Programme
The 60th
Anniversary
At the Heart of the Pacific Rim
PBEC at 60
Hong Kong Leaders Forum
On Trade, Technology and the Future of Growth
Followed by the 60th Anniversary Cocktail Reception
By invitation only
Date
Monday 16 November 2026
Venue
The Hong Kong Club
1 Jackson Road, Central
Time
2:55 – 7:45 pm
Doors open 2:30 pm
Bridging business
and government since 1967
The Pacific Basin Economic Council is an invitation-only, non-profit and apolitical association of senior business leaders with interests across Asia Pacific.
PBEC was founded in California in 1967 by business leaders from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States, to bring business and government together as the economies of Asia emerged. Over six decades its members helped give rise to the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and nurtured the idea that became APEC. Since 2003 the International Secretariat has been based in Hong Kong.
Our mission
To be the most comprehensive multilateral platform for Asia Pacific business leaders, advocating key trade issues under a fair, rules-based system and promoting inclusive, sustainable economic and social development.
Our vision
A think tank for business leaders across Asia Pacific, championing open trade and the free flow of goods and services in an increasingly digital economy.
What we do
Advocacy
Issues management and advocacy for members on regional trade and investment liberalisation, regulatory reform and cross-border digital trade.
Dialogue
Leaders forums, roundtables and PBEC Pulse leadership dialogues that bring members together with policymakers and officials.
Insight
Research, reports and white papers, including “Charting a new course in Asia Pacific” with KPMG and Monash University.
Connection
An institutional member of PECC, working closely with APEC and the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) across the region.
Membership & partnership
Membership is by invitation. Our members are CEOs, business owners, board directors and leading experts. To explore membership, partnership or sponsorship, speak to the PBEC team today or email pbec@pbec.org.
Sixty years at the heart
of the Pacific Rim
Founded in 1967, the Pacific Basin Economic Council is the oldest independent business association linking the economies of Asia Pacific.
For six decades PBEC has brought business leaders and government officials together to keep trade open, cross-border rules connected and growth inclusive. As early as its 1978 General Meeting in Los Angeles, PBEC called for a Pacific Economic Community Plan for structured cooperation across the region.
Today PBEC is an institutional member of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and works closely with APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) members across the region. Membership is by invitation, and the International Secretariat is based in Hong Kong. PBEC is led by Co-Chairs Sebastian Man and Peter Burnett OBE BBS.
Today’s dialogue
Two days before APEC Economic Leaders meet in Shenzhen, PBEC brings together business leaders, Consuls General and policymakers for a candid conversation on two practical questions.
Theme 1
Connecting business across borders
Which cross-border rule or standard mismatch, in trade documents, data, AI or product standards, costs your business most, and who should fix it?
Theme 2
Getting capital to where it is needed
Why does capital in Asia Pacific’s financial centres not consistently reach mid-sized projects and SMEs, and what one change would help most?
The road to APEC Viet Nam 2027
Nov 2026
Key takeaways shared during APEC Leaders’ Week
Dec 2026
Insights to Viet Nam’s APEC 2027 organisers
Jan–Feb 2027
Half-day Hong Kong workshop and member survey
Mar–Apr 2027
PBEC White Paper drafted and submitted
SOM2 · Hanoi
PBEC side event with Vietnamese partners
Join the conversation
Answer the live polls and send questions to the Chair during each theme.
Chatham House Rule applies throughout. Insights from the forum feed PBEC’s White Paper to APEC Viet Nam 2027.
Programme
PBEC at 60 Leaders Forum · Victoria Suite, 1/F
Doors open and registration
Chair’s welcome
Dawn Westerhout, Forum Chair; PBEC Chair Singapore
Welcome on behalf of PBEC
Sebastian Man, Co-Chairman, PBEC · Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu SBS, JP, Chair, PBEC Advisory Board · Andrew Weir MBE BBS JP, Immediate Past Chairman
Framing address: a world at an inflection point
Stephen Olson, Visiting Fellow, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
Theme 1
Connecting business across borders
Which cross-border rule or standard mismatch costs your business most, and who should fix it?
Lead: Ben Simpfendorfer, Partner, Oliver Wyman
First responders: Daniel R. Fung SBS, SC, KC, JP · Azlina Bulmer · Anna Lin MH, JP
Open dialogue with the floor
Networking break
Case study: logistics data to SME credit
Prof. Henry Ko, Founder & CEO, FUNDEL
Theme 2
Getting capital to where it is needed
Why does capital not consistently reach mid-sized projects and SMEs, and what one change would help most?
Lead: Alicia García-Herrero, Adjunct Professor, HKUST
First responders: Lei Yu · Ir Dr Anne Kerr OBE
Open dialogue with the floor
Key takeaways and what PBEC does next
Stephen Olson
Closing reflections
Andrew Weir MBE BBS JP
Chair’s close and group photo
Dawn Westerhout · Forum closes 5:15 pm
60th Anniversary Cocktail Reception
The Garden Room · 4/F · Until 7:45 pm
Anniversary speeches
International Guest of Honour
Kody Blois, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada
Guests of Honour, Hong Kong
Vic Yau Chak-hang JP, Permanent Secretary for Transport and Logistics, HKSAR Government
Dr Moses Cheng Mo-chi GBM GBS OBE JP, Non-official Member, Executive Council, HKSAR Government
Accompanied by PBEC leadership
Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu SBS, JP · Andrew Weir MBE BBS JP · Sebastian Man
Programme may be subject to change
Speakers
Chair & opening
Dawn Westerhout
Forum Chair · PBEC Chair Singapore and Board Director · Head of Corporate Affairs, KPMG ASPAC
A senior corporate affairs, communications and marketing leader who pairs strategic counsel with creative, pragmatic solutions to complex business challenges. Dawn mentors young women in the workforce and serves on the boards of PBEC and The Necessary Stage.
Sebastian Man
Co-Chairman, PBEC and ICC Hong Kong · Chairman & CEO, Chung Mei International Holdings
A Hong Kong businessman and investor, he is a Council Member of The Better Hong Kong Foundation and HKUST, serves on the MIT Corporation and chairs the Harvard Business School Association of Hong Kong. He is also Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society.
Andrew Weir MBE BBS JP
Immediate Past Chairman and Advisory Board Member, PBEC
Vice Chairman of the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) and an independent non-executive director of FWD and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong). Formerly Regional Senior Partner of KPMG Hong Kong and Vice Chairman of KPMG China, he has chaired PBEC, the HKEX Listing Committee and the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Framing address
Stephen Olson
Former PBEC President · Visiting Fellow, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
Also a non-resident fellow at the Yeutter Institute of International Trade and a Senior Associate Research Fellow at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. A member of the WEF Global Futures Council (GFC) on Trade, he co-leads a joint workstream with the WEF GFC on Geopolitics and sits on the Steering Committee of the Economist Impact Future of Trade initiative.
Theme 1 · Connecting business across borders
Ben Simpfendorfer
Lead · Partner, Oliver Wyman · Former PBEC Board Director
A Mandarin and Arabic speaker and author of The New Silk Road (2009) and The Rise of the New East (2014), Ben is a leading specialist on China’s Belt and Road Initiative. He sits on the Hong Kong–Middle East Advisory Board of the FSDC and is a regular commentator on Bloomberg and CNBC.
Daniel R. Fung SBS, SC, KC, JP, FCIArb
First responder · Chairman, ASEAN Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong)
A Senior Counsel at Des Voeux Chambers and former Solicitor General of Hong Kong, Daniel is a leading authority on commercial law, arbitration, public policy and international affairs, widely recognised for advancing Hong Kong’s role as a bridge between China, ASEAN and global markets.
Azlina Bulmer
First responder · PBEC Board Director · Director of International, ICAEW
Leads global operations, member engagement and regulatory partnerships at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Previously Managing Director of the Institute of the Motor Industry, she has held senior roles at the Chartered Insurance Institute and RIBA.
Anna Lin MH, JP
First responder · Chief Executive, GS1 Hong Kong; Vice Chairman, PBEC
A leading advocate for supply-chain standards, digital trade, traceability and cross-border digital transformation, Anna has led GS1 Hong Kong for more than three decades. She chairs the Advisory Committee of the Asian Institute of Supply Chains & Logistics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Theme 2 · Getting capital to where it is needed
Alicia García-Herrero
Lead · Adjunct Professor, Division of Public Policy and Department of Economics, HKUST
Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, Senior Fellow at Bruegel and non-resident Senior Fellow at the East Asian Institute (NUS). She advises the Spanish Government’s Council of Economic Advisors and the HKMA’s research arm, and appears regularly on BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and CNN.
Lei Yu
First responder · PBEC Board Director · CEO North Asia, QBE
Leads QBE across North Asia, driving digital innovation and risk solutions for businesses and SMEs. Before joining QBE in 2018 she was CEO of Marsh Hong Kong and Macau. Active in corporate governance and public policy, she is a Board Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AustCham HK) as well as PBEC.
Ir Dr Anne Kerr OBE
First responder · Asia Executive Adviser and Ambassador, Mott MacDonald; Board Director, PBEC
As Executive Adviser and Ambassador for Mott MacDonald in Asia, Anne draws on nearly four decades of infrastructure experience across Asia and the Middle East, including as the firm’s Managing Director for Greater China and Global Head of Cities. A former Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Case study
Prof. Henry Ko
Founder & CEO, FUNDEL
Founder of trade-finance fintech FUNDEL and a founding member and former Chairman of Flexport Asia, with senior roles at DHL, Li & Fung and SF Express. He advises the HKSAR Government on the Port Community System and sits on the HKECIC Advisory Board.
PBEC leadership
Tan Sri Dato’ David Chiu SBS, JP
Chair, PBEC Advisory Board · Chairman & CEO, Far East Consortium International Limited
Leads Far East Consortium, a leading international property, hospitality and infrastructure group. He serves as a Standing Committee Member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Anthony Chan
CEO, Isola Capital; Vice Chairman, PBEC
A family office and alternative investment leader focused on innovation, sustainable finance and private capital markets. He is Co-Chair of the Cyberport Investors Network Growth Portfolio Sub-Committee and a member of the HKTDC Technology & Digital Innovation Advisory Committee.
Also joining us
Dr Moses Cheng
Guest of Honour · PBEC Advisory Board; former PBEC Vice Chair · Non-official Member, Executive Council
Anson Bailey
PBEC Treasurer & Board Director · KPMG China
Newly elected International Vice Chairs
David Ching
PBEC International Vice Chair · Non-Executive Chairman, Janus Group Vietnam
Luis Miguel Aboitiz
PBEC International Vice Chair · Director, Aboitiz Equity Ventures; President & CEO, Aboitiz Energy Solutions · Philippine energy leader
A Look Through the Decades
PBEC 1967 — 2026
1960s
1967 — PBEC is founded by business leaders from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States
ASEAN is formed (1967) Beatlemania Man lands on the Moon (1969)
1970s
1978 — At its 12th General Meeting in Los Angeles, PBEC puts forward a plan for a Pacific Economic Community
Nixon visits China (1972) The first Apple computer (1976) Sony Walkman (1979)
1980s
1980 — PBEC is a founding member of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC)
1989 — APEC is established, an idea PBEC helped nurture
Shenzhen becomes China’s first SEZ (1980) IBM PC (1981) Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)
1990s
Early 1990s — PBEC is the region’s leading business voice for Pacific cooperation, and goes on to support APEC’s Business Advisory Council (ABAC)
The World Wide Web (1991) Hong Kong returns to China (1997) The euro (1999)
2000s
2003 — PBEC’s International Secretariat moves to Hong Kong
SARS hits Hong Kong (2003) iPhone debuts (2007) Global Financial Crisis (2008)
2010s
2017 — PBEC celebrates its 50th anniversary
2019 — Michael Walsh is appointed Executive Director
Rise of smartphones and apps UK votes for Brexit (2016) CPTPP takes effect (2018)
2020s
2023 — “Charting a new course in Asia Pacific” report with KPMG and Monash University; PBEC Pulse leadership dialogues
2026 — PBEC turns 60 and honours retiring Chairman Andrew Weir MBE BBS JP
COVID-19 (2020) RCEP signed (2020) Generative AI goes mainstream (2022)
Here’s to the next 60 years
See the full story on the four “A Look Through the Decades” banners at the event.
PBEC at 60
With thanks to our sponsors
Strategic supporting partner
ICC Hong Kong
Celebrating sixty years of PBEC and honouring the service of
Immediate Past Chairman Andrew Weir MBE BBS JP.
Pacific Basin Economic Council
International Secretariat · The Hong Kong Club Building
Level 16, 3A Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong
pbec@pbec.org · +852 6014 9899
1967 — 2026
WWW.PBEC.ORG