Ben Simpfendorfer is a Partner at Oliver Wyman based in Hong Kong. He is part of the Finance and Risk practice and leads the Oliver Wyman Forum’s Asian initiatives. He drives data analytics solutions for clients across Asia.
Ben is the former CEO of Silk Road Associates, now joining forces with Oliver Wyman. In that role, he advised Fortune 500 multinationals and leading Asian firms on their commercial strategies in Greater China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. He provided clients' teams with geospatial-driven solutions based on the firm’s proprietary SRA Intelligence® analytics and briefed CEOs and executive boards worldwide.
Ben has worked in Asia and the Middle East for over 20 years. He is a Mandarin and Arabic speaker with deep knowledge of the local market. He has previously worked as a Chief China Economist for leading global investment banks in Hong Kong. He started his career in Beirut in the 1990s, later working as the Middle East & North Africa senior analyst for a global credit risk firm in London.
Ben authored The New Silk Road (2009) and The Rise of the New East (2014). He is a leading specialist on China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) and a member of the Foreign Experts Committee advising the Chinese government on BRI’s implementation. He is also a Board Member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and PBEC, one of Asia’s oldest business organizations. He is also a regular commentator on Bloomberg and CNBC.
