Ben Simpfendorfer is Founder and Managing Director of Silk Road Associates, a strategy consultancy based in Hong Kongwith offices in Beijing and Melbourne. Ben assists multinationals and mid-market firms develop their business strategies in Asia and the Middle East. Ben was the former Chief China Economist for RBS and Senior China Economist for JPMorgan where he advised some of the world's largest financial institutions and multinationals. He writes a regular column for FT.com's beyondbrics and is the bestselling author of The New Silk Road (Palgrave, 2009). He is also associated with the international advisory, Global Strategic Associates.