RUNDOWN
Private Event: Asia Society Hong Kong President’s Circle Members, Corporate Members & Institutional Members
5pm Private Reception with remarks by John L. Thornton
6pm Close

Members Program: All ASHK Members
6pm Drinks Reception
6.30pm Dialogue with John L. Thornton
7.30pm End

Asia Society Hong Kong Center is proud to present a conversation with John L. Thornton, Global Co-Chair of the Asia Society Board of Trustees, hosted by Ronnie C. Chan, Chairman of Asia Society Hong Kong Center.

John L. Thornton is a rarity in the world of US-China relations, with singular access to leading figures in both Beijing and Washington. In discussion with Ronnie C. Chan, Mr. Thornton will provide unique insights into our 21st century geopolitical reality, including the war in Ukraine and the current state of US-China relations. 

John L. Thornton is Global Co-Chair of the Asia Society Board of Trustees and Executive Chairman of Barrick Gold Corporation. He is a Professor, Director of the Global Leadership Program, and a Member of the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management and the Global Advisory Board of the Tsinghua School of Public Management in Beijing, and was Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management from 2010 to 2013. Mr. Thornton retired in 2003 as President and a member of the board of the Goldman Sachs Group. Mr. Thornton is a director of the Ford Motor Company and is also the Non-Executive Chairman of PineBridge Investments, a global asset manager, and a member of the board of Spark Cognition, a leading industrial artificial intelligence company. Mr. Thornton is also Chairman Emeritus of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He is a trustee, advisory board member, or member of the China Investment Corporation (CIC), Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), Council on Foreign Relations, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, McKinsey Advisory Council, Schwarzman Scholars, and the African Leadership Academy. He is Vice Chairman of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees. In 2007, Institutional Investor magazine named Mr. Thornton one of 40 individuals who have had the greatest influence in shaping global financial markets over the previous forty years. In 2008, he was awarded the Friendship Award of the People’s Republic of China, the highest honor accorded to a non-Chinese citizen. In addition, the Chinese government named him as one of fifteen “foreign experts” who have made the most significant contribution to China’s development over the past three decades.

Ronnie C. Chan is the Chair of Hang Lung Group Limited and its subsidiary Hang Lung Properties Limited, both publicly listed in Hong Kong. The Group expanded into mainland China in 1992, developing, owning and managing world-class commercial complexes in key tier one and tier two cities. He founded and chairs the China Heritage Fund, is a co-founding Director of The Forbidden City Cultural Heritage Conservation Foundation in Beijing, and is former Vice President and former Advisor of the China Development Research Foundation in Beijing. Mr. Chan is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Chair Emeritus of the Asia Society and Chairman of its Hong Kong Center, and Co-Founder and Chairman of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society. He serves or has served on the governing or advisory bodies of several think tanks and universities, which include: Peterson Institute for International Economics, World Economic Forum, East-West Center, Pacific Council on International Policy, Eisenhower Fellowships, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, University of Southern California, Indian School of Business, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Yale University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and participants and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, do not reflect the opinion, position or official policy of Asia Society Hong Kong, its members, or its committees. Asia Society Hong Kong does not endorse or approve, and assumes no responsibility for the content of the information presented.