Bob Poole has been vice president of the US-China Business Council (USCBC) since February 2006. In this capacity, he directs the work of USCBC's Beijing and Shanghai offices. Prior to joining USCBC, Poole was extensively involved in banking and investment consulting in China. Beginning in 1980 in the Hong Kong branch of Chemical Bank, he performed analysis of the first special economic zones in China. He was subsequently responsible for the bank's China desk in New York, assisting US companies with investment and financing related to China and helping companies from China start business in the United States.

A longtime advocate of stronger business relations between the United States and China, Poole has chaired the Foreign Bankers Association of Beijing, is a longstanding member of the US-China Friendship Association, and has been a speaker at numerous trade and investment conferences.

Poole is a native of Maine and was educated at Oberlin College and the Oberlin-in-Taiwan program and earned a BA in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University.

Poole is frequently sought as a Beijing-based commentator on US business and China. He has appeared in interviews on CNN, Bloomberg, Reuters TV, in addition to China's CCTV. He also represents the business community in public presentations and events; recent and current examples include the annual meeting of China's Business Watch Magazine, upcoming programs with the Journal of Commerce and USCIB, and occasional Ministry of Commerce programs in China. Poole heads some of the US-China Business Council's informed and practical programming for business in Shanghai, Beijing, and Washington and will speak at its upcoming Forecast 2009 program.

Mr. Ping Huang has been the Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago since 2007. Prior to taking the current position, he was the Deputy Director General of the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PR China from 2004 to 2007. In 2002-2004, he was Vice Mayor of the City of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China. Before that, Huang was Counselor and Consul General of the Chinese Embassy to Canada in 1999-2002. Huang also worked in the Treaty and Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a staff member and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China to the USA as Attaché and then Third Secretary.

Huang received his Bachelor Degree from East China Normal University and his Master Degree from London School of Economics (LSE) of the United Kingdom.

Having been a long time professional diplomat in North America and also served as a high rank municipal executive of a Chinese city, Huang has many insights about business operations in China and US-China business collaborations.