Yuwa Hedrick-Wong

Yuwa Hedrick-Wong is global economist and business strategist with a deep understanding of the world's emerging markets, and the opportunities that will derive from inclusive growth. He identifies the key developments that matter and interprets their implications in terms that business leaders can understand and act upon.

Yuwa is currently a Visiting Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and until recently the Chief Economic Commentator for Forbes magazine in Asia. He was formerly the Global Chief Economist and Chair of the Academic Advisory Council at Mastercard Inc. Prior to this global role at Mastercard, he was based in Singapore as the Economic Advisor to Mastercard in Asia/Pacific, Middle East, and Africa from 2001 to 2009. At Mastercard, Yuwa led the effort in dissecting and clarifying structural and cyclical trends to evaluate investment and business opportunities worldwide. Today he focuses on assessing emerging markets in the context of evolving patterns of international trade and globalization. Yuwa is also an Advisor to the Chairman of Southern Capital Group, a Singapore-based private equity firm.

He was previously HSBC Visiting Professor of International Business at the University of British Columbia, Canada from 2010 to 2014; Adjunct Professor at the School of Management, Fudan University, Shanghai, China from 2006 to 2011, and Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, Singapore from 2003 to 2004.

Yuwa has a strong understanding of the world's dynamic emerging economies, and in particular Asia's dynamic markets of China, India, Indonesia and others, which makes him a sought-after advisor as companies focus increasingly on the emerging markets. He advises on policy and strategy, monitors and forecasts economic growth and emerging regional trends. He advises on market entry, public policy challenges, impacts of demographic and lifestyle changes and overall business opportunities and threats. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong has also authored four books on demographics. He speaks at global and regional conferences, is engaged to stimulate client group meetings and regularly injects his insights and forecasts into confidential in-house strategy and planning meetings. He has advised Chief Executives and Boards of over 100 leading international businesses and has delivered key note addresses at various prestigious business conferences around the world. He is a regular commentator international news channels, including CNBC, BBC, CNN, and others, and several Chinese channels including CCTV, CBN and BTV.

Education

• Ph.D. Simon Fraser University (1974 — 1981)
• BA Trent University (1971 — 1974)

Companies

• Visiting Scholar and Senior Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy National University of Singapore (2018)
• Chief Economist and Chair of Academic Advisory Council MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth (2013 — 2018)
• Global Economic Advisor, MasterCard Worldwide, MasterCard Worldwide (2010 — 2018)
• HSBC Professor of International Business University of British Columbia (2011 — 2014)
• Adjunct Professor, School of Management Fudan University (2012 — 2014)
• Economic Advisor, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa MasterCard Worldwide (2001 — 2009)

Skills

• Forecasting
• Financial Modeling
• Market Research

Other

International Relations, Research, Analysis, Emerging Markets, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Business Strategy, International Business, Economics