Team
Extensive experience, fresh perspectives
Björn Conrad 孔弼永
CEO
bjoern.conrad@sinolytics.de
Björn Conrad, CEO and co-founder of Sinolytics, has almost two decades of China experience. He is a recognized expert on China’s digital and technological transformation. Before starting Sinolytics, he was the Vice President of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). Before, he worked as China Specialist at the World Bank/GEF in Washington D.C. and UN FAO in Rome, designing and managing projects in almost all provinces of the PRC. Earlier, he gained consulting experience with the Boston Consulting Group. He holds a degree in Sinology, Economics and Politics from Trier and Peking University as well as a Masters degree from Harvard University.
Björn’s latest showcase
Mirjam Meissner 梅莉
Director
mirjam.meissner@sinolytics.de
Mirjam Meissner, Director, is an expert on market regulation, industrial and technology policy and digital disruption in China and a leading specialist on China’s big data-enabled regulation of companies via the Social Credit System. She supports many companies in adjusting to the challenges of China’s regulatory ratings. In addition, Mirjam has a strong track record in consulting on the rapid technological transformation in China’s automotive, mobility, chemicals and health care sectors. Prior to Sinolytics she co-headed the technology and economics program at MERICS. She studied Sinology, Economics and Politics in Berlin as well as in Wuhan, China.
Mirjam’s latest showcase
Jost Wübbeke 龙信鑫
Director
jost.wuebbeke@sinolytics.de
Jost Wübbeke, Director, is a leading expert on China’s emerging technology trends and industrial policy. He leads consulting projects for building effective digital strategies on topics such as digital ecosystems, VC/PE investment, partnership scouting and e-Commerce platforms. His core experience focuses on new technologies and innovation policies in automotive, mechanical engineering and IT. Previously, he headed the MERICS industrial policy team, where he published groundbreaking analyses on Made in China 2025. He has a PhD from FU Berlin on China’s raw materials industry. He graduated in International Relations and China Studies from Berlin and Bochum and was research fellow at Tsinghua University.
Jost’s latest showcase
Markus Herrmann Chen 陈瑞华
Director and Managing Director Switzerland
markus.herrmann@sinolytics.de
Markus Herrmann, Director and MD Switzerland, is an experienced advisor to European corporate and public sector clients focusing on business-policy nexus topics including regulatory ratings/CSCS, the Belt and Road Initiative, policy-based growth strategies, technology transfer- and partnerships or government affairs strategies. He combines deep business understanding with policy analysis expertise and six years working experience in China. Prior to Sinolytics, Markus worked as a Government Affairs & Advocacy Director with Bayer MaterialScience (now: Covestro) in China and as Management Consultant with The Boston Consulting Group in its Shanghai, Hong Kong and Zurich offices, focusing on financial services and industrial goods. Markus holds a MLaw from the universities of Bern and Geneva with focus on international public law and WTO law as well as a CAS in Public Policy from ETHZ.
Markus’s latest showcase
Jaqueline Ives 颜明颖
Consultant
jaqueline.ives@sinolytics.de
Jaqueline Ives, Consultant, is an expert observer of China’s vibrant start-up scene and new technology companies. She also has several years of experience in analyzing China’s industrial and innovation policy. At Sinolytics, she has worked with clients from a range of industries including automotive, manufacturing and logistics. She advises on digital strategies for the Chinese market with a special focus on partner and investment scouting, licensing and standardization. Prior to Sinolytics, she worked as a research associate at MERICS focusing on China’s industrial policy and its implications for foreign firms. She studied Chinese Business and Economics in Würzburg, Shanghai and Bonn.
Jaqueline’s latest showcase
Luisa Kinzius 梦洁
Consultant
Luisa Kinzius, Consultant, is a specialist on Chinese market regulation. She extensively worked on projects analyzing the impact of big-data enabled market regulation and regulatory ratings on companies. She also observes the current trends in China’s FinTech industry as well as emerging blockchain-based business models. Prior to Sinolytics she worked at the Rhodium Group, NYC, focusing on foreign investment activities in China. She holds a M.Sc.in Economics from the LMU Munich and a B.Sc in Economics from the University of Mannheim. During her studies she spend one year studying Economics and Chinese at the Nanjing University.
Tiffany Wong 黄亭嘉
Consultant
tiffany.wong@sinolytics.de
Tiffany Wong, Consultant, is experienced in helping clients navigate China’s technology and eBusiness markets. Her engagements include supporting clients on issues such as AI and fintech, designing multi-channel digital and eCommerce strategies, start-up and VC scouting, and performing due diligence for clients from a wide range of industries, from auto-manufacturing to biopharmaceuticals. She retains a research focus on China’s cyber-governance policies, including standards on data security and information flow. She holds an M.A. from Johns Hopkins in International Economics and China Studies and a B.A. from the University of Chicago in Political Science and International Relations.
Tiffany’s latest showcase
Jingwen Tong 童 婧雯
Consultant
Jingwen Tong, Consultant, tracks China’s regulatory and policy development on trade and technology, covering a wide range of topics from the Greater Bay Area mega-project to the new eCommerce law. Prior to Sinolytics, Jingwen was a Lead Analyst at China Policy, a Beijing-based policy research company, and implemented projects on the complexities of China’s industrial zones industrial policies and regulatory procedures. Jingwen holds a Master of Public Policy from University of Oxford and a B.A. in English and International Studies from Beijing Foreign Studies University. She also studied political science as a visiting student at Columbia University.
Camille Boullenois 班开玫
Consultant
camille.boullenois@sinolytics.de
Camille Boullenois, Consultant, advises clients on the regulatory challenges arising from the Corporate Social Credit System. Previously, she worked as an analyst at China Policy, and contributed to the EIU, Oxford Analytica and the ECFR on topics pertaining to China’s social and economic issues. She is also a researcher at the Australian National University and has studied at Sciences Po (Paris) and Oxford. With many years of experience in China, she has an outstanding command of the Chinese language and political landscape.
Hailin Wang
Analyst
Hailin Wang, Analyst, has extensive experience researching and analyzing industrial policy and corporate performance, especially in the areas of energy policy, sustainability and environmental protection. Prior to Sinolytics, he worked at Greenpeace East Asia assessing companies’ environmental performance and multiple industrial policies. Hailin obtained a B.A. in Economics from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (Chengdu) and holds an M.A. in Political, Legal, and Economic Philosophy from University of Bern (Switzerland). He also studied Global Legal Studies at University of Luzern and has passed CFA level I.
Martin Catarata 丁子涵
Analyst
Martin Catarata, Analyst, tracks Chinese investments along the Belt and Road Initiative and analyzes geopolitical and socio-economic shifts it causes. He has worked extensively on projects evaluating strategic opportunities and risks of the BRI for European companies. Currently, he is finishing his M.A. in European and East Asian Governance at Trier University and is about to start a dissertation on the topic of China’s maritime connectivity advised by Prof. Heilmann. He holds a B.A in Sinology and Political Science from Trier University and studied the Chinese political system and Chinese language at Sichuan University.
Valentin Krüsmann 柯兰霆
Associate
valentin.kruesmann@sinolytics.de
Valentin Krüsmann, Associate, specializes in China’s macroeconomic and financial systems. Prior to Sinolytics, he has worked with the GIZ in Beijing, researching and developing policy advice on sustainable transport and electrification. He has been active in organizing dialogue-promoting study programs to politically contentious regions such as the DPR Korea and Transnistria. Valentin has spent over eleven years living in China and has studied Chinese at Yunnan Normal University in Kunming. He holds a B.Sc in Economics from Vienna University of Economics and Business and a M.Sc in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London.
Gregor Sebastian 高杰
Associate
gregor.sebastian@sinolytics.de
Gregor Sebastian, Associate, researches China’s industrial policy with a focus on the Made in China 2025 strategy. His keen interest in China’s industrial policy and its digital transformation stems from a prolonged internship at the GIZ offices in Beijing, where he worked on the newly-established Sino-German Industrie 4.0 Project, deepening his understanding of Sino-German cooperation on a ministerial level. Prior to Sinolytics he completed an intensive period of advanced language study in Chengdu, China. Gregor holds a MSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a B.A. in Political Science and History from the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, including an exchange year at University College London (UCL).
Michael Vouillamoz 威清华
Associate
michael.vouillamoz@sinolytics.de
Michael Vouillamoz, Associate, a Swiss Master’s graduate born and raised in Beijing, has previously worked at SwissCham Beijing and the Embassy of Switzerland in China while also having customer service experiences in the Sino-Swiss private medical tourism industry. Being fluent in French, English, German, Swedish and Chinese, he is a versatile researcher that is capable of conducting both Western Europe and China focused research. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Geneva and a double Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Business Administration from Stockholm University.
Prof. Sebastian Heilmann 韩博天教授
Chairman of the Advisory Board
heilmann@uni-trier.de
Sebastian Heilmann serves as the Chairman of the Sinolytics Advisory Board. He advises the Sinolytics management on business strategy and the development of Chinese industrial technologies and financial markets. Heilmann is Professor for Government and the Political Economy of China at the University of Trier near Luxembourg and one of the internationally most renowned European experts on contemporary China. From 2013 to 2018, he served as the Founding President and CEO of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) in Berlin. Heilmann has many years’ experience providing advice to German and European policy-makers and corporate leaders.