Speakers, The Entrepreneurs 2026

Alex Mok
Co-founder of Linehouse

Swedish-Chinese architect Alex Mok represents Shanghai’s new generation of design talent. A resident of the city for more than 16 years, Mok previously worked at Neri & Hu before co-founding Linehouse in 2013 with her Hong Kong-based partner Briar Hickling. Working from studios in their respective bases, the pair have built a reputation in the region for modern design in an Asian context, working on retail façades, office interiors and heritage restorations.

Austin Zhu
Founder of ZZER

The market for pre-owned luxury goods is booming and the Shanghai-based platform Zzer is one of its leaders. Founder Austin Zhu swapped private equity for entrepreneurship in 2015 after watching his wife struggle to sell a Chanel handbag. The shop’s consignment model and investment in authentication is trusted by consumers. Zhu’s decision to enter bricks-and-mortar retail has propelled Zzer’s online growth and expansion across China’s tier-one cities.

Purat ‘Chang’ Osathanugrah
Founder of Dib Bangkok

Thirty years in the making, Dib Bangkok opened in December 2025 to showcase the private collection of the Osathanugrah family. Purat “Chang” Osathanugrah took on his late father’s mission of creating the Thai capital’s most significant contemporary art museum. Since its opening, he has been working closely with his team to put Western and Eastern art on an equal footing while updating the concept of a museum for a 21st-century audience.

Wee Teng Wen
Founder of The Lo & Behold Group

Singaporean Teng Wen Wee has been pioneering the best restaurants, bars and boutique hotels in the Lion City for more than two decades. The hospitality company that he founded, The Lo & Behold Group, recently unveiled its most ambitious project to date. New Bahru has converted a former school into a drinking, dining and shopping destination built around the best brands and independent operators in Singapore.

Colin Siyuan Chinnery
Co-founder of Sound Art Museum

Chinnery has played a prominent role in creating some of China’s leading contemporary art institutions. After relocating to Beijing, the Scottish-born sound artist and curator went on to become UCCA’s inaugural chief curator. In 2023 he founded the Sound Art Museum in Beijing. China’s first audio institution is part of a broader initiative to document and archive urban soundscapes, music and languages from across the country.

Igor Duc
Founder of Native Union

The founder and CEO of the tech-accessories brand Native Union has spent the last 20 years combining French design and Chinese manufacturing. The Parisian first landed in Beijing in 2006, having left the world of French luxury jewelry for his own hardwood-furniture brand. He founded Native Union in 2009 after relocating to Hong Kong and now makes products for European luxury brands in China.

Tashi Tsering
CEO of Songtsam

Chinese travel trends are evolving rapidly and well-heeled tourists are looking to explore unconventional locations at home as much as luxury experiences overseas. Tashi Tsering is the CEO of Songtsam, an independent hotel chain that has tapped into domestic demand through thoughtful design and unique experiences. Songstam’s story began in Tsering’s native Yunnan province 25 years ago and today it operates 19 boutique hotels, lodges and retreats across Yunnan and Tibet.

Bao Yifeng
Co-founder of Art021

In 2013, the Shanghai-native co-founded China’s leading contemporary art fair Art021. The annual event brings the county’s art crowd to the Shanghai Exhibition Centre in Jing’An. Bao and his partners expanded to Beijing in 2018 with Jingart, which was rebranded in 2025 as Art021 Beijing. The executive also founded the firm Liquid PR, which subsequently joined Activation Group. Today Bao serves as general manager of Activation Liquid, advising European and US luxury brands on their China strategies.

Emma Gao
Co-founder of Silver Heights

Winemaker Emma Gao has been a pioneer of China’s burgeoning viniculture. After moving to France at 21 years old to study oenology at the University of Bordeaux, she gained experience at the prestigious Château Calon-Ségur. After returning to China, she worked in the domestic industry before establishing Silver Heights in Ningxia province in 2007. In the past decade, production has become fully biodynamic and the winery has gained multiple international accolades.

Yutong Jiang
Co-founder of Shushu/Tong

Yutong “Tong Tong” Jiang established womenswear label, Shushu/Tong, in 2015 with Liushu “Shu Shu” Lei after the duo graduated from the London College of Fashion. The pair made their debut presentation in Shanghai a decade ago and the brand has become a mainstay of China’s premier fashion week ever since. Today the label’s styles are stocked by some of the industry’s smartest retailers, including Dover Street Market, Browns, Boonthesshop and H Beauty & Youth.

Stefan Sielaff
Vice president of global design, Geely Auto Group

Bavarian Stefan Sielaff has spent more than 30 years designing luxury cars for brands including Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Bentley. Since 2021 he has led the design operations at Hangzhou-based Geely Auto Group. Geely is one of China’s leading automakers with key holdings in Volvo Cars, Lynk & Co, Polestar and Lotus Cars. Sielaff is primarily based at Geely’s design centre in Gothenburg, Sweden and has been working on several new models for Zeekr, Geely’s premium electric-car brand.

Yisa He
Founder of Herbeast

Shanghai-based beauty brand Herbeast blends Chinese herbal medicine with contemporary science and product design. After graduating from France’s Sciences Po, Yisa He spent six years at L’Oréal’s global headquarters in Paris. After returning to Shanghai, she worked for L’Oréal China, then Chinese brand Inoherb as its head of brand and product before launching her own skincare line in 2021. Five years on, He will soon cut the ribbon on her first physical shop in Shanghai.

Xin Yuan
Brand leader at An Ko Rau

Outdoor-clothing brand An Ko Rau has a growing number of shops in China and a commitment to doing things differently. Owned by the fashion group Zuczug, Xin Yuan was tapped to lead the label straight out of her graduation show. Over 18 years, the Shanghai native has grown An Ko Rau to become the group’s largest brand. It operates as an independent company and last year moved into its own headquarters.

Lishi Ni
Founder, Melt Season

China’s fragrance market is booming and domestic brands are hitting all the right notes. Lishi Ni founded premium perfume house Melt Season in Shanghai in 2020. Li’a young company has attracted powerful backing from east and west and she has invested in a handful of beautiful boutiques in China’s tier-one cities (the Shanghai flagship is a must-visit). Building on this strong retail presence at home, global expansion is underway.

Tasha Liu & Justin Peng
Co-founders of Labelhood

Tasha Liu and Justin Peng have built a business out of helping budding Chinese creatives become the industry’s next big thing. Through Labelhood, the husband-and-wife duo have nurtured more than 600 designers and have had a hand in nearly every successful fashion brand to come out of China in the past 15 years (including Shushu/Tong). The company has its own multi-brand boutiques and organises an annual showcase at Shanghai Fashion Week.

Daisuke Hironaka
CEO, Stellar Works

With more than 25 years of industry experience, Hironaka has led Stellar Works’ international expansion across Asia, Europe and North America, driving its transformation from an emerging manufacturer into a global design leader. Now in his role as CEO, Hironaka is advancing the brand’s vision of “New Luxury from Asia”, merging contemporary Asian design with cultural authenticity.