at the companies. Presentations will be followed by Q & A and a chance to meet the representatives and register your interest in the companies and their opportunities.

Speakers:

Mr Weiping YU, Vice President of CRRC

CRRC is the world's largest supplier of rail transit equipment with the most complete product lines and leading technologies. CRRC’s Revenues for 2015 were USD 37.8 billion, ranking 266 on the Fortune Global 500 List.

In the future, with the mission of connecting the world through better mobility and the aim of innovation, reform and internationalization, CRRC will vigorously implement the strategy for internationalization, diversification and collaborative development, and supply products and services that offer energy-saving, eco-friendly, cost efficiency, intelligence, speed and comfort, and to finding the most efficient solutions for the sustainable development of railway transportation.

Mr Yu is one of the eight Vice Presidents of CRRC (formed in 2016 merging State Owned Enterprises China North Railway and China South Railway) with a focus on International and Overseas Business.

Born in 1966, Mr Yu is a Professor Level Senior Engineer. He has over 25 years of experience in the Rail Transportation Preparation Industry, working as CEO in a number of sub-companies of China North Railway (CNR) till 2013, when he was promoted to be the VP of China North Railway (CNR) Corporation Ltd. In 2015 when CNR and China South Railway (CSR) Corporation Ltd merged, forming the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), he became a VP of CRRC. Mr Yu visits Europe every year to attend rail transportation exhibitions.

Mr Wei DAI, Founder and CEO of OFO

A graduate of Peking University, together with 4 partners Mr Dai founded OFO in 2014 at the age of just 23. Ofo was created to provide a convenient, efficient and environmentally-friendly way to travel. Under Dai’s leadership, ofo achieved phenomenal growth in the past three years and became one of the world’s most valuable bike-sharing companies.ofo is the world’s leading “station-free” bike-sharing platform operated via an online mobile application. Ofo's mission is to combine conceptions of the sharing economy and smart technologies to overcome the "last mile" problem of urban transportation, helping commuters and travelers get to exactly where they need to go by making bikes accessible to everyone. As of today, ofo has successfully connected more than 8 million bikes in more than 170 cities in over seven countries. Ofo's global community of users generates more than 25 million daily transactions.

Mr Dai is active in public welfare and charity work. During his time at rural villages in Qinghai province, he initiated the West Yuanwang Football Programme and Hope China Engine Education Promotion Programme in less developed areas, and launched various projects aiming to create new ways of educating talents and overcoming poverty issues.

Mr Dai was listed in the 40 Business Leaders under 40 and as one of the “30 (Business Leaders) Under 30 Asia” in Fortune China Magazine.

Mr Brian WONG, Vice President of Alibaba Group and Director of Alibaba Global Leadership Academy (AGLA)

Brian has worked at Alibaba for over a decade. As the 52nd employee, he helped build the business from an apartment start-up to a multi-billion dollar operation that is now one of the world’s leading e-commerce companies. Brian played a myriad of roles during Alibaba's development including Special Assistant to the Chairman for international affairs, Chief Web Producer, head of International Marketing, Senior Director of Strategic Business Development, VP of Global Sales, and VP of Global Supplier Development. During that time Brian established and managed numerous teams and businesses groups in China, India, US, SE Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Brian grew up in Palo Alto, CA, and earned his BA from Swarthmore College, a Master’s Certificate from the John Hopkins University (SAIS)-Nanjing University Center, and an MBA from the Wharton School. He has been featured as a speaker at international conferences such as the B20, the ASEAN World Economic Forum, the United Nations WSIS Summit, and most recently as a mentor on CNBC’s TV series, “Pop-up Start-up” and advised various governments on internet and ecommerce strategies. He is a member of the Wharton Executive Alumni Board and a member of Swarthmore College's Council on Presidential Initiatives. Brian was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, and is China Fellow with the Aspen Institute.

Alibaba Group's Mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. We enable businesses to transform the way they market, sell and operate. We provide the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands and other businesses to leverage the power of the Internet to engage with their users and customers. Our businesses are comprised of core commerce, cloud computing, digital media and entertainment, innovation initiatives and others. Through investee affiliates, Cainiao Network and Koubei, respectively, we participate in the logistics and local services sectors. In addition, we have a profit-sharing interest in Ant Financial Services, the financial services group that operates mainly through Alipay, the leading third-party online payment platform in China.

Owned by the Alibaba Group, Taobao is China’s most popular consumer shopping website. Taobao is by far the largest and most successful online marketplace in China, with over 800 million product listings and visited by more than 50 million unique visitors every day.

Ms Sabrina PENG, Vice President, CEO Office, Ant Financial Services Group

Sabrina Peng serves as the Head of Ant Financial Services Group’s Chief Executive Officer Office, responsible for both the company’s internal and external strategic development. She plays a pivotal role in providing overall strategic guidance for all businesses across the company and among multiple partners of the broad ecosystem of Ant Financial. Prior to her current role, Sabrina was among the pioneers of Alibaba and Ant Financial globalization efforts.

Sabrina joined the Alibaba group in 2000 and was the architect behind Alibaba.com’s TrustPass product, successfully leading a team which marketed the product to hundreds of thousands of small and micro businesses in China. She served as director of customer service in Alibaba.com's China marketplace division from 2004 to 2005, and as head of Alibaba.com’s China web operations department from March 2006 to February 2007. She was a founder of Aliexpress in 2010, a global e-commerce platform that provides top-of- the-class shopping experience for overseas customers to buy goods from China. Sabrina later led Alipay’s robust globalization effort to promote abroad its convenient and safe payment method and was named President of Alipay International in November 2012. Under her leadership, Alipay has reached over 70 countries and regions and Ant Financial strategically partners with various local e-wallets around the world. Sabrina is a partner of Alibaba Group since 2014.

Sabrina holds a bachelor's degree in English and a bachelor's degree in international trade from Xi'an Jiaotong University. She is an advocate for women in leadership with a special focus on leading charitable and welfare programs for underprivileged children and women in need.