By David Li, bostonese.com
Boston, June 9, 2014, — The annual meeting of New England Chinese Information & Networking Association（NECINA） was held at Two Financial Center in the morning of June 7. About 250 members and guests attended the annual meeting with the theme of “Technology Innovations and the Changing Face of Global Manufacturing Economies.”
Michael Wang and X2 Technology won the grand prize of NEW 2.0 at the annual meeting (photo by David Li).
Howard Heppelmann delivered keynote speech: Seven forces of Innovation Transforming 21st century Global Manufacturing Economies. Mr. Heppelmann is currently DVP and General Manager of the New Businesses segment at PTC, and is responsibility for the leadership and financial management of PTC’s New Businesses Segment including market analysis, solution definition, and worldwide business development and go-to-market activities.
A panel discussion followed the keynote speech. The panelists included Howard Heppelmann, Edgar Marsi, CEO and President of Qualtré, Tina Weber, founder and CEO of A Starting Line and Program Director of Lean Startup Challenge, and Dr. Sheldon Borkin, entrepreneur, consultant and member of Launchpad and Investors Collaborative angel groups.
After a coffee break, NECINA president Ru Zheng reviewed the many activities by various NECINA programs, such as YES 8.0, NEW, and Entrepreneurship club, in the past year. “Founded in 1996, NECINA has become the most influential Chinese High Tech and Entrepreneurship community in New England area,” said Ms. Zheng. She also thanked partners and sponsors of NECINA, and mentioned that NECINA didn’t pay any rent for the over 30 events, lectures and conferences over the past year thanks to the sponsorship by companies like IBM, EMC, KPMG and etc.
At the end of her presentation, Ms. Zheng introduced Ben Tao as the new president of NECINA. “He has been a long time NECINA member, and has been a key contributor to NECINA over last few years,” said Ms. Zheng.
Mr. Tao delivered an inspiring speech outlining his vision for NECINA. “Challenge is what excites NECINA as an organization. In 2014-2015 operating year, we will reexamine our membership programs to bring even more benefits to our members. We will launch our Mentor Network Program to shore up NECINA’s brain trust,” said Mr. Tao. You can find the full speech at bottom of this report.
In the award session, team BLANC led by Eddy Zhong won the grand prize of YES 8.0, and team X2 Technology led by Michael Wang won the grand prize of NEW 2.0. Jenny Chen presented the New Star award to Tracy Huang, Dongni Wang and Selena Guo. Ben Tao presented the special contribution award to Sharon Pei and Anqi Ma. Ru Zheng presented the President’s Award to Harry Gao, Jackie Yang, Tracy Huang, Ben Tao, John Wang, Connie Dai, and Delia Wu. Finally, Nanying Yin presented the Chairman’s Award to Ru Zheng and Tony Tian.
Speech by Ben Tao at 2014 NECINA Annual Meeting
Dear NECINA Members, Sponsors, and Friends,
Eighteen years ago, a group of highly successful Asian entrepreneurs and professionals gathered here in New England around a very simple set of beliefs. They believed it was not enough to be successful individually, no matter how big that success was. They believed their business and career experiences could have a lasting impact on many others. They believed their dedication to a great cause and boldness to face new challenges could inspire even more to follow their footprints. It was that set of beliefs that gave birth to NECINA.
18 years later, that seed of beliefs has benefited thousands of professionals in New England area, other parts of the United States, and Asian countries especially the Greater China region. For countless members, NECINA became the platform, where lifelong friendships were forged. For many volunteers, NECINA experiences became the launching pad for a new career. For a lot of committed sponsors, NECINA created new business opportunities. What started from a small technical seminar has now turned into a series of professionally run business and technology conferences around the year. What started as a lunch table casual business conversation has now turned into a three-pronged entrepreneurship programs respectively targeting business owners, newly minted entrepreneurs, and high school students.
Despite NECINA’s success, challenges abound. The ever decreasing threshold of business creation means it is even more competitive to build a business that lasts. The ever increasing rate of changes in technology innovations and business practices raise the skillset bar for every experienced professional. The slow pace of job market recovery is a very realistic challenge facing every new grad.
Challenge is what excites NECINA as an organization. In 2014-2015 operating year, we will reexamine our membership programs to bring even more benefits to our members. We will launch our Mentor Network Program to shore up NECINA’s brain trust. We will work more strategically with our partners to extend the reach of NECINA networks. We will rebuild our marketing and media presence to reach out to even more. While we pursue all the exciting new initiatives, our commitment to bringing high quality conference, entrepreneurship, and cultural programs to our members remains unchanged.
NECINA cannot be successful without your support. Support by becoming a NECINA member. Support by joining NEW 3.0. Support by sponsoring our programs. Support by referring a speaker. Support by volunteering for NECINA or simply sharing your NECINA experiences with friends. There are countless ways you can help! Together we will make NECINA an even greater organization for all those involved!