Evening Speaker Series: Ben Kinnas

Tuesday, April 10, 2018:
Populism, Trade Protectionism, and Economic Threats

Benjamin Kinnas is the former Chief Executive Officer of Wells Fargo China. He served concurrently as manager for branch marketing in the Asia/Pacific region. Ben and his family arrived in Shanghai in June 2005, but he began traveling to China in1992 while serving as general manager of the bank’s Tokyo branch. After a nine-year assignment in Japan, Ben was reassigned to Hong Kong in 1996 at which time he assumed his regional responsibilities.

Ben is past chair of Shanghai American Chamber of Commerce’s financial services committee. He led bank-working groups that authored the commercial banking portion of the Chamber’s white paper since 2005 and led the Chamber’s “Shanghai IFC 2020” project in cooperation with the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C, a document that provided a road map for Shanghai to meet its realization of becoming an international financial center by the year 2020.

He has been an active advocate in Washington, DC for programs and policies that enhance the United States’ export competitiveness and active in educating lawmakers and other policy makers and opinion leaders on the role of American businesses in China. Ben continues as an active observer of the Shanghai Bankers Association.

In Hilton Head, Ben is a active member of the World Affairs Council, a member of the Palmetto Dunes POA board, and is an active member of the American Legion. Ben has a double undergraduate major from University of Maryland and spent two additional years at Sophia University.

The Evening Speaker Series is open to the public. It is held at the Country Club of Hilton Head located in Hilton Head Plantation. Each event includes hors d’oeuvres, coffee/tea, soft drinks and cash bar. The evening begins with a reception at 5:15 pm. The speaker presentation is held from 6:00 pm-6:50 pm with discussion until 7:15.