Green Development in China: Opportunities and Challenges for European SMEs

Born in Germany, Klaus Zenkel graduated in Industrial Engineering. He worked from 1993 to 2006 in executive management positions within the Siemens Group, one of which was Technical Director at Siemens SSMR in Shenzhen. Mr. Zenkel joined the European Chamber South China Board in 2016. As Vice President of the European Chamber and Chairman of the South China Board, he supports the member companies and meets with government officials.

As one of the 300 member companies in European Chamber South China Chapter, Imedco provides MRI shielding solutions for hospitals and research institutions. The company was founded in 1987 in Zurich, Switzerland. In 2006, Mr. Zenkel opened its Shenzhen subsidiary and started its business in China.

Liam Jia is a versatile professional with the past 8 years advising European businesses on market access and business strategies to China. He has a solid working experience in project and operations management, financial and risk control in the EU context.

Liam is an experienced speaker and author of publications on a range of topics, including the environmental sector, SME digitalisation and F&B distribution. Great team player, generating positive influence on teammates.

Nathalie has more than 10 years of energy field experience. She specialises in sustainability and energy project coordination. She is currently managing the operations of Terao in Asia. She manages Carbon footprint assessment projects for the operations of European companies in China as well as Building Sustainability projects involving Green Building Certification, Energy Efficiency & Low Carbon topics.

She holds a Master’s degree in International Energy Management from Tsinghua University, China & Mines ParisTech, France.

Filippo Pallaroni is the EU SME Centre Training Centre Coordinator. He organises and oversees the implementation of hybrid workshops and webinars for the Centre.

Filippo is an Italian young graduate interested in EU-China trade relations and their geopolitical implications. Starting with a focus on the Italian economic presence in China, he has expanded its range of interest to European SMEs and their role in the Chinese market.

Filippo holds a master’s degree in International Governance and Diplomacy from SciencesPo Paris and Peking University together with a BA in International Relations from the University of Bologna.

Lu Jiahui is a dynamic energy leader currently serving as Associate Vice President at Towngas Smart Energy (1083.HK), a major listed company with over 60,000 employees. Concurrently, he oversees two strategic subsidiaries as General Manager: Towngas Green Power (50-employee renewable energy division) and Towngas Carbon Asset (30-employee carbon management arm). 

Mr. Lu Jiahui earned his undergraduate degree in the Energy Department at Zhejiang University, which is ranked among the top 3 universities in China and number 1 in Chinese energy studies. He was awarded the prestigious Chinese Government Scholarship, a highly competitive honor granted to only one recipient per year. With this scholarship, he pursued a master’s degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden. Subsequently, he was invited to complete a research project on solar energy at the CNRS-PROMES (French National Center for Scientific Research) in France. 

Mr. Lu Jiahui boasts extensive experience in both domestic and international low-carbon clean-energy industries. He has led or participated in various green decarbonisation projects, including the World Bank MENA KIP initiative. His professional journey has taken him to esteemed organisations such as EDF (Électricité de France), ENGIE (formerly GDF Suez) in France, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany. 

In addition to his technical expertise, Mr. Lu Jiahui is a multilingual communicator. He is proficient in English, French (B1), German (B1), and, of course, his native Chinese. 

Christian Gassner serves as a Board member of the European Chamber South China Chapter and also as the Chair of the European Chamber’s Manufacturing Forum. He currently holds the position of General Manager at Limoss (Dongguan) Co., Ltd., where he oversees the production of electronic consumer goods in compliance with the Japanese Kaizen principles, ensuring both high quality and high volume.

With over two decades of experience in the manufacturing industry, Christian possesses profound knowledge of mechanical engineering production technologies and strong leadership skills. Moreover, he has a keen interest in training and developing young employees, providing them with the knowledge and tools they need for a brighter future.  

Tobias joined PM Technology Consulting Services, a Finnish-German company in Shenzhen, as Managing Director in 2014.

He had the chance to be in China for the first time in 2002 and got to know different parts and sides of China in the last 2 decades. He came to China because he was interested in the country, the culture and the people, and was able to stay because of the many opportunities and the many friendly and helpful people he met.

“In the last 15 years of living and working in China, I have realized that no matter how big the technical challenges are, the biggest challenge is always to bring people together and cooperate.”

With over 20 years of experience in various technical & management roles, leads the sustainability business for TÜV SÜD North Asia, a global testing & certification organization. Works with technology companies, startups, academic institutions and governmental authorities in bringing safety, security sustainable solutions across consumer, payments, transportation, industrial and medical industries. Having lived & worked around countries also brings in a rich international experience. Holds an M.Phil in Operations Management from Bath University (UK) and Bachelors in Integrated Engineering from Cardiff in (UK) and a passionate marathoner.