Transformational Strategies for Succeeding in a Volatile Marketplace

Leadership Conference
Transformational Strategies for Succeeding
in a Volatile Marketplace
Date: October 28, 2011 (Friday)
Time: 8:30 am – 2:30 pm
Venue: Mandarin Ballroom 1, Mandarin Orchard Singapore
Synopsis: Rapid changes in the economy, sudden shifts in consumer preferences, increasing culturally-
diverse talent mix in organizations, and intense global competition pose enormous
challenges for companies to maintain their competitive advantages and market presence. To
succeed in such a volatile marketplace, companies must organize their company assets and
processes effectively and at the same time their management should learn to transform their
leadership skills. Through the sharing of management experience and best practices by
business and academic leaders from multi-national organizations, this conference aims to
provide fresh insights into organizational paradigms which entail new ways of thinking that
enable your companies to outperform rivals. The conference will shed light on how to
nurture and retain leadership talents in multi-cultural organizations, how to operate
effectively in China and similar emerging markets, and how to build your leadership in
branding as well as developing a customer-oriented approach in your business.

Program
8:30 Registration
9:00 Welcome Address
Professor Gillian Yeo, Interim Dean, Nanyang Business School
9: 10 Address by Guest-of-Honor
Mr. Edouard Merette, Chief Executive Officer, Aon Hewitt Asia Pacific
Edouard assists organizations in the design of human resource strategies
and processes; executive and broad-based compensation; design and
funding of retirement and other employee benefit programs; as well as the
investment of corporate pension funds. He has extensive experience in helping companies
through mergers and acquisitions and other corporate re-organizations.
Before joining Aon in 2007, Edouard worked for Mercer for 22 years, where he served as:
head of operations in Ottawa; head of Eastern Canada; head of Asia based in Singapore;
President of Mercer’s European operations based in Geneva. In 2005, he moved back to
head Mercer Asia Pacific in Singapore.
Edouard has a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from Laval University (Quebec,
Canada). He is both a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in the US and Fellow of the
Canadian Institute of Actuaries in Canada. Currently he serves as a Business Degree Program
Advisory Board Member at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore
9: 25
Synopsis:
Retaining leadership talents in an international organization
Dr. Guido Gianasso, Vice President, Human Capital, International Air Transport Association
(IATA)
Aviation, the world's most global industry, is also the most fragmented, with over one
thousand airlines competing for rare profits. Over the next twenty years, aviation is
expected to expand ten fold in Asia as a result of the exponential growth of China's and
India's middle class. The aviation industry and its trade association, IATA, are confronted
with the challenge of managing growth in Asia while rapidly developing a new generation of
global leaders able to drive change in this turbulent environment. The seminar will cover
the organizational, cultural and HR challenges associated with aviation's growth and IATA's
efforts to address them. This seminar will cover:
• Managing Aviation's growth in Asia: strategic, organizational, cultural and HR
challenges
• Working effectively with employees, customers, suppliers, and partners from
diverse cultures
• Developing a new generation of global leaders: IATA's experience

Dr. Guido Gianasso is the IATA Vice President of Human Capital since April
2003. He leads the global HR function as well as the IATA Training and
Development Institute (ITDI), the external arm of IATA which trains over
30.000 industry specialists every year.
In addition to his role in IATA, Dr. Gianasso serves on the Supervisory
Board of Eurocontrol. He also lectures on Human Resources Management
at the University of Geneva and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Before joining the organization, he held several senior Human Resources positions in
Switzerland, Italy, India and the United States. Dr. Gianasso worked for the World Bank,
United Nations and several leading multi-national corporations in the Financial and
Chemical industries. For several years, he served as Vice-President of the Diplomatic Club of
Geneva and in 2001-2 he acted as Senior Advisor to the Romanian Minister for Foreign
Affairs on the Public Administration Reform.
An Italian national, Guido Gianasso holds a PhD in Management and a Master Degree in Law
from the University of Geneva and an Advanced Management Program degree from
Harvard University. He is a fluent speaker in Italian, English, French, Spanish and Romanian.
10: 05 Q & A
10: 15
Synopsis:
Doing Business in China – Learnings for leading foreign firms in China effectively
Mr. Chong Siong Hin, Chairman, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd.
Based on his 20 years’ experience in China, Chong will share his observations, learnings
about doing business in China ranging from business opportunities and dealing with
customers and people issues.
Chong serves as the Chairman for Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd in China
and also, assumes the role of Vice President, Government Affairs, Janssen
Asia Pacific.
Chong has been working in China for 20 years with Xian Janssen and has
been one of the builders in growing the company to be one of China most
successful pharmaceutical joint ventures. For this, he has been given many recognitions
both in China and in Singapore. In China, he was awarded the Friendship Medal by the State
Council in 1996 for his contribution as a foreign expert to the contribution to the economy
of China and in 2009, he was recognized in the 60th National Day celebration as one of the
60 leading figures who has an impact on the China’s pharmaceutical industry in the 60 years
prior. The company was also recognized as one of the Top 10 Employer of the Year of China
by CCTV in 2005. In 2005, he was awarded the inaugural “Outstanding Chief Executive
( Overseas ) Of The Year 2005” by Singapore Business Times, in the annual Singapore
Business Awards.
Since 2007, Chong also holds the role of Chairman of RDPAC (China’s foreign
pharmaceutical manufacturers’ industry association).
Chong holds a Bachelor of Accountancy and an MBA from the National University of
Singapore.

11:00 Q&A
11: 10 Tea Break
11: 40
Synopsis:
Leadership in branding and customer focus and how essential it is for a leader today to
take a customer perspective
Professor Bernd Schmitt , Executive Director of the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI),
Nanyang Business School
Many companies are internally focused—on their technologies, their products, their
operations. In today’s environments, however, it is critical to take a customer’s
perspective. In his presentation, Schmitt presents concepts and tools for customer insight
and understanding the customer experience. He will illustrate his ideas with numerous brief
case examples from various industries around the globe.
Bernd Schmitt, Ph.D is a Visiting Professor at Nanyang Business School in
Singapore where he heads the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight, a new
national institute set up by the Executive Development Board of Singapore.
Schmitt is also Professor of International Business and Faculty Director of
the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia Business School in New
York.
Schmitt has been researching, consulting and lecturing in Asia for the last 20 years in the
areas of consumer experience, marketing and branding. He has visited various Asian
countries at least 3-4 times a year on average and has spoken to Asian academic and
corporate audiences.
He has authored or co-authored more than 50 articles which have appeared in Journal of
Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of
Consumer Psychology, Journal of Personality, Social Psychology and many others.
Specifically for Asian contribution, Schmitt has conducted research on cross-cultural
linguistic aspects (comparing English with Chinese/Japanese) for consumer behavior,
segmenting the Chinese consumer market and corporate identity in brand expansions in
Hong Kong and the U.S.
Schmitt has also written case studies on Asian companies including Korean companies
Samsung, Yuan-Kimberly, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra; Mary Kay in Shanghai and various
Chinese companies such as Jahwa Corporation, Shanghai Venus Software and Shanghai
Petrochemical. He has featured Asian companies in his books Experiential Marketing,
Customer Experience Management and Big Think Strategy.
As a lecturer, Schmitt has taught at HKUST in Hong Kong, CEIBS in Shanghai, CEMI in Beijing
and held visiting appointments at Yonsei University in Seoul (South Korea), Singapore
Management University and Hong Kong University.
Schmitt’s consulting experience covers more than 50 companies across a wide sector of
industries in both consumer and B2B markets including MNCs such as American Express,
Audi, Dupont, Microsoft, Unilever, SAP, Volkswagen, Hilton Hotels as well as Asian
companies such as Sony, Sunstar, ADK in Japan; Samsung, Lotte, Amore Pacific, Hanjin in

South Korea, Wheelock in Hong Kong and Tata Industries in India.
He is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences worldwide, including Japan, South Korea,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and India. He has been profiled on CNNfn’s
“Business Unusual” show and appeared on BBC, CNBC, CNBC-Asia, CNN, NHK.
12: 25 Panel Discussion:
Transformational Strategies for Succeeding in a Volatile Marketplace
Moderator: Ms Jill Lee
Panelists:
• Chong Siong Hin, Chairman, Xian-Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd.
• Guido Gianasso, Vice President, Human Capital, International Air Transport
Association (IATA).
• Professor Bernd Schmitt, Nanyang Visiting Professor and Executive Director of
the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI).
1 :10 - 2:30 Networking Lunch

Bios of Speakers:
Guest-of-Honor
Mr. Edouard Merette, Chief Executive Officer, Aon Hewitt Asia Pacific
Edouard assists organizations in the design of human resource strategies and processes; executive
and broad-based compensation; design and funding of retirement and other employee benefit
programs; as well as the investment of corporate pension funds. He has extensive experience in
helping companies through mergers and acquisitions and other corporate re-organizations.
Before joining Aon in 2007, Edouard worked for Mercer for 22 years, where he served as: head of operations in
Ottawa; head of Eastern Canada; head of Asia based in Singapore; President of Mercer’s European operations based in
Geneva. In 2005, he moved back to head Mercer Asia Pacific in Singapore.
Edouard has a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from Laval University (Quebec, Canada). He is both a Fellow of
the Society of Actuaries in the US and Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries in Canada. Currently he serves as a
Business Degree Program Advisory Board Member at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Guest Speakers :
Dr. Guido Gianasso, Vice President, Human Capital, International Air Transport Association (IATA)
Guido Gianasso is the IATA Vice President of Human Capital since April 2003. He leads the global HR
function as well as the IATA Training and Development Institute (ITDI), the external arm of IATA
which trains over 30.000 industry specialists every year.
In addition to his role in IATA, Dr. Gianasso serves on the Supervisory Board of Eurocontrol. He also
lectures on Human Resources Management at the University of Geneva and Nanyang Technological University in
Singapore.
Before joining the organization, he held several senior Human Resources positions in Switzerland, Italy, India and the
United States. Dr. Gianasso worked for the World Bank, United Nations and several leading multi-national
corporations in the Financial and Chemical industries. For several years, he served as Vice-President of the Diplomatic
Club of Geneva and in 2001-2 he acted as Senior Advisor to the Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs on the Public
Administration Reform.
An Italian national, Guido Gianasso holds a PhD in Management and a Master Degree in Law from the University of
Geneva and an Advanced Management Program degree from Harvard University. He is a fluent speaker in Italian,
English, French, Spanish and Romanian.

Mr. Chong Siong Hin, Chairman, Xian Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary.
Chong serves as the Chairman for Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd in China and also, assumes the role
of Vice President, Government Affairs, Janssen Asia Pacific.
Chong has been working in China for 20 years with Xian Janssen and has been one of the builders in
growing the company to be one of China most successful pharmaceutical joint ventures. For this , he has been given
many recognitions both in China and in Singapore. In China, he was awarded the Friendship Medal by the State
Council in 1996 for his contribution as a foreign expert to the contribution to the economy of China and in 2009, he
was recognized in the 60th National Day celebration as one of the 60 leading figures who has an impact on the China’s
pharmaceutical industry in the 60 years prior. The company was also recognized as one of the Top 10 Employer of the
Year of China by CCTV in 2005. In 2005, he was awarded the inaugural “Outstanding Chief Executive ( Overseas ) Of
The Year 2005” by Singapore Business Times, in the annual Singapore Business Awards.
Since 2007, Chong also currently holds the role of Chairman of RDPAC (China’s foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers’
industry association).
Chong holds a Bachelor of Accountancy and an MBA from the National University of Singapore.
Professor Bernd Schmitt , Executive Director of the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI),
Nanyang Business School
Bernd Schmitt, Ph.D is a Visiting Professor at Nanyang Business Technological University in Singapore
where he heads the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight, a new national institute set up by the
Executive Development Board of Singapore.
Schmitt is also Professor of International Business and Faculty Director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at
Columbia Business School in New York.
Schmitt has been researching, consulting and lecturing in Asia for the last 20 years in the areas of consumer
experience, marketing and branding. He has visited various Asian countries at least 3-4 times a year on average and
has spoken to Asian academic and corporate audiences.
He has authored or co-authored more than 50 articles which have appeared in Journal of Consumer Research, Journal
of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Personality, Social
Psychology and many others. Specifically for Asian contribution, Schmitt has conducted research on cross-cultural
linguistic aspects (comparing English with Chinese/Japanese) for consumer behavior, segmenting the Chinese
consumer market and corporate identity in brand expansions in Hong Kong and the U.S.
Schmitt has also written case studies on Asian companies including Korean companies Samsung, Yuan-Kimberly, Seoul
Philharmonic Orchestra; Mary Kay in Shanghai and various Chinese companies such as Jahwa Corporation, Shanghai
Venus Software and Shanghai Petrochemical. He has featured Asian companies in his books Experiential Marketing,
Customer Experience Management and Big Think Strategy.
As a lecturer, Schmitt has taught at HKUST in Hong Kong, CEIBS in Shanghai, CEMI in Beijing and held visiting
appointments at Yonsei University in Seoul (South Korea), Singapore Management University and Hong Kong
University.
Schmitt’s consulting experience covers more than 50 companies across a wide sector of industries in both consumer
and B2B markets including MNCs such as American Express, Audi, Dupont, Microsoft, Unilever, SAP, Volkswagen,

Hilton Hotels as well as Asian companies such as Sony, Sunstar, ADK in Japan; Samsung, Lotte, Amore Pacific, Hanjin in
South Korea, Wheelock in Hong Kong and Tata Industries in India.
He is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences worldwide, including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore,
Indonesia, Thailand and India. He has been profiled on CNNfn’s “Business Unusual” show and appeared on BBC, CNBC,
CNBC-Asia, CNN, and NHK.
Special Guest Moderator:
Ms. Jill Lee (The NANYANG MBA Alumni)
Jill Lee is a member of the board of directors at Sulzer, a Swiss company that specialises in the
manufacture of industrial machinery and equipment, surfacing technology, and rotating
equipment maintenance.
Prior to this, she was the Senior Vice-President, Finance Strategy and Investments, of Neptune
Orient Lines Ltd, a leading global company in transportation and logistics services.
Ms Lee previously held many significant management positions for the German industrial conglomerate, Siemens AG.
She began her finance profession with Siemens in 1986 in Singapore and achieved a successful international career in
various business groups, regions and functions of the German company.
Ms Lee was the Chief Diversity Officer of Siemens AG from November 2008 to May 2010, during which she worked in
the company’s Munich headquarters. In this role as the first-ever Chief Diversity Officer of Siemens, she led a strategic
CEO initiative to develop a systematic approach to nurture talent diversity and international leadership.
For the five years starting from June 2004, Ms. Lee was the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
of Siemens Ltd. China. During her posting in China, she also held responsibilities for the Northeast Asia Cluster which
comprises China, Korea and Taiwan. Before joining Siemens Ltd., China, she was the Chief Financial Officer of Siemens
Private Ltd., Singapore, a position she assumed in July 2000.
Until 2000, Ms Lee held leading roles in various business groups within Siemens in Singapore. She was the founding
General Manager of Siemens Electromechanical Components in Singapore in 1997 where she demonstrated her
entrepreneurial strengths. Subsequently, she took the position as the Chief Financial Officer for the entire Siemens
Electromechanical Components’ business operations in Asia Pacific. From 1995 to 1997, she was the Financial
Controller for the semiconductor manufacturing operations of Siemens Components Private Ltd. Ms. Lee has also
worked for other global companies for shorter periods of time.
Ms Lee possesses an MBA from the Nanyang Business School and a BBA from the National University of Singapore.
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