Christian Sommer has been living and working in China for more than 25 years. He started his career in one of the first German law firms in Shanghai and helped building up the German Centre Beijing, before moving to his current position in 2005.

Under his direction the German Centre Shanghai, a subsidiary of BayernLB, has evolved into
a successful platform for Sino-German exchange and cooperation where hundreds of German companies have started their entry into the Chinese market benefiting from Mr. Sommer´s expertise.

In 2016 Mr Sommer established the German Enterprise Center in Qingdao, as well as the German Centre Taicang, a subsidiary of the German Centre Shanghai.
Also in 2016 Christian Sommer was appointed programme ambassador of the Chancellor Fellowship of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation.
In September 2017 he received the honorary citizenship of the Chinese city Suzhou.
In 2021 Christian Sommer was honoured with the Magnolia Silver Award in acknowledgement of his outstanding contribution to Shanghai´s development.
In 2024, Christian Sommer was elected Vice President to the board of the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB). In the same year, Christian Sommer was appointed Board Supervisor of Inclusion Factory, a social enterprise dedicated to the professional integration of people with intellectual disabilities.

Furthermore Christian Sommer contributes to Sino-German cultural exchange as bass player in the Shanghai rock band “ShangHighVoltage” as well as co-organizer of the Sino-German table tennis tournaments.

Terry Wang was appointed as CFO TRUMPF China in March 2026 and is based in the TRUMPF China’s headquarter in Taicang. Terry held various positions in Voith China before he joined TRUMPF, covering from Internal Audit to head of Controlling, from GBS Accounting to CFO, extending responsibilities to COO role as well.

Terry holds Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring Finance, Accounting and Economics obtained from Auckland University and AUT University in New Zealand.

Karen is an international expert in geopolitics, with more than 10 years of experience at the intersection of business, economic policy and societal transformation.

As Head of Geopolitics at Covestro in Shanghai, she advises the Board and senior management on global geopolitical risks and opportunities, translating complex developments into strategic guidance for a leading chemicals company and politically steering the company's global M&A projects. Her work combines geopolitical intelligence, AI-enhanced analysis and strategic foresight with deep practical experience in public affairs, strategy, business transformation and sustainability across Europe and Asia. Before relocating to China, she worked in Berlin and Leverkusen in public affairs and sustainability, and her various roles frequently brought her to Brussels.

Karen holds a PhD from RWTH Aachen University on corporate sustainability in Germany and the UK, focusing on the chemical and pharmaceutical industry as well as the consumer goods sector, and is an active member of both the European Chamber and the German Chamber in China.

Linna is a controlling expert in automotive supplier industry, with more than 20 years of experience in various controlling area such as operation controlling, project controlling, R&D controlling and sales controlling, etc..

As Head of E-mobility Controlling in Greater China, she is facing the challenge to balance growth and profitability. She is focusing on supporting acquisition from project controlling and monitor project profitability from target to operation, support R&D for transparency and efficiency, proactively working with sales team to align realistic sales forecast and pricing strategy, managing risks and opportunities to achieve financial goals, setting up long term overhead ambition to achieve strategic plan, etc.

Ms. Liu has accumulated more than 17 years of experience in both Tax Bureau and a in PwC. Before starting her career in PwC, Ms. Liu worked for Wuxi State Tax Bureau of Jiangsu Province for 8 years. She was awarded as one of the leading tax specialists in Jiangsu State Tax Bureau, and took in-charge section chief position in various departments. Her major working focus includes Corporate Income Tax administration, Large Enterprise and International Taxation management, tax inspection, tax big data application and real estate taxation management, etc.

Currently, Ms. Liu provides tax consulting services to both overseas and domestic clients with major focus on the below areas:
• VAT tax planning and preferential application;
• HNTE application and R&D super deduction;
• Tax planning on enterprise restructuring and transaction;
• Treaty benefit application and outbound remittance arrangement;
• Export VAT Refund related tax consulting;
• Tax assessment and analysis of potential risks and prevention solutions;
• Tax controversy services and follow-up negotiations etc.

Ms. Liu has provided tax consulting services to a great number of clients from various industries. She has built up profound understanding in the real estate industry, automobile industry, Corporate Income Tax administration, and tax treatment on outbound remittance. She also has rich experience in Large Enterprise and International Taxation, real estate tax management and tax inspection with big data application.

Ms. Liu has a Master Degree in Accounting from Xiamen University and she has qualification in CPA、TA and China Bar.

Rong Lin. the Tax Technology and Innovation Lead Partner at PwC China, with over 20 years of management consulting experience. She has extensive project expertise in project management, design and implementation of Finance and Tax shared service center, effectiveness of finance and operational functions, process automation and optimization, tax digital platform implementation, Tax AI solutions, and change management. Her industry coverage includes consumer goods and retail, industrial manufacturing, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, aviation and transportation, and financial services.

Ms. Lin holds an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in the United States and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Renmin University of China. She served as the Vice Chair of the Young Computer Scientists & Engineers Forum (YOCSEF) Shanghai Branch of the China Computer Federation for the 2020–2022 term.

Relevant experience:
• Leading the design and implementation of a comprehensive tax management platform for a leading Chinese photovoltaic energy group, covering functions such as invoicing, all-tax-type declaration, analysis and risk warning, R&D super deduction analysis, TP (Transfer Pricing) analysis and simulation, and overseas tax control.
• Leading the design and implementation of an all-tax-type declaration, analysis, and risk platform for a high-tech Chinese new materials enterprise.
• Leading the design and implementation of a comprehensive tax management platform and a tax risk control platform for a joint venture under a major automotive group.
• Leading the design and implementation of a tax platform for invoicing, all-tax-type declaration, analysis, and risk warning for a leading Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturer.
• Leading the design and implementation of an all-tax-type declaration system for a large Chinese electroacoustic group.
• Leading the implementation of a tax platform for all-tax-type declaration, analysis, and risk warning for a Chinese smart vehicle company.
• Designing and implementing a finance shared service center for a large domestic consumer electronics group, with subsequent planning for an all-tax-type information system and the establishment of a tax risk control management system to achieve centralized and fully informatized tax management.
• Designing and implementing a finance shared service center for a globally leading metal materials manufacturer, followed by the implementation of a subsequent tax digital platform.

Mr Mross is Deputy Managing Director and CFO of KOSTAL Asia. In addition to China, the region includes India, Korea and Japan. He is responsible for finance, controlling, IT and purchasing, which also includes the KOSTAL Group's Asian purchasing centre.

Mr Mross has been associated with the KOSTAL Group in various regions for almost three decades, 20 of them in Asia and 12 years directly on site. After completing his studies, he began his career in HQ Controlling. After several positions in the commercial area, he joined KOSTAL Asia as CFO in 2012. Since then, he has built up KOSTAL Shanghai as RHQ and SSC and supported the establishment of several new locations and legal entities in Asia. During his time in China, KOSTAL Asia has grown to around 5200 employees with more than 12 billion RMB turnover and 15 companies. The companies are not limited to their regional market, but also have a high export share to other regions.

Zhengping Xu is a senior financial performance management consultant with over 14 years of professional experience and nearly 10 years at Lucanet China. He has worked with companies of different sizes, ownership structures and international backgrounds, including multinational subsidiaries, private enterprises and state-owned groups.

His work focuses on helping finance teams build more transparent, reliable and practical controlling frameworks — connecting financial data, reporting logic and management insight in a way that supports better decision-making. With hands-on experience in both local China finance operations and international project collaboration, Zhengping brings a practical and cross-cultural perspective to financial data management and controlling transformation.

Ms. Wu Yiting has served as a Product Manager in Schaeffler’s IT department since 2021, responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of digital products for indirect production areas. Prior to joining Schaeffler, she worked as a consultant at SAP and later as a digital transformation consultant at companies including KUKA and Coca-Cola, gaining extensive experience in digital transformation and business process optimization.

Ms. Wu has long been interested in the application of digitalization, process automation, and artificial intelligence in enterprises, with a particular focus on creating tangible value through their implementation in corporate functions. With a cross-industry and cross-functional background, she has developed a strong understanding of how to integrate digital capabilities with business scenarios to improve organizational efficiency and collaboration.

Dr. Zhen Huang has been working as management consultant, trainer, and (interim) manager in Germany and China for more than 30 years. He specializes in controlling / FP&A optimization, business intelligence & business performance management, and restructuring & turnaround.

Before he setup his own business in late 2003, he had worked for leading international consultancies, such as for Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Munich, Germany, and Horváth & Partners, a consulting firm well known in the German-speaking countries for its expertise in controlling and performance management. As consultant and trainer, he has worked for numerous clients in various industries, such as mechanical engineering, automotive & automotive supply, branded consumer goods, chemical, pharmaceutical & medical, and healthcare & other services industries. As head of financial & controlling / CFO, he worked for international business groups in the premium kitchen furniture industry and in the industrial rayon industry in Germany.

Dr. Huang is controlling trainer certified by CA Controller Akademie and its licensed training partner in China. CA Controller Akademie (www.controllerakademie.de) is the market leader for controlling and controller training in the German-speaking countries with 55+ years of experience.

Alexander Prautzsch is Tax Director with PwC China based in Shanghai office and is a member of the German as well as the European Business Group.

Alexander is a German certified tax advisor (Steuerberater) and has lived and worked in Shanghai since October 2005. Prior to working in China, Alexander worked for three years in the international tax department in Frankfurt. Alexander is a German native speaker and fluent in English and Mandarin.

Alexander is committed to advising European, particularly German-speaking clients, on their investments in China. He is focused on Chinese, German and international tax matters for corporate clients as well as their employees. Typical projects of Alexander include investment and expansion, restructuring, profit repatriation planning, employee assignment, cost cross-charges, supply chain planning projects, etc.

Julien Boussu is a Corporate Finance professional from France with 20 years of experience in the field of manufacturing, including 18 years in China.

Besides operational controlling, he has specific expertise in Project controlling, R&D controlling and factory set up.

After staring his career as a Financial Auditor for Deloitte, Julien moved to China where he has lead and developed Finance teams at ZF and Valeo.

He joined Knorr-Bremse in 2009 and is now responsible for the financial activities of the its Rail division in China.

With over 20 years of extensive experience in financial management, internal control and IT development within the manufacturing industry, Ms. Wu previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Asia Region at a renowned German-invested enterprise.

During her tenure, she took overall charge of finance, internal control and IT management across Asia, and also played a core role in the company’s strategic digital transformation and digitization projects.

Mr. Kalkbrenner has been working in Finance related positions for more than twenty years. Since 2006 he is involved in projects and businesses with a strong link to China. In 2010 he then moved to China and lives in the Suzhou area. Here Mr. Kalkbrenner first worked for an automotive supplier in Suzhou New District and starting from 2014 for the company Zapp Precision Metals in Taicang, which delivers special metal materials to a broad range of industries in China.

For the local business community Taicang Roundtable (TRT) he chairs the Finance & Controlling workshop, where its members share experiences and discuss new topics.