Harry Bell
Government Affairs Manager at British Chamber of Commerce in ChinaHarry leads the policy work in the Chamber, including responsibility for our flagship policy papers and our outreach with the UK government. Prior to joining the Chamber in 2023, Harry spent 6 years working in public affairs supporting clients to understand policy developments in the UK, EU and China.
Matt Crossman
His Majesty's Deputy Trade Commissioner at UK GovernmentMatt took up the role of deputy Trade Commissioner and Minister Counsellor at the British Embassy in Beijing from January 2025. He previously led the infrastructure team at the Department for Business and Trade in London, where he was responsible for partnerships that enabled governments around the globe to work with UK companies and benefit from their expertise in sustainable infrastructure.
Matt is a chartered civil engineer with extensive experience in infrastructure and wider government policy as well as degrees from Imperial College London, IHE in Delft and an MBA from the Open University. He was a team leader at the National Infrastructure Commission, responsible for significant aspects of the first-ever National Infrastructure Assessment and led a study to develop a new framework for the resilience of economic infrastructure.
Earlier in his career, Matt was based in Singapore as regional director for the UK Science and Innovation Network, securing a UK-Singapore innovation and research partnership and establishing collaboration with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Before this, Matt had several roles in flood and coastal risk management, including leading on policy and initial implementation for the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, national scale funding and managing the relationship with the insurance industry. Matt started his career in the private sector working for engineering consultants in UK and South-East Asia and in applied research.
Alfredo Montufar-Helu
Managing Director of ankuraAlfredo Montufar-Helu is a Managing Director based in China and focused on supporting businesses navigating disruption to meet their objectives both within China and on a global scale.
Experience
Alfredo draws on more than 16 years of experience spanning the public, private and non-profit sectors. Based in China since 2013, he has established himself as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, helping them enhance their organizations’ business planning, strategy formulation, and risk management in China, Asia and the world.
Before his current role, Alfredo led The China Center at The Conference Board, a prominent U.S.-based global business organization and think tank. In this capacity, he provided valuable insights to C-level executives from leading multinational corporations, helping them understand the evolving business landscape in China, its implications for their operations, and strategies for effective response.
Prior to that, Alfredo served as the Beijing Director of The Economist Corporate Network, the C-suite briefing and networking arm of The Economist Group. He also held the position of Associate Director at a global consultancy, where he spearheaded numerous thought leadership projects and contributed to policy proposals for the Chinese government. His experience further includes roles at J Capital Research, Eurasia Group, and Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ruby Osman
Senior Geopolitical Advisor at Tony Blair Institute for Global ChangeRuby leads the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change’s China work, where she supports senior leaders in developing effective China strategies. She also provides regular media commentary, including for Bloomberg, Reuters, the BBC and SCMP, and is a non-resident expert at the Oxford China Policy Lab, supporting their work on China's AI landscape.
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.
Kally Zhao
Events Manager at British Chamber of Commerce in ChinaKally leads the Chamber’s events and exchange initiatives, fostering meaningful connections across its network.
With over a decade of experience, she has worked at the intersection of arts, culture, and global engagement, holding leadership roles in producing, fundraising, and marketing creative projects across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Greater China. Prior to joining the Chamber, Kally served as Communications and Events Lead at the International Society for the Performing Arts in New York, where she worked closely with global cultural leaders and institutions.
Kally is a Schwarzman Scholar and holds a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University as a Global Media Scholar.