BritCham Outlook 2018 and Social in Guangzhou

Steve is Consul Economic at the British Consulate-General Guangzhou. He has over a decade of experience working on international economic issues across several UK government departments. 

In 2011, Steve joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, after working in the UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance, and commerce department, the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy. In 2014 Steve spent a year studying at Nanjing University in preparation for his current role in Guangzhou. 

In Guangzhou, Steve is responsible for all government to government liaison on economic policy issues across South China. These include intellectual property, the business environment, industrial strategy, e-commerce, financial services and Fintech. Steve studied economics at the University of Nottingham.

Russell is Founder and Managing Partner of LehmanBrown International Accountants, a China-focused accounting, taxation and business advisory firm with operations in Beijing, Hong Kong and five other offices across China employing around 200 professionals.

Russell has over 28 years working experience including 20 years living in China and involved establishing and developing businesses in China. Prior to founding LehmanBrown Russell was Global CFO of one of the world’s largest public relations and communications consulting companies and prior to this their Asia Pacific Regional CFO.

He currently acts as advisor to international companies entering the China market and to Chinese companies venturing abroad, and is a founding director and Chair of the Asia Transformation and Turnaround Association. He is also a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars on taxation, accounting and doing business in and with China.

Robert Ritacca is an experienced macro economist, who covers South China macro, policy and the real estate market. He has been in China 8 years, spending 3 of those years at KPMG Beijing as a China Macro Researcher. He came to Shenzhen nearly two years ago and leads the South China research team, speaking to the media of Fuzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou about the quarterly performances of the different real estate sectors.

Le Rong heads the non-contentious team of Gowling WLG (UK) LLP Guangzhou Representative Office. Gowling WLG (UK) LLP is an English law firm that has established in Guangzhou China for approximately ten years.

She has a proven track record in advising international clients on a variety of non-contentious matters which extends from corporate, commercial contracts (including IP licensing transactions) to regulatory compliance, as well as in advising clients on employment and immigration issues. She has assisted clients in sectors such as Pharmaceuticals, Technology, Engineering, Architecture and Education, and is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, English and French. She provides commercially sound advice to clients operating across borders.