Speakers

Matthew Astill
CEO, Cavendish Group International

Matthew Astill is a media entrepreneur. After being hired as a strategy management consultant for Accenture, Matthew set up his first publishing business, Media Fit Ltd, in 1997. In December 1998, he co-founded Simply Internet Ltd. In July 2002, he bought Cavendish Group Ltd and has transformed it into the foremost business to business technology publisher for the BRIC countries. He launched bric.com in 2007 to enable western suppliers to do business with BRIC buyers. In 2008, he launched the International Capital Conference.

Matthew Astill was presented with the Great Wall Friendship award by Beijing’s Deputy Mayor Ji Lin in February 2009 in recognition of his role in bringing foreign technology content to China and, specifically, creating an Olympic infrastructure partnership. Cavendish Group owns a stable of world leading business to business media brands for Cities, Cross border investing and Energy. These include the ICC, Host City, RAID (Robotics AI, IOT, Data) and FOG (future oil and gas)

Jean Pierre Raffarin
Former Prime Minister, Honorary Member of the Parliament, Chairman of the Foundation Prospective and Innovation

Born in 1948 in Poitiers, Mr. Jean-Pierre Raffarin is graduated from l’École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP). He was senior lecturer at the Institut d’Études politiques of Paris and he occupies this position at ESCP Europe since 2007.

Political career at the national level

From 1988 to 2002, he was President of the Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes and presided over the Association of French Regions. Meanwhile, he was also a member and questor of the European Parliament.

From 1995 to 1997, he was appointed Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce and Craft. Appointed by Jacques Chirac, he was the French Prime Minister from May 2002 to May 2005.

Elected Senator of Vienne from 1995 to 2017, he also occupied the position of Vice-President of the Senate from March 2011 to September 2014. Moreover, from October 2014 to July 2017, he was President of the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee of the Senate.
Since the beginning of his political involvement, he is a member of governing bodies of Center-Right political family.

International activities

- Advisor to BOAO Forum (Asia);
- Chairman of the Foundation Prospective and Innovation;
- Chairman of France—China Committee Annual Forum;
- Chairman of the Foundation Leaders for Peace
- Board member of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai;
- Board member of the “Praemium Imperial” – Tokyo;
- President of the French Republic’s personal representative for Francophony from 2009 to 2012;
- Several presidential missions, including the one related to economic relations with Algeria.
- French Special Representative for China (since January 2018).

Latest publications

- Ce que la Chine nous a appris, book in chinese written with Anne-Marie Raffarin, 2010
- Je marcherai toujours à l’affectif, Flammarion 2012
- Chine, le grand paradoxe : pour le réveil de l’Europe, Michel Lafon, 2019

Hanno Schoklitsch
Head of Kaiserwetter Energy Asset Management

Hanno Schoklitsch is a civil engineer and also earned a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Graz/Austria and Universidad de Cantabria/Spain. He has more than 15 years of experience working in various positions restructuring bank-related real estate companies, particularly in the areas of asset management, investment management and funds management in Germany, Austria and Spain.

Before founding Kaiserwetter in 2012, he was responsible for the asset management of a real estate portfolio of some €1.6 billion in CEE, SEE and EE in his capacity as Managing Director and COO of Europolis Real Estate Asset Management GmbH/Vienna. Under his direction between 2005 and 2007, the performance of the second-largest German open-ended real estate fund (Deka Immobilien Europa/Frankfurt), with a volume of some €8.0 billion, was invigorated with lasting effect.

From 2002-2005 he was involved in various capacities in the restructuring of the real estate subsidiary of Bankgesellschaft Berlin. At the beginning of 2000, he was employed by the Westdeutsche Immobilienbank in Düsseldorf. Prior to this, he worked in structural engineering for various construction companies (including STRABAG and Wayss&Freytag), gaining experience in the organization and management of large-scale construction projects, such as for pumped-storage hydroelectric plants and hydropower plants.

Jean Charles Simon
Managing Director, Simon Associes

Jean-Charles SIMON, Lawyer and Managing Partner of SIMON Associés, has been developing legal and litigation expertise for 30 years. His expertise is well recognized in M&A, litigation, and especially in the accompaniment or acquisition of ailing companies.

For several years, Jean-Charles SIMON has been working with the international department of the firm to assist French and international companies in their development and relations abroad. The firm relies on leading local firms in the 31 countries (www.simoninternational.org).

In China, Jean-Charles SIMON has developed his know-how with a dedicated team of several associates all with multilingual and multicultural competences. He often travels between the two countries. The firm developed the YINGKE SIMON Chinese Center in Paris and Beijing and has an office at YINGKE LAWYERS Building in Beijing. Jean-Charles SIMON advises French companies as well as Chinese companies focused on Europe, France, Africa or other regions of the world where the firm has networks.

Jean-Charles SIMON organizes or participates in numerous professional events and is the author of many articles and interviews.

He is a member of various professional associations or in connection with their international activities.