Thomas Orr, Old Andrean, was the guest speaker at The Rhodes University Investec Business School (RIBS) Business Forum which was held on Monday 19 April 2010. The focus was on: 'Making sense of China's rise: Opportunities and Challenges for South African business: A South African bank's experiences'.
Orr was stationed in Standard Bank's Beijing Office for 18 months, just after it opened, as a Manager in the ICBC Strategic Partnership team. He was one of the first employees in the new Beijing Office in mid 2008 and had first-hand experience into the complexities of making new business ventures in China work well.
He has now returned to Standard Bank Head Office, as Manager in the Investment Banking Client Coverage Department; covering the Energy, Infrastructure and Utilities Sector; Africa-wide focus.
Owen Skae, the Director of RIBS said that, “This forum is very opportune and timely. Right now, the leaders of the world's most two powerful economies, US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao, are meeting.
“Thomas Orr, who has intimate knowledge of China, gave the audience a direct opportunity to learn about what it means to do business with China.
“Given Thomas's new role on Energy and Infrastructure, he was also able to share insights into something that many people are not aware of, namely that the world's leading renewable energy drive is happening in China".
