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Azlina Bulmer
Director of International at The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)Bulmer recently joined ICAEW as International Director and she is part of ICAEW Leadership Team. Azlina has the overall responsibility of ICAEW’s international offices and operations to ensure that
ICAEW continues to provide a high-quality service to our members, students and stakeholders across the globe.
Most recently, Azlina was Managing Director and a member of the Board of Directors at the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), the professional body for the automotive sector. During her 12 months leading IMI she returned the Institute to profit. Previously she held the position of Executive Director of Membership & Engagement at the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) with responsibility for CII’s membership activities and engagement programmes in the UK and internationally.
Prior to the CII, Azlina was the Director of International at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) where she set up the RIBA’s first international directorate in 2019 and led on the expansion of the RIBA’s operations and profiling in target markets in Middle East and China. She joined the RIBA in January 2016 as Head of Operations, Nations & Regions managing the operations of the RIBA’s 10 UK regions.
Azlina’s early career included public sector work in economic and community development which was followed by seven years working at a social investment bank. She is currently an associate non-executive director on the Board at Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust and has held several non-executive director roles previously including Chair of Finance & Estate Committee at University College of Osteopathy and Chair of The Works UK.
Annie Hao
Director of Brunswick GroupAnnie specializes in corporate positioning, regulatory strategy, and stakeholder engagement, advising companies navigating high-stakes transactions, government scrutiny, and reputational risk. With deep experience in antitrust, merger reviews, and compliance communications, she is a trusted advisor to leadership teams facing complex political, legal, and public challenges.
She has played a central role in some of the world’s most closely watched transactions in China, helping companies shape engagement strategies, anticipate regulatory concerns, and align messaging across regulators, media, and key stakeholders globally. Her expertise also spans regulatory investigations, compliance crises, and sensitive disputes, where she advises on narrative development, stakeholder mapping, and government engagement.
Known for managing issues under pressure, Annie helps clients maintain message discipline, build support, and reinforce credibility. She also brings extensive experience shaping corporate narratives across complex media environments, ensuring alignment with business, legal, and policy objectives.
With deep insight into China’s regulatory and political landscape, Annie helps clients anticipate challenges, mitigate risk, and build long-term trust with government stakeholders.
Before joining Brunswick in 2015, Annie worked at Edelman in Beijing, advising foreign firms in financial services and asset management on corporate affairs strategy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Sichuan University and a Master’s in Global Journalism from the University of Sheffield.
Wu Liqun FCA
Deputy GM & CFO at CNPC Capital Company Ltd.Since June 2000, Ms Wu has been employed at China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). In May 2021, she was appointed Chief Accountant of CNPC Henan Branch. In November 2023, she became Chief Financial Officer of Generali China Life Insurance Co., Ltd. In March 2026, she was appointed Deputy General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of CNPC Capital Company Limited.
She is a Professor-level Senior Accountant, a Chinese Certified Public Accountant (CICPA), a Hong Kong Certified Public Accountant (HKICPA), and an ICAEW Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA).
Xu Tianchen
Senior Economist at Economist Intelligence UnitTianchen is Senior Economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). He covers China and Asia, working on a wide range of topics including economic forecasts, policy dynamics, trade and property markets. He has spoken at various events and forums, sharing his insights, and is quoted by international media, including the BBC, Reuters, the SCMP and Al Jazeera.
Tianchen's experience as an economist spans three continents. Prior to the EIU, he worked at the United Nations in New York and the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Geneva. He also worked at China's private sector such as JD.com.
Chris Torrens
Chair at British Chamber of Commerce in ChinaChris Torrens is a recognised expert on China’s geopolitical and compliance issues. As the Beijing-based managing director of APCO’s Greater China operations, Chris brings unique insights to support both multinational companies operating in China and Chinese companies going global, with a particular focus on political and regulatory risks.
Before joining APCO, Chris worked at Control Risks for 22 years, serving as partner in the Greater China and North Asia region. Before this role, Chris was based in London as the partner responsible for the geopolitical risk practice for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Chris previously worked as a Shanghai-based associate director in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ advisory practice and as the Hong Kong-based head of research at Batey Burn, a UK government relations and public affairs consultancy acquired by APCO in 1999.
Chris is a regular media commentator and has been interviewed by the BBC, CNN, CNBC, CGTN and Bloomberg. His articles have appeared in the Economist, Financial Times and specialist publications and his book, Doing Business in China, was published by The Economist Group in 2010.
Chris has lived in Greater China for more than 20 years. He holds an MBA from the China-Europe International Business School, a BA Honours degree in Modern Chinese Studies from Leeds University and speaks Mandarin.
Chris has served as Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in China since June 2025, having served as Vice Chair since 2022.
Zhou Zhaofeng
Managing Partner at Field FisherI have acted for both international and domestic clients over 15 years and have earned a name as a leading individual in the fields of competition law and privacy and data protection law. I am dually qualified in both China and England & Wales.
I have been appointed as an official antitrust expert by more than 40 Chinese governments at both the provincial and city levels. I was a board member of both the Asia Advisory Board and the Training Advisory Board of International Association of Privacy Professionals between 2020 and 2022. I also act as an arbitrator for several Chinese arbitration courts, such as the Dalian International Arbitration Court.
As one of the pioneers in the field of competition law in China, I started to practice in late 2007, before the Chinese Antimonopoly Law came into effect. I have worked on several groundbreaking competition law projects in China, including the first notification in the aviation industry, the first notification of an R&D joint venture, and the first post-divestiture case in China. During the past decade, I have advised airlines on negotiating alliances/joint ventures.
As one of the leading practitioners in the field of privacy and data protection law, I have advised all major Chinese airlines, including as Air China, China Southern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, and Air China Cargo.
I have also advised major international and domestic companies in sectors such as aviation, aircraft manufacturing, automotive, e-commerce, the internet industry, mining equipment, new energy, pharmaceuticals, and TMT.
I have a PhD degree in competition law from the University of Glasgow and an LLM degree in international law from the University of Bristol.