Michael Hart is President of the American Chamber of Commerce in China based in Beijing. He has over twenty-five years of business experience in Asia, including nineteen years in mainland China.

As President, Michael oversees all advocacy, programs, partnerships, and insights provided by the Chamber to support the business growth of nearly 900 foreign corporations operating in China, including most of the U.S. Fortune 500. The chamber’s advocacy includes the impressive American Business in China White Paper and Business Climate Survey each published annually as well as numerous interactions with both the US and Chinese governments on behalf of our members.

Prior to joining AmCham China, Michael spent most of his career in commercial real estate in Taipei, Shanghai and Tianjin including almost 20 years for a NYSE listed property services firm. He started in the research division briefing real estate owners, occupiers and investors on transactions and macro trends, he then opened, built, and led a branch office for the company in one of China’s largest Tier 1.5 cities for over a decade. Following this, Michael opened a private consulting and investment firm that among other projects invested in quick service restaurants.

In addition to this work, Michael was a long-term AmCham member and served on the Tianjin chapter’s Executive Committee for nearly 15 years including several terms as the local Chairman.

Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on finance and banking from the University of Missouri-Columbia in the U.S. He is a fluent speaker of mandarin Chinese. Michael was born and raised near Kansas City, Missouri.

James Zimmerman is the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China).

Based in Beijing, James is a author and lawyer who has lived and worked in China for three decades. He is a partner with the law firm of Loeb & Loeb LLP and advises foreign companies on corporate, transactional, regulatory, litigation and white-collar criminal defense matters. James previously served as Chairman of AmCham China for four prior terms in 2007-08 and 2015-16. He is the author of the acclaimed non-fiction book, The Peking Express: The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China.

A former journalist with the Financial Times and the BBC, Simon has worked in strategic communications and political advisory for over 25 years. Simon’s insights draw on first-hand experience and an extensive network across the GCC, having previously spent four years working in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, advising government ministers and leaders of Saudi’s Public Investment Fund on strategy, policy and communications. He was back in the UAE again earlier this month. He is currently based in Bangkok where, as Managing Director for Government and Public Affairs at Sandpiper, he oversees a growing team of government affairs professionals based across the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and frequently works from the firm’s offices in Dubai, Beijing and Shanghai.

Based in China since 1984, David is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Mahon China. In over three decades of advising multinationals entering and growing in the Chinese market, David has managed five private equity portfolios and held direct responsibility for the management of over 20 Chinese companies. He has served on the boards of international and Chinese financial and industrial firms and has been a regular commentator in the Chinese and international news media. David also writes and publishes China Watch, a quarterly review of China’s political and economic developments.