Unlocking AI Business Opportunities in China: Meet Start-up & SME AI Innovators

Alvaro Montoya is an engineer of telecommunications from Barcelona (Spain). Living in China for 13 years he has worked in many tech companies such as Microsoft. In 2018 while studying a MBA program in Tsinghua University he founded Akkadu.ai, a real-time AI subtitles software supporting 90+ languages, helping thousands of users communicate and understand global meetings, lectures and webinars.

Cyril Drouin is the CEO & CSO for BeyondBorderGroup. He is based in the Shanghai office. BeyondBorderGroup is a “route to market” cross-border platform platform between China and the rest of the world. Cyril has more than 20 years e-commerce and digital marketing experience in China and in Europe, with local and international companies relying on his expertise. Cyril helps them to succeed in either optimising or creating their digital & e-commerce presence in China and in Europe.

Cyril is the former CEO of Publicis Commerce China and Chief Digital E-Commerce officer for Publicis North Asia, leading the practice on Google, Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, Tmall, JD, WeChat and social media. Cyril has helped successfully launch or grow over 20 major brands in the past 5 years. He has successfully cooperated with GSK, Nestle, Ferrero, Kering, Mondelez, Sanofi, Bacardi, Heineken, Siemens, Beiersdorf, and Moleskine, to name a few. Cyril has been a juror for multiples advertising festivals such as Adfest, DMAA International Digital Marketing Award. Cyril is an experienced well-respected speaker and trainer at various digital and eCommerce conferences. He hosts high-level training sessions about the Chinese e-commerce and digital ecosystem in China and around the world. Cyril is teaching e-commerce and digital marketing to executive MBA students. Cyril holds a Master’s degree in IT & Mathematics. A French native speaker, he is fluent in English and has a good command of Chinese.

After an international career in enterprise companies, Lorenzo Cappannari co-founded in 2015 AnotheReality, a Metaverse simulation and entertainment company of which he is now CEO. He is also TEDx speaker and author.

Flavia Cusaro, with almost 15 years experience in China, has a deep understanding of the Chinese business environment and approach. She currently cooperates with technological firms abroad and helps them to understand the Chinese market as well as to find the best strategy to tap into new opportunities.

Tanya Van Gastel is co-founder of the Multiverse AI, whose mission is to empower individuals to represent themselves authentically and effectively in the digital world. For her expertise on emerging technologies, she’s been quoted in Forbes, BBC, Wall Street Journal, and China Daily, among others.

She has been a keynote speaker for many events, including at the European Tech Commission and Festival of Licensing. Tanya Van Gastel spent 7 years across Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen working at tech brands OnePlus and OPPO, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and a cross-border startup accelerator. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics, and speaks fluent English, Chinese, French, Dutch, and German.

Ms Zheng Zixi lived in Germany for decades and joined SupplyOn Headquarters in 2006. In 2018, she was appointed CEO of SupplyOn Asia Pacific. She is involved in planning the supply chain systems of large manufacturing international enterprises such as Bosch, Continental, Siemens and more.

She has more than 15 years of experience in supply chain management. She has expertise in cross-cultural communication, business development, customer network development and supply chain processes with her industry knowledge and international perspective.

Riccardo Verzella, a qualified Italian lawyer, currently holds the position of Senior Associate at D’Andrea & Partners Legal Counsel, Shanghai Office. Since 2021, he has also been concurrently serving as a Lecturer in Italian Civil & Commercial Law at Nanjing University.

Riccardo Verzella graduated with honors in Law from the University of Teramo (Italy) and undertook a visiting student program at the Koguan Law School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He continued his legal education by earning an LLM in Business & Company Law from LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome. With a professional journey spanning over 7 years, he specialises in cross-border issues, including Corporate/M&A, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), and Labor Law, across China, Italy, and Vietnam.

Mr. Verzella is an expert of personal information protection compliance in China, specifically on the intricate landscape of cross-border transfers. He has also actively contributed as a speaker in various roundtables addressing Personal Information Protection compliance in China.