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Robert E. Burke, Managing Director
For the past 20 years, Bob Burke has been in the front-lines of the historic economic ascent of China. Living and working in Beijing and Hong Kong, and for the past 9 years in Shanghai, he has consulted with international businesses on their China business strategies.
"China has experienced a number of ups and downs since the 1980s.
Some of the downs include hyper-inflation, domestic political upheaval and the prolonged
austerity and disinflation of the latter 1990s. What has always been apparent however - even
in the early days of reform when foreign investment was at a trickle - was that powerful economic forces had been unleashed."
Bob has worked with scores of international managers in helping them understand and
capitalize on the opportunities China presents. Prior to forming Ascend in September
2006, Bob was a partner with the LEK Consulting Group for 6 years and one of the founding
partners of LEK's China practice, based in Shanghai. He also worked with China-focused
consulting firms Alliance Asia-Pacific and The Pacific Rim Consulting Group in Hong Kong
and Shanghai. Prior to his consulting career, Bob was the Chief Representative in China
for the American International Group (AIG), and a commercial banker at a major money
center bank.
The project work Bob has undertaken covers a wide spectrum of industry and business issues. He has led research and strategy development work in the fields of energy and power, building and construction materials, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and health care, banking, finance and insurance, consumer products, logistics, wholesaling and retailing - among many others. He has helped companies address a range of issues and problems, among them -- manufacturing and sourcing strategies, supply chain management, sales and marketing, business structures, corporate governance. He is convinced that a China strategy is an urgent priority today, and one that will only grow in importance over time.
"China's GDP is predicted to surpass the USA's sometime between
2030 and 2050, an epic shift in the world's economic center of gravity. The companies
that will compete and thrive in this new world will be those setting realistic goals
and actionable strategies today."
Bin Zhang, Director - USA
Bin Zhang, Director - USA
Bin Zhang was born in Beijing, China, and grew up in the city of Tianjin. a city now 30 minutes from
Beijing by high-speed train.
"In the late 1970s, my family of five lived on a combined income of US$ 23 each month.
Today, a middle class Beijing couple in a household of five can commonly have a monthly
combined income of US$ 10,000 or more. The continued rise in Chinese household
income will drive behavior changes in every aspect of life in China."
After arriving in the United States in mid 1980s and earning advanced degrees in electrical engineering
and business, Bin Zhang worked with several US companies in the areas of applications engineering,
product management, sales & marketing, and business development. From 1997 to 2001, Bin was
the Hong Kong-based representative for a US electronics components company , building out their
sales & marketing presence in the Asia Pacific Region. In 2007, Bin relocated to Shanghai where he
led the China business development effort for a major US electronics company, work which included
the integration of several China acquisitions. Bin has been involved - as an operator as well as advisor
- in a wide range of projects, encompassing supply chain management, marketing & sales, acquisition
screening, acquisition integration among many other areas.
"The reality is that China will continue to change at an accelerated pace in the next 30
years. Anticipating the changes, mitigating the risks, and making informed decisions will
help a US company participate fully and productively in the China market."
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