The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macao and the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with RsA – Asia Tax Advisors are glad to present the Webinar Asia-Pacific A to Z: Discover Every Market of the Fastest-growing Region with the focal point on the geo-economic relationships of Asia and the Pacific Regions.

Participants will be guided through a detailed analysis of who are the key players of every region and their peculiar features with respect to their market of reference: Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.

The RsA’s expert Lorenzo Riccardi will follow the discussion with an excursus on the different regional economic partnerships in force at present, with the aim of understanding the trade agreements in effect, among which the Free Trade Agreements, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the new Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Lorenzo Riccardi, Managing Partner of RsA Asia

Lorenzo has taught taxation at Xian Jiao Tong Liverpool University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Tongji University, and Hult Business School. Tax Advisor and Certified Public Accountant specialized in international taxation at IBFD Kuala Lumpur, PhD researcher in Asian tax at Shanghai University. He is based in Shanghai, where he focuses on business and tax law, assisting foreign investments in China and East Asia. He is an auditor and an advisor for several corporate groups and he is partner and Head of Tax of the consulting firm RSA, specializing in Asia and emerging countries.

The shipping industry has been facing different challenges in the recent period and numerous others are materializing for the upcoming future. As logistics is a crucial aspect for the supply chain management, being able to direct and influence cargo shipping, products movements and consumer demand could hold the balance of power in the current, increasingly complex, sourcing and transport sector.

A deep knowledge of supply chains and logistic industry is the cornerstone of the management of raw materials’s flow, competitiveness, and the assurance that the finished products will provide value to the consumer.

During the course of this seminar, our experts from APC and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company will analyze the recent changes in the logistic industry regarding the shipping flow, with particular focus on the trade transitioning and departing from Hong Kong.

Our guests will have the opportunity to learn from the key players in the logistic sector about the latest development and the prime challenges in the supply industry to achieve a better understanding on which are the best practices to apply to reach the competitive advantage in such a complex sector.

Join us on Wednesday 27th January, take part in this webinar and do not miss the chance to learn about the useful updates and insightful thoughts of our skilled panelists!

Philip Cheng – General Manager, Trade, Sales and Corporate Account, Export Department, HK, SPRC, Taiwan, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company

Philip has been the General Manager of Trade and Sales for MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company in Hong Kong since 2010.

Philip has over 25 years of extensive experience in shipping. He started his career in the transport and logistics industry with Jardine freight service as a sales trainee in 1995. Subsequently, he joined Norasia and Hanjin Senator where he worked in commercial roles spanning different regions.

In 2002, he joined MSC in Hong Kong as an Assistant Sales Manager focusing on the Europe and Mediterranean trades. As the General Manager of Trade and Sales, he currently oversees the export trades from Hong Kong, South China and Taiwan to worldwide destinations.

Philip holds a Master’s degree from the Macquarie University in Australia with a focus on marketing management.

Aldo Soprani – Group CEO, APC Asia Pacific Cargo

Italian born in Milan, spent almost his entire career in Logistics and Freight Forwarding. Moved to Asia 20 years ago, based in Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore and since 6 years in Hong Kong. Heads a small multinational company owned by a Japanese logistics giant. APC Logistics is based in Hong Kong with branches in Greater China, Europe and South-East Asia. The company is specialized in Freight Forwarding, E-Commerce fulfilment, Railfreight and Logistics value added services.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce is honored to announce the 1st edition of “Revealing the Secrets of Entice Jewellery”.

The exclusive showcase turns into an opportunity to discover the uniqueness of the gems of the KGK Group. From the mining through the cutting and polishing of the gemstones to the wax-crafting and gem-setting processes employed by the expert jewelry artisans, the history of these splendid pieces of craftsmanship will have no more secrets to hide from our guests, who will enjoy an all-rounded experience and will appreciate the enduring beauty of said jewels.

Join us on Thursday, January 28th at the dazzling Entice Showroom in Hung Hom to try on a range of exquisite pieces of jewels of outstanding value.

For this first-ever exclusive edition, only a limited number of seats will be available.

*Please note that all the upcoming Chamber events will be subject to the latest Hong Kong Government safety and social distancing measures. We will keep our guests updated about the final arrangements following the indicated guidelines. Thank you for your kind understanding.

Sourcing opportunities are top of mind in Hong Kong as supply chains around the world grow more complex and get disrupted in the face of extraordinary circumstances.

InvestHK and KPMG have jointly prepared the Future of Sourcing: 2021 and beyond research report, which draws on the insights of industry experts to examine the current state of the sourcing industry and the future of supply chains across China and the rest of Asia.

We hear about the need for resilience and agility in this changing world with increasingly more complex supply chains. We ask three key questions: Where to play? How to win? And what to do?

You will hear from Andrea Bontempi (KPMG Italy), Anson Bailey (KPMG China), Angelica Leung (InvestHK), and industry representatives, Christian Foddis, President, Asia Pacific at Ermenegildo Zegna (Hong Kong) Limited and the President of Federmacchine, with regards to Hong Kong’s consumer evolution and how technology and innovation are going to play a more significant role in the future.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce and its Industrial Committee invite you to attend this webinar to listen, learn and ask questions as our speakers navigate this new normal with those emerging future digital supply chains.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Angelica Leung, Head of Consumer Products, Invest Hong Kong

Angelica has over a decade of experience in foreign direct investment. Her current focus is on facilitating investment from companies in retail or sourcing of toys, cosmetics, jewelry, home furnishings, fashion, electronic appliances and most recently extending to retail technology. Since 2013, the Consumer Products team has assisted nearly 300 companies to set up or expand in Hong Kong.

Prior to joining InvestHK, Angelica’s career experience spans aviation, strategic design consultancy, and market research for fast moving consumer goods. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Hong Kong, and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Anson Bailey, Head of Technology, Media & Telecoms, Hong Kong, Head of Consumer & Retail, ASPAC, KPMG

Anson joined KPMG in Hong Kong in 1999 and is currently a Partner based in the Hong Kong office heading up the Consumer & Retail Practice in the ASPAC region. He is part of the KPMG Global Consumer & Retail Steering Group as well as being a member of the Global Technology Innovation Centre and the Cluster Leader for the Technology, Media & Telecoms Practice based in Hong Kong.

Anson has been active in driving a number of thought leadership reports and executive briefings for senior executives covering innovation and consumers in China and across Asia. He has worked with many corporates to understand the complex markets we live in and current levels of disruption being seen with recent reports including Global Mobile Payments, Consumers & Convergence, Mobilizing Innovation: The Changing Landscape of Disruptive Technologies, The Rise of the Digital Multi-tasker, Be a Smarter Start-up, MNCs in China, Made in China 2025, China’s Connected Consumers, Global Connected Consumers, Connecting Hong Kong – Perspectives on our future as a smart city, Connected Cities – insights across the ASPAC region and The Changing Face of Commerce series.

Christian Foddis, President, Asia Pacific – Ermenegildo Zegna (Hong Kong) Limited

Christian joined Ermenegildo Zegna Group as President of Asia Pacific – Greater China, Korea, Oceania, Japan and SEA in 2020. His previous professional experience comes from over 20 years of international experience serving most recently with Salvatore Ferragamo as Chief Executive Officer ASIA. Prior to that Christian has held roles in Valentino Fashion Group as Asia MD and Marzotto Group in Europe.

Over the years, Christian has led and managed a variety of Brands ranging from Casualwear, Premium and Luxury combining both commercial acumen with a rich intimate understanding of the Asian and European markets.

Born in Rome, Italy, Christian holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from KWG St.Gallen, Switzerland and a Master’s degree in Sociology – Business Administration and Organizations from “La Sapienza” University Rome. Christian currently serves as BOD member of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong & Macao where he has served as Vice-Chairman for several years. Christian is a strong advocate of continuous learning and has participated in a number programs from Insead to the London Business School. He is an active member of YPO (Young President Organization), a leading lifelong learning organization, where he serves as Pan Asia Chapter Membership Engagement Officer and on the Regional Board as Vice-Learning and Network Officer.

Christian speaks Italian, English, German and French. He is married, has one daughter, and they have resided in Hong Kong since 2004. In his free time Christian loves to ride his (noisy) bike, listening to (very) loud music, enjoying contemporary art, playing golf and supporting various Charities. He is an active member of Rotary.

Christian’s motto is “treasure imperfection”.

Andrea Bontempi, Partner, KPMG Advisory, KPMG in Italy

Andrea has more than 12 Years as KPMG Partner and a previous similar position in different networks with experience in management consulting. He has a strong experience in management accounting and supply chain projects gained in different business contexts. He has often been involved in the National Business Community in Public speech and in teaching activities for at least 5 academic years each.

Andrea has gained significant experience in managing complex multidisciplinary projects at global clients throughout the entire project lifecycle. During such experiences, he managed the assessment phase, the Target Operating Model design, and implementation both at the strategic and operational level managing the process and the ICT enablers.

2020 has been one of a very dynamic year ranging from the first year in the new China annual reconciliation filing and application for Greater Bay Area (“GBA”) individual income tax (“IIT”) financial subsidy, to complex tax and deployment issues arising from remote working and travel disruption.

Individual taxpayers and withholding agents in China have been facing challenges brought by major adjustments in policies and practical implementation under the China IIT reform, and the 2019 annual reconciliation filing has marked a perfect completion to the first year of this reform.

Similarly, taxpayers in Hong Kong have been facing challenges brought by changes in tax rules and practices. From the year 2018/19 onwards, double taxation triggered by working in a double tax treaty counterpart of Hong Kong would no longer be mitigated by the unilateral tax relief under Section 8(1A)(c) of the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Instead, a foreign tax credit (“FTC”) could be claimed if the taxpayers qualify as a Hong Kong tax resident – yet the adverse impact on holdover of provisional tax would arise due to limitation in tax rule.

Furthermore, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the issues on tax residence status, unexpected double taxation, and demand for change in benefit policies, and tax equalization policy for talent retention and policy competitiveness have been caused.

The Italian Chamber of Commerce has invited PwC experts to share their insights and recommendation on how enterprises and individuals could better manage the above challenges.

Topics to be covered include:

• Recap and experience sharing of the first China annual reconciliation filing for IIT.
• Updates on China IIT incentive in the Greater Bay Area.
• Challenges in foreign tax credit claim and impact on holdover application.
• The requirements and the recent trend of applying for a Hong Kong certificate of resident status.
• The IRD’s view on certain salary tax issues shared by the IRD and the HKICPA.
• Tax and HR policies impact due to unplanned travels, the extension of stays, and remote working patterns.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Louis Lam, Partner, Global Mobility Services, PwC Hong Kong

Louis is the China-South Leader of Global Mobility Services with over 20 years of experience specializing in Hong Kong / China cross border individual tax consulting and compliance. He advises clients in drafting company policy and employment terms covering housing benefits, remuneration package structuring, tax equalization, termination package, and talent mobility policy; negotiate and manage tax audit and penalty; cross border social security planning, etc.

Louis has extensive experience advising overseas, China and Hong Kong clients in private equity and asset management industries, and leading global financial institutions, to design and enhance pre-/post-IPO employee share-based compensation schemes, carried interest plans, and co-investment plans, with a holistic approach to cover talent mobility and retention, market trend, tax, foreign exchange, finance, legal, etc.

He is a Certified Tax Adviser (Hong Kong), and members of the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong (TIHK), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA).

Victor Yuen, Senior Manager, Global Mobility Services, PwC Hong Kong

Victor Yuen is a Senior Manager in Global Mobility Services. Victor is responsible for providing Hong Kong and China individual tax consulting and compliance services for international and local companies. Victor has more than 10 years of experience and he serves companies in different industries, including leading global financial institutions.

Victor is involved in various individual tax consulting projects, including assisting clients in drafting mobility policy and tax equalization policy to support mobility employees.

Victor is a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.