Thomas ManningSpeaker and Booking Agent Information

He formerly held executive positions with Buddy Systems, CSC Index, and McKinsey & Company. Manning serves on the boards of three publicly traded Chinese companies: Gome Electrical Appliances, the country's largest retailer; AsiaInfo, Inc., the country's top provider of telecom software and services; and Bank of Communications, the fifth-largest bank in China (listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) (HKSE).

Additionally, he is a board member of Next Horizon Limited and United Auto Parts, two private businesses funded by private equity groups. He also serves as the Mayor of Chicago's China advisor and is a founding director of the Chicago-China Economic Development Corporation.

He serves as a member of the Global Agenda Council on China and a consultant to the World Economic Forum. The U.S. China 2025 Project was started by Manning in 2007 with the goal of increasing mutual understanding between the US and China via the creation and testing of hypothetical future situations. Additionally, he released the monograph U.S.

China 2025 A Hopeful Tale, which presents a vision for increased collaboration between China and the United States. Manning, a frequent commentator on China, globalization, and innovation, has been featured, quoted, or published in a number of publications and news outlets, including the South China Morning Post, CNBC, Fortune, BusinessWeek, The Financial Times, and The International Herald Tribune.

He is also a well-known professor and speaker on issues and trends in corporate governance. He earned his undergraduate degree with honors in East Asian Studies from Harvard University and his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Manning, who speaks Mandarin fluently, resides in Hong Kong with his wife Ellen.