Pascal Coppens is a sought-after keynote speaker and author on innovation, leadership, and China\u2019s global impact. He holds a Master\u2019s in Eastern Languages and Cultures from Ghent University and a Bachelor\u2019s in Business Engineering from the Solvay Business School (Free University of Brussels). From 1996 onward, he spent over 20 years in China and Silicon Valley, building and managing high-tech ventures and collaborating with hundreds of Chinese engineers and innovators.<\/p>\n
In 1999, Pascal was selected by the European Commission to participate in the EU-China Junior Manager Training Programme, a prestigious MBA-style initiative to foster cross-cultural leadership. He served as chair of the participant cohort during this program.<\/p>\n
He began his tech career in China at Shanghai Bell (Alcatel JV), and later joined Wind River Systems in San Francisco as Global Product Marketing Manager. He co-founded PolyCore Software in Silicon Valley in 2004, and then returned to Shanghai to support the market entry of European deep-tech companies across Asia.<\/p>\n
In 2010, he launched Letsface, China\u2019s first offline digital community platform for premium global brands. In 2017, he returned to his home country, Belgium, to lead Sinnolabs, a growth accelerator supporting Belgian scale-ups in entering the Chinese market. Today, he is a partner at nexxworks and an international speaker, with recognised expertise in Chinese innovation, digital ecosystems, and leadership dynamics. He has had the privilege of working with an impressive list of clients from various industries.<\/p>\n
Pascal is the author of two widely praised books: China\u2019s New Normal<\/em> and Can We Trust China?<\/em>, which explore China\u2019s innovation capabilities and global positioning. His third book China\u2019s Next Miracle<\/em> will be available end of 2025 and unveils how China is flipping the model of innovation. He engages a community of over 80,000 followers via social media and a monthly newsletter focused on Chinese innovation, and is a regular expert guest on European and Chinese radio and television.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pascal Coppens is a sought-after keynote speaker and author on innovation, leadership, and China\u2019s global impact. He holds a Master\u2019s in Eastern Languages and Cultures from Ghent University and a Bachelor\u2019s in Business Engineering from the Solvay Business School (Free University of Brussels). From 1996 onward, he spent over 20 years in China and Silicon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":77354,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_trash_the_other_posts":false,"editor_notices":[]},"sa_speaker_category":[102,45,127,39,36,98,143,34],"sa_language":[269,249,250],"sa_employability":[219,188],"class_list":["post-78358","sa_speaker","type-sa_speaker","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sa_speaker_category-asia","sa_speaker_category-spreker-over-china","sa_speaker_category-digitalisering-technology-innovation","sa_speaker_category-entrepreneurship","sa_speaker_category-future-trends","sa_speaker_category-geopolitics","sa_speaker_category-global-international","sa_speaker_category-technology-innovation"],"acf":{"sa_introduction":"Pascal Coppens is a leading expert on China, with deep expertise in innovation, technology, and geopolitical trends. With a background as a sinologist and serial tech entrepreneur, he provides fact-based insights on China\u2019s evolving role in the world.","sa_one_liner":"China Expert | Author | Keynote Speaker","sa_name_title":"","sa_region":[],"sa_degree":"","sa_stars":"","sa_maglr_ids":null,"sa_publications":null,"sa_socials":null,"sa_subjects":[{"sa_subjects_title":"The Future of Innovation - Lessons from China","sa_subjects_information":""},{"sa_subjects_title":"Understanding China\u2019s Innovation Ecosystem","sa_subjects_information":""},{"sa_subjects_title":"The Next Miracle \u2013 China\u2019s New Model of Innovation","sa_subjects_information":""},{"sa_subjects_title":"China, Silicon Valley and Europe ","sa_subjects_information":""}],"sa_faq_items":null,"sa_minimum_price":"","sa_maximum_price":"","sa_banner_image_id":77353,"sa_videos":[{"sa_video_title":"KEYNOTE PASCAL COPPENS CDO 2025","sa_video_embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gLBGsfh_PoQ"},{"sa_video_title":"Keynote: Retail innovations in China - Pascal Coppens","sa_video_embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K8JYpBCsQ78"},{"sa_video_title":"The West's Three Blind Spots when Dealing with China's Tech - Pascal Coppens, China Expert","sa_video_embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1FQqAZpzl7Y"},{"sa_video_title":"Is China a Huge Risk?","sa_video_embed":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MYnrwhigDXU"}]},"yoast_head":"\n