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Jérôme Chouchan
CEO of Godiva Japan, South Korea, Australia/ New Zealand and Manufacture Belge de ChocolatsMr. Chouchan has more than 25 years’ experience of luxury brand management in international markets, and more particularly in Japan and Asia. He is currently CEO of Godiva Japan since June 2010, and manages the markets of Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Manufacture Belge de Chocolats. Since he joined, the Japan business tripled its size in 7 years, through successful launching of innovative products, creative marketing strategy, and a multi-channel distribution strategy that cater various consumer needs. He was Managing Director for Japan and Asia, for Lladro, the famous Spanish porcelain brand. During his term, the Lladro Japan business had grown over 40 % and he had successfully launched unique dolls products such as Hina Ninghyo and Waka Musha that have delighted Japanese consumers. Previously, he was in France for the L.V.M.H Group, as Business Development Director of Hennessy (Cognac) with the responsibility of both the Japanese Business Unit and the Hennessy Training & Promotion Division. Before entering LVMH, he joined the Lacoste Group (clothing brand) and held in 1999 the position of North Asia Regional Director, based in Tokyo. In his earlier career, he initiated also the startup of brand business in Asia and Japan, for the French High Jewelry brand "Mellerio dits Meller" and the French Government Mint "Monnaie de Paris".
Fluent in Japanese, he is one of the few foreign trustees of the renowned Keizai Doyukai (Japanese Association of Corporate Executives). He is also presently a Board Director of the Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and French Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
His book “Target” has been widely praised in Japan since its publication in February 2016. It was published in English in April 2018. “Target” is a unique approach to management and leadership, taking inspiration from the wisdom of the ancient Japanese martial art of Kyudo- The Way of the Bow. It is also translated in French in 2019. In 2019, his second book “Hataraku koto wo Tanoshimou – Let’s change and transform together” which tells new approach of working way, was published. He is currently a Board Director of the Kyudo International Federation and holds a Kyudo Renshi (Instructor license) and a 5th Dan degree.
Mr. Chouchan, has a Master in Management from the French Leading Business School: HEC Paris.
Arnoud De Meyer
University Professor at Singapore Management UniversityArnoud De Meyer is a global academic leader with more than 35 years of experience in top international academic institutions in Europe and Asia. Until December 2018, he served as President of Singapore Management University (SMU). Before joining SMU, Arnoud De Meyer was from 2006 until 2010 Director (Dean) of the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom). From 1983 until 2006, he was a faculty member at INSEAD and assumed between 1990 and 2006 several management positions, among others as founding dean of INSEAD’s campus in Singapore. Arnoud De Meyer has been an Independent Director of several companies in Belgium, France, Singapore and Australia. Currently he is Independent Director of Viva Energy Pty Ltd (Australia). He is also the chair of the Stewardship Asia Centre (Singapore). He is an internationally recognised empirical researcher in the areas of R&D and Innovation Management, Manufacturing Strategy and International Management. He published more than 100 academic articles and 12 books. For information on his most recent book “Ecosystem Edge: Sustaining Competitiveness in the Face of Disruption” visit www.ecosystemedge.com.
Dr. Karel Eloot
Senior Partner at McKinsey & CompanyDr. Karel Eloot is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, based in the Shanghai office. He co-leads the firm’s Asia Operations Practice and Internet of Things venture. With Tsinghua University in Beijing, he co-founded the Digital Capability Center, a digital model factory on the Tsinghua campus providing hands-on capability building on tech-enablement.
Since joining the firm in 1997, Karel has worked across multiple industries including advanced industries and electronics, energy and materials, technology, as well as private equity. He directs the firm’s work on operations transformations, advising the region’s largest industrial companies on topics such as smart manufacturing strategy, plant design and ramp-up, organizational improvement as well as strategy development.
As a leader of the McKinsey Industrial IoT Hub, Karel helps bring together the firm’s expertise and technology for end-to-end digital and analytics transformations of industrial companies. His recent work includes designing Industrial IoT diagnostics and technology-enabled transformation programs and helping to accelerate the growth of multinational automation/robotization system and module suppliers in China.
Outside of McKinsey, Karel is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Benelux Chamber of Commerce in China, a non-profit organization aimed at strengthening business, government and community ties between Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) organizations and individuals in China.
Gricha Safarian
Managing Director of PuratoShareholder and Managing Director of Puratos Grand-Place Indochina
Strategic Advisor Cacao-Trace for Puratos Group
Honorary of Belgium Consul
Gricha Safarian, Shareholder and Managing Director of Puratos Grand-Place Indochina, has been in the B-to-B chocolate business for over 30 years, and founder of Grand-Place Chocolate, head quartered in Belgium.
He visited Vietnam for the first time in April 1993 and immediately decided to move here with his family to start a chocolate factory as he felt in love with the country and its population. After many adventures and business ventures he finally opened his first chocolate factory in Binh Duong in 2001.
Gricha and his team have been involved in the introduction and development of cocoa plantations in Vietnam since 2008 with a number of sustainable cocoa sourcing programs. Gricha's latest achievement was to set up the Cacao Trace program and standard including innovative incentives for farmers as well as developing a full “pod to bar” model that is giving a strategic place to the fermentation of the beans in the overall process of chocolate.
The full vertically integrated process is now exiting the pilot stage in Vietnam and is currently being adopted at the larger scale by Puratos Group where Gricha is acting as Cocoa Sourcing Strategic advisor.
From Vietnam, Puratos Grand-Place now controls post-harvest centers in Philippines and Papua New Guinea with a variety of strategic partners. Fully fermented and Cacao-Trace verified cocoa beans produced in those centers are then processed into Fine Cocoa Liquor in a brand new roasting and grinding line installed in 2018 among the cocoa producing area of Ben Tre.
Gricha has graduated from Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) with a master degree in Political Sciences and International Relations, has attended several courses on sustainable strategy and supply chain at Harvard Business School and is a LEAD Alumni from Stanford Graduate School of business with a Certificate in Corporate Innovation.
Slogan of choice:
“Easy is boring”