AI in Practice: Smart Manufacturing and SME Innovation

Fabian Blake is a Belgian national who founded SynaXis with the vision to combine Western expertise with Asian efficiency and innovation. “Reloading” as such the Partnerships that are proven beneficial for major global economies.

Prior to launching his Innovative venture, Fabian has resided and worked in South China since 2008 and has played a pivotal role in the operational development of major corporations like ETEX Group and successfully managed smaller business units specialising in engineering and manufacturing services like AMS Group, offering value-added solutions to a broad Western clientele.

Furthermore, Fabian has also served as a Member of the Board of the Benelux Chamber of Commerce from 2013 to 2016. His extensive experience and dedication to the industry make him a valuable asset to both SynaXis and the broader business community.

With a background in languages and international relations, Ester is a reliable and adaptable professional with both working and academic experience in multiple countries. As part of the European Chamber’s Government Affairs team, she currently is the Chamber’s main liaison with the European Union and Member States’ Governments. She also manages the advocacy activities of the EU SME Centre through liaising with business and government stakeholders, managing the Inter-Chamber SME Working Group, and producing reports on SME policies in China.

Ester has a BA on Social and Institutional Translation from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and a Double Master’s Degree on European Affairs and International Politics from Sciences Po Paris and Fudan University.

Helika Jürgenson is the Project Manager of China IPR SME Helpdesk, a project funded by the European Union and designed to help European SMEs with intellectual property rights issues when doing business in China.

She has a strong project management background, having worked as a Project Manager and Project Coordinator on EU-funded projects in Development Solutions Europe Ltd. for over 3 years, prior to joining the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. Helika has been working for the China IP SME Helpdesk under Development Solutions in various roles since 2016 and has written several short articles on IP issues, published on the Helpdesk website as well as delivered keynote speeches at various IP-related conferences and forums. She holds a master’s degree in international studies with the focus on International Law from Aarhus University in Denmark.

Daisy is an attorney at law with a focus on international corporate clients. Having lived in Tianjin, Shanghai, Hong Kong and currently in Shenzhen, she has gained extensive experience in corporate law, labour law, outbound and inbound investment, etc. She has helped numerous companies expand their businesses to China and overseas, as well as grow in the local markets.

Throughout her career, she has gained experience both in the manufacturing sector and the professional consulting industry. The combination of mixed backgrounds has allowed her to understand both sides and support her clients more efficiently.

She has been serving as the Chair of SME Forum of the European Chamber of Commerce South China Chapter since March 2023.

Danica Mai is Executive Director at Dan Young Business Consultancy in Guangzhou. In the past ten years, she has been responsible for bookkeeping, financial reporting and tax filling for more than three hundred small and medium-sized enterprises in South China. Danica’s daily routine is to undertake client delegation, align with Chinese General Accepted Accounting Principles, in accordance with Chinese Tax Law, Contract Law, Corporation Law, and Labour Law, etc., accomplish bookkeeping and financial statement generation, meet the deadline of tax reporting. She seeks the best solution with the lower total cost, effectively and efficiently, at the same time, within China legal and accounting framework.

Danica leads a team of accountants, in the year 2023-2024, accomplished booking and tax filling for turnover 20 million from all of the clients. Danica’s team is ranking Top 2% in China, ranking 5A in Guangzhou Bookkeeping Industry Association, and ranking TSC 5 in China Tax Office’s Credit System. Most of the clients are foreign invested small-and-medium size enterprises setup in South China, such as Germany, Finland, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, Poland and Sweden. Apart from accountancy service, Danica also provides other business consultancy services, such as Chinese Work Visa application, VAT Tax Refund application, acquisition and merger evaluation, and trademark registration application.

Danica is a China Certified Semi-Senior accountant, who graduated from the University of Birmingham, majoring in International Accounting and Finance, and lived in Portland, Oregon, as an exchange student. She can fully stand in owners’/investors’ shoes to advice and voice.

Danica has been serving as Vice Chair of SME Forum of the European Chamber South China Chapter since March 2023.

Gianluca Giorgi is a board member of the European Chamber South China Chapter and the CEO of Shenzhen ES Automation Consulting Ltd which focuses on strategic mentors in Robotics and Automation projects. As a Business Innovation and Application Certified Expert in MIT Sloan Blockchain Technologies and MIT AI Data Scientist specialised in Industrial Applications, AI Applications on Cloud, he also holds a post as the member of the International Blockchain Council, member of Top 10% of AI MIT students and member in the Information Technology Working Group.

Tobias joined PM Technology Consulting Services, a Finnish-German company in Shenzhen, as Managing Director in 2014.

He had the chance to be in China for the first time in 2002 and got to know different parts and sides of China in the last 2 decades. He came to China because he was interested in the country, the culture and the people, and was able to stay because of the many opportunities and the many friendly and helpful people he met.

“In the last 15 years of living and working in China, I have realized that no matter how big the technical challenges are, the biggest challenge is always to bring people together and cooperate.”

• With more than 20 years of experience, Tom Van Dillen has spearheaded many digital and organisational transformation projects for multinational companies and organisations.
• He leads “Greenkern”, a Transformation Consultancy Group focusing on the Chinese market.
• Greenkern is a long-term consultancy partner of Positive Thinking Company in China.
• Greenkern’s client list includes BMW, Coca-Cola, Volkswagen, Siemens, Bugatti, Philips,… and fresh start-ups.
• Focusing on innovation, organisational transformation, global brand management, and the dynamics of the Chinese consumer