The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business will host the inaugural Darden Global Economic Forum May 10 in Shanghai. Open to the public, the afternoon forum will explore the Chinese and global economies and will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World from 1-5 p.m. (Register online.)

The event will include five sessions (in this order):

I. Opening reflections on current trends and issues in the global economy will be led by Robert F. Bruner, dean of the Darden School of Business, and Peter Rodriguez, Darden’s senior associate dean for degree programs.

Bruner is a financial economist known for his research on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and financial panics. He is author of the book “Deals From Hell: M&A Lessons That Rise Above the Ashes” and co-author with Sean D. Carr of “The Panic of 1907: Lessons Learned From the Market’s Perfect Storm,” which attracted wide attention for its discussion of the underpinnings of financial crises.

Rodriguez is an economist who studies strategic global business issues, international trade policies and economic development, with an emphasis on anti-corruption strategies. 

II. Qiu Xin, president of the Shanghai Media Group, will deliver the keynote address, “Perspectives on the Chinese Business and Media Climate.”

III. Darden professor Dennis Yang will moderate a panel discussion, “China’s Economy in Transition,” with Chinese business leaders, including:

• Jun Ma, managing director, chief economist for Greater China and head of China/Hong Kong strategy, Deutsche Bank
• Jun Zhang, Chang-Jiang Professor of Economics, Fudan University
• Lin Zhou, dean, Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Yang, a native of China, focuses on economic development and growth in China. His work covers a wide range of topics, from China’s population policies and household behavior to wage structure and savings and income distribution.

IV. 1990 Darden alumnus Scott Price, chief executive officer of Walmart Asia, and Shaojian  Zhang, general manager of Rockwell Automation SBU, China, will lead a panel discussion, “China: Preparing for the World’s Next No. 1 Consumer Market?,” with Chinese business leaders, including:

• Wei Jin, vice president, International Insurance, Prudential Financial Inc.
• Donald Lan, vice chairman, Tralin Agro-Environmental Tech Group
• Baocheng Yang, provost & CFO, Huanghe S&T University
• Jerry Zhang, founder & chair, Nostalgia Home Fashion

V. 2003 Darden alumnus Jerry Peng, chief executive officer of Four Seas Capital Management, and 1984 Darden alumnus Henry Skelsey, co-founder and managing partner of PRC Venture Partners, will lead a panel discussion, “A Baby Giant: Status and Outlook for China’s Financial Markets,” with:

• Jon L. Christianson, partner, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flow
• Shawn Liu, founder & CIO, AZ Investment Management, and a 2005 Darden alumnus
• Winston Wang, managing director, Shipston, and a 2003 Darden alumnus
• Jimmy Wei, venture partner, KPCB China, and a 2002 Darden alumnus.

The event forms part of the second annual Darden Global Leadership Forum, which will convene faculty, students and alumni of the Darden School in Shanghai May 10-12 for classes and discussions about the current business climate in China and Asia and leadership challenges facing executives who manage across continents and cultures.

The forum will also convene Darden’s Global Advisory Council, which includes Darden graduates from the school’s network of more than 14,000 alumni around the world who have significant experience in the global marketplace and advise the school on its global activities and objectives.

Darden provides multiple opportunities for students in the three formats of its MBA degree program – MBA, MBA for Executives and Global MBA for Executives – to study in Shanghai. Darden Executive Education regularly delivers custom programs for clients in Asia.