AI Applications in Business

John is an audit partner based in Shanghai.

Prior to joining KPMG Hong Kong in 1994, John trained as a Chartered Accountant in London.

He has been a Partner in the Audit practice of KPMG Shanghai office since 2001, serving a portfolio of subsidiaries of mainly European and US groups in the Industrial and Consumer markets sectors and was COO for the Audit practice of KPMG China for from 2008 to 2012.

From 2013 to 2018, John headed up Audit Methodology for KPMG China and in the ASPAC region and since 2019 was the China Implementation partner for KPMG’s latest global audit platform KPMG Clara Workflow.

Since 2019, John has acted as the Head of Audit Quality for KPMG China and is leading the firm’s workstreams to invest in Technology Solutions and AI and how they are deployed to our staff as part of our digital transformation of our Audit function.

Alexandre is a former creative director with 25 years of experience in China and a track record at 4A agencies. In 2012, he established PLTFRM, a creative agency focusing on digital marketing and e-commerce for FMCG, wines and spirits, and lifestyle brands.

Alexandre is at the cutting edge of the agency’s development and innovations, adeptly integrating new technology into its strategic, creative, and e-commerce project workflflows.

In 2022, PLTFRM began advising Baidu Intelligent Cloud on the development of AI applications for e-commerce, short video, and livestreaming. This collaboration deepened in 2023 when PLTFRM became Baidu Cloud AI’s Intelligent Cloud Solution Partner.

John Pasden is a Shanghai-based linguist, educator, and founder of AllSet Learning, known for his pioneering work in Chinese language education and the creation of the Chinese Grammar Wiki and Mandarin Companion graded readers. Originally from Tampa, Florida, he earned a degree in Japanese from the University of Florida and later completed a master’s in applied linguistics in Chinese at East China Normal University. Since moving to China in 2000, he has taught, written, and developed resources that make Mandarin more accessible to adult learners. From 2006 to 2013, he led academics at ChinesePod, contributing to thousands of audio lessons. Since 2022, he has also taught IB English and Theory of Knowledge, bringing a learner-centered, interdisciplinary approach to the classroom while experimenting daily with AI to enhance education. He continues to share insights on language and learning through his blog Sinosplice and the “You Can Learn Chinese” podcast.

Karolina Pawlik is an anthropologist and a scholar of Chinese visual culture. She is an Assistant Professor in the Academy of Film and Creative Technology at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou. Based in China since 2012, she taught in multiple international programs related to design, creative economy and cultural heritage. She co-edited the book “Creative Industries and Digital Transformation in China” (2022). Her main research interests include interrelations between calligraphy, design and creative thinking, implications of new technologies for cross-cultural communication, shifting discourse on modernity and ‘traditional culture’ in contemporary China, and ongoing ‘urban regeneration’ in Shanghai. She is also a poet and creative non-fiction writer.