Over the twenty years of his leadership at GE, through nearly one thousand mergers and acquisitions, Mr. Welch grew GE from a No. 10 ranked firm by market value among all the public companies of the United States, into the most profitable and second largest company in the world, with a market value of more than US$480 billion dollars. Currently, twelve business sections of GE are ahead of their competitors in the market, of which nine could be Fortune 500 companies.

Under the leadership of Mr. Welch, GE transformed its role from a manufacturing giant into a business giant featuring services and e-commerce.

Nearly one million copies of Mr. Welch’s autobiography, “Straight from the Gut”, have been sold in China, which become a must-read for the smartest and most accomplished businessmen in China.

Mr. Welch has already gathered tremendous respect from many reputable business leaders in China. His is probably the first name mentioned when asked who is the most influential Western entrepreneur in business and management in China.

Mr. Welch’s arrival will coincide with a clutch period when China is undergoing a radical social and economic reform. There will be lots of cutting-edge thought and brand new ideas sparked in the Forum when Mr. Welch meets with top Chinese business leaders. Thus the Forum will contribute to the reform in such aspects as recombining the assets of large and super-large state-owned enterprises, reshuffling enterprise ownership, integrating and merging, adjusting corporate strategies, optimizing management, and sharpening competitiveness.

In view of Mr. Welch’s contributions to the business world, each year a number of Chinese entrepreneurs selected by the Chinese government visit GE for orientation and training there.

Mr. Welch has also been to China several times and received warm welcome from top Chinese government leaders.