Dan is a Director for East West Associates and leads the Chemical Practice, driving operational projects in Central Eastern Europe, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and China. Previously Dan worked for a private American-owned international consulting company based in Shanghai where he assisted China-bound companies establish operations, site selection, engineering, design and plant construction management and start-up support. Dan has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine.

Vicky is a Director for East West Associates in China. Vicky has extensive knowledge of employment law and legislation, experience of employee relationship management and establishment of company overall regulation, process, and procedures. She is leads various program launches and implementation, such as workshop expansion, in-house training, talent management, incentive programs, and performance assessment. Prior to joining East West, she was a Senior Human Resource Manager for a US-based global manufacturer where she was responsible for staffing, recruiting, business training systems and procedures, employee development, improving performance evaluation system, developing new compensation methodology, culture cultivation and handling employee’s relationship cases. Vicky holds an MBA from Concordia University Wisconsin, a Bachelor’s in International Economics and Trade degree from Institute of Foreign Trade and a certificate in Senior Management Manager in Human Resource issued by Government.

Jay is a Director of Strategic Planning, Project Implementation and Business Development, with a focus on Risk Management and Engineering/ Construction Industries at East West Associates. Jay has over 40 years’ experience providing consulting services to both industry and government on a global basis and has worked in Asia since 1994, living in both Singapore and Shanghai. Previously, Jay was the Chief Operating Officer for the Asia Pacific Region and the Chairman for Hill & Associates where he managed Asia Pacific operations including business strategy, strategic planning, executive business development, client relations, country operations and all client projects and assignments. Jay also received a Presidential Appointment under the Reagan/Bush administration and served in the Department of Defense. Jay undergraduate programs were from Virginia Military Institute and graduate programs were from Harvard.

Mark is a Director of Commercial and Risk Management Services for East West Associates and focuses on US companies and firms who are operating in China or plan to enter the Chinese market. Additionally, Mark is responsible for developing markets and entry-focused projects for the firm. Prior to joining East West, Mark held a variety of senior level positions with US multinational corporations, and as President of Briggs & Stratton Asia, based in Shanghai, China for 11 years, where annual operating income year-on-year growth exceeded 10 percent per year, growing the business from start-up to $120 million USD and over 600 employees. Mark has a Master of International Management from Thunderbird School of International Management, Phoenix, Arizona.

Steve Blyth is a Director in Thailand for East West Associates and has extensive experience working with multinational companies globally. A native of Australia, he has held management positions with automotive, medical devices, and clean air technology companies. Steve has lived and worked in Australia, Korea, Singapore, Canada, and, for the past 5 years, Thailand. Steve’s expertise includes Business Development, Sales Management, Restructuring of Operations, Distributor Management, and General Management, and is skilled in leading cross-cultural business teams.  Steve has a BS in Business from Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia, and a MA from The London School of Economics.

Carlos Flores is a Senior Consultant with East West Associates based in Monterrey Mexico. He is an experienced leader in Sales, Operations, Manufacturing and Global Supply Chain focusing on Special and Commercial Steels and Metals. His background and knowledge include the Mining, Armoring, Oilfield, Power Generation, Railway, HVAC, Agricultural, Lifting and Heavy Equipment Industries. Carlos has management experience developing efficient work teams, strategic planning, commercial steels, metals fabrication and ERP Implementation. He has worked with several suppliers in the Monterrey area to establish relationships with US Multinationals and subsequently qualify them as strategic suppliers and contract manufacturers.  Carlos studied Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at Monterrey Tech (ITESM), and while there he was an Instructor of Engineering Materials and Manufacturing Processes Labs. He is currently the Treasurer, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Alumni Society.

Jacob Miller is a Director with East West Associates based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He has more than 20 years of international experience (9 in Latin America and 14 in Asia), of which 15 years have been in supply chain and sourcing roles. In Vietnam, Jacob has worked with clients on LCC supplier identification, selection, and development, set-up of sourcing offices and supply chain organizations, procurement process improvements, and supply chain cost reduction programs. Jacob worked several years in Shanghai supporting western companies on a variety of sourcing and supply chain projects. Jacob has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska and a MBA in International Management from the Thunderbird School. He is a Certified Supply Chain Professional and is fluent in Spanish and Chinese.

Dariusz is a Director of Central Eastern Europe for East West Associates with over 25 years’ experience in strategic and operational procurement, sourcing, and project management -including over forty procurement related projects managed throughout all phases from data analysis, through solution modelling and implementation. Prior to joining East West, Dariusz ran his own consulting firm, serving as Project Manager/Director and Interim Manager for several companies. Dariusz helped to design initiatives to increase enterprises procurement efficiency through all phases from data collection and analysis, through modelling of solutions to implementation, including procurement strategies, tendering, negotiations, procurement processes. His client base included big and medium size Polish and international companies as well as some US companies. Dariusz holds an MBA from the Warsaw University of Technology Business School (in conjunction with the London School of business). He also holds a Master of Engineering (MSC) degree by the Faculty of Automotive and Construction Machinery Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology.

Bernd Schmitt is a Senior Consultant with East West Associates based in Mexico. His consulting expertise encompasses a wide range of competencies including: Interim Management during organization restructure, Risk management activities to facilitate delivery performance compliance,  Process improvement (restructuring internal and external material flow), Start-up support to non-Mexican companies and new facilities, Development of national supplier base, Support to expansion plans, Cost structure analysis, Enforcement of inventory control, Optimization of production planning and supply chain structure, Improvement of national and international transport schemes, and Project implementation support. Bernd has a Business Management degree from the University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe, Germany, a degree in Company Organization from the REFA Group, Darmstadt Germany, and a Degree in Wholesale and Foreign Trade from the Commercial College, HLA in Gernsbach, Germany.  He is fluent in German (native tongue), Spanish and English.

Karla Serrano is a Consultant with East West Associates based in Leon, Mexico and is experienced in supply chain planning functions as well as import/export trade compliance in Mexico.  Karla previously served as Supply Chain Manager for Gissing, Guanajuato, a supplier of interior components to the automotive industry. While there, she had responsibility for inventory management, production planning, and customer satisfaction. Prior to taking this responsibility, she was Trade Compliance Manager, focusing on customs processes, C-TPAT certification, and USMCA compliance. Karla has an undergraduate degree in International Commerce from Universidad Iberoamericana in Leon, and a Master’s degree in Tax Law from Universidad de Guanajuato. She has a certificate in Audit and Cost control from INSEEC Business School in Paris. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

Jose Valdes is a Senior Consultant with East West Associates based in the Monterrey/Saltillo area in Mexico. He is a bilingual leader driving supplier development processes, and systemic material flow improvements to prevent material shortages and promote supply chain continuity. He also leads the selection and qualification of suppliers to ensure high quality, on-time delivery, and cost competitiveness. He is a proactive and self-motivated professional with 18 years of experience enriched by global projects. Previously, Jose served as a Manager/Consultant in a well-established Mexico based consulting firm supporting new operational launches in Mexico, as a Project Leader of vendor development and supplier quality engineering. has an MBA and a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Monterrey Tech, and is also a Certified Welding Inspector per the American Welding Society, and completed a 48-hour Project Management Course from Boston University.

Yan is a Sourcing Specialist in China for East West Associates and has over 20 years’ experience working with US, German, French and Chinese companies based in Shanghai.  He has worked in the Chemical, Building Materials, Construction Equipment, and Consumer Products industries for multinational, private, and State-Owned Enterprises. Yan brings expertise in chemical sourcing, procurement management, international trade, and JV negotiations. He has a deep understanding of chemical markets in China, with a proven track record as a negotiator of regional and global supply contracts. Additionally, he has led organization re-design and turnaround assignments for fast-growing companies in China. Yan holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Renmin University and an undergraduate degree from Nanjing University.