The COVID-19 outbreak in late January took most companies by surprise, and the associated disruptions in supply chains, demand, and general operations had a considerably negative impact on businesses, especially SMEs. One of the key lessons that we can derive from the current situation is the importance of having a sound crisis management plan in place. The European Chamber is thus pleased to invite you to join our upcoming Forum meeting, which will cover not only the topic of crisis management but also will provide specific examples of best practices throughout the COVID-19 outbreak and throughout past crises.
Mr Fabio Stella, China Head of Sales and Business Development at Hawksford, will discuss the lessons learned by European manufacturers during the 2008-09 financial crisis that has endured until recent days and present the the tools that can help their China operations to face this new challenge. Mr Sebastjan Semrajc, Vice Chair of the SME Forum in South China and Back Office Director at Elrad Dongguan, will discuss Elrad’s experience throughout the crisis and which practices helped the company continue operations throughout the crisis. Mr Marco Förster, Chair of the SME Forum in South China, will moderate the session.
If you would like to join this meeting, please feel free to register with Ms Yiran Chen at intern008@europeanchamber.com.cn before Wednesday, 13th May COB. You will receive a confirmation email containing the link to join the meeting via Zoom after registration closes on the 13th.
Agenda:
10:00-10:10 Opening Remarks by Marco Förster
10:10-10:50 Presentations by Mr Fabio Stella and Mr Sebastjan Semrajc
10:50-11:30 Discussion and Q&A
About the speakers:
Fabio Stella
Fabio graduated in International Law, business and politics before moving to China in 2012 where he studied Intellectual Property and Foreign Direct Investment at Peking University. He started his career at the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce and managed Guangzhou & Shenzhen offices during 2014-18. Now based in Shanghai, he looks after China’s Business Development activities.
Sebastjan Semrajc
Sebastjan has been Back Office Director at Elrad Dongguan since 2013, and also currently serves as Vice Chair of the SME Forum in South China. Previously he served as Sales Executive in Slovenia at Sintal and Savatech, where he opened new markets in Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Nepal and Bangladesh among others. Sebastjan has studied Informatics and Public Administration, as well as Sinology and Chinese language in various institutions in Slovenia and China.
Marco Förster
Marco Förster is Dezan Shira & Associates’ Shenzhen-based International Business Advisory Associate. Growing up in Berlin and Hanoi, and by gaining on-the-ground China experience since 2014, Marco feels comfortable in projects involving multiple jurisdictions. He mainly advises corporate investors in setting up and growing their businesses in China and ASEAN. These services can range from pre-entry assessments to “China Plus One” strategies, and ongoing support in conjunction with DSA’s legal, tax, accounting, HR and payroll teams. Within the German Desk, Marco looks after the firm’s German, Austrian and Swiss accounts, oversees publications and business partnerships. Marco speaks fluent German, English, Mandarin, and Vietnamese, and studied economics and Chinese in Hangzhou and Beijing respectively. In 2018, he has joined the firm in Beijing and prior to that, he has gained consulting experience at other consultancies throughout Germany, China and Vietnam.