Les Conn (黃利賢) is a seasoned China hand, entrepreneur, strategist, and author whose deep, unconventional understanding of East Asia provides a distinctive edge in high-stakes business. Since moving to Hong Kong in 1987, he has built a distinguished commercial career grounded in decades of immersion in the region’s most enduring strategic and cultural traditions.

His expertise in China trade, algorithmic trading, rare earth sourcing, and cross-border corporate structuring is shaped by a rare perspective: decades of pioneering research into the real-world application of ancient Chinese strategy—particularly its emphasis on perception, timing, and indirect action. Far from purely academic, this work has involved direct, on-the-ground engagement with complex networks across East Asia, yielding profound insights into negotiation, risk assessment, and competitive dynamics.

Les operates at the intersection of historical wisdom and modern enterprise. He translates classical principles of resilience, strategic positioning, and situational awareness into a practical framework for contemporary leadership, market entry, and deal-making. For clients and partners, he offers not just analysis, but actionable intelligence—leveraging a unique synthesis of commercial experience and strategic depth to navigate complexity and uncover advantage where others see only opacity.