Kaiser Kuo

Host and Founder of The Sinica Podcast

Kaiser is an American-born writer, rock musician, technology watcher and cultural commentator with extensive experience in the tech sector in China. Kaiser has been Director of International Communications at the Chinese search engine giant Baidu, and consultant for China’s leading Internet video site, Youku.com. In 2010 he founded the Sinica Podcast which has developed into a network of podcasts and publications that deeply discuss Chinese current and international affairs. Kaiser holds a MA in East Asian Studies from the University of Arizona.

Ragnar Baldursson, PhD

Ragnar is Iceland’s leading expert in China-related matters. He’s a sinologist, philosopher, and former diplomat with decades of experience building bridges between East and West. A published author, his works include Nineteen Seventy-Six: A Student Revolutionary Remembers the Year Mao Died. Ragnar currently serves as a doctoral supervisor at the Academy of the Global South, Beijing Language and Culture University.

Known for his commitment to dialogue and peace, Ragnar brings unique insights into philosophy, politics, and international cooperation.

Guðbjörg Ríkey Th. Hauksdóttir

Program Manager,

Institute of International Relations

University of Iceland

Guðbjörg Ríkey Th. Hauksdóttir is the Program Manager at the Center for Arctic Studies at the Institute of International Affairs at the University of Iceland, and a PhD Candidate at the University, focusing on China–Russia relations in the Arctic. She is also a Non-resident Fellow with the Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center and a Research Fellow at the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network. Hauksdóttir holds a B.A. in Chinese Studies and an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Iceland. As a Fulbright researcher, she has examined geopolitical and security challenges in the Arctic. She has lived in China and taught courses on international relations theory, security studies, and Chinese society and politics. Her research interests include Arctic geopolitics and security, Chinese and Russian foreign policy, and small-state security dynamics.

Anton Harder PhD

Guest Teacher
London School of Economics

Dr. Anton Harder is an international historian and analyst of China-India affairs. He is publishing a book on Sino-Indian relations in the early Cold War with Oxford University Press. He teaches at the London School of Economics and consults to businesses and organizations in Europe on the politics and foreign relations of China and India.

Birgir Stefánsson

CEO IS Seafood Chairman of Iceland Business Forum Greater China

Biggi has had a long and illustrious career in the seafood industry, from hands-on experience as a fisherman and boat Captain to trading seafood products I 2005 and finally  founding and successfully running his company IS Seafood in 2012. Biggi is Regional Chairman at the Entrepreneurs Organization North Asia and Chairman of the Iceland Business Forum in Greater China.

Kenneth Fredriksen

Senior Vice President of European Region, Huawei Technologies

Since 2012 Kenneth has been part of the Huawei executive leadership team for the CEE and Nordic Region in various roles including CEO of Sweden and Iceland from 2016-2020, He is also member of the Huawei Subsidiary Board of Directors. Kenneth has over 22 years experience in the global telecom. Prior to joining Huawei, he held several director and management positions in multinational companies including Siemens AG. Kenneth Fredriksen graduated from University of Birmingham in the UK in 2000.

Raffaele Manna

Line Partner Network Manager

EIMSKIP

Raffaele has been Liner Partner Network Manager at Eimskip since 2020, responsible for coordination, support, and cooperation on commercial and operational levels. Prior to that he has held various key positions. Starting in 2007 Raffaele worked at TVG-Zimsen as a Sales Coordinator and Data Analyst until 2012. Raffaele then took on roles at Reyk Veek as a CFO and Public Relations coordinator from 2008 to 2019. In 2012, they returned to TVG-Zimsen as a Key Account Manager and later became a Freight Network Manager in 2015. In 2019, Raffaele joined Invictus Organization as Vice President and Business Strategist.

Raffaele has a Bachelor in International Politics and EU Institutions from Università degli Studi di Milano from 2003 to 2007. In 2011 he earned a  Diploma in International Business from Reykjavík University.

Gunndís Eva Reykdal Baldursdóttir

Marketing & Communications Manager

Carbon Recycling International

Gunndís leads Communications and Marketing at Carbon Recycling International (CRI), where she has built the company’s communications function and shapes how CRI presents its technology, partnerships, and role in advancing carbon solutions globally.

She has worked across industry, policy, sustainability, and innovation, giving her a solid grounding in international relations and public communications. She is also a co-founder and board member of the newly established Engineers Without Borders Iceland.

Sigurður Guðjónsson PhD

Associate Professor

University of Iceland

Sigurður holds a PhD in Management (Track in Banking and Finance) from University of Bologna. Sigurður has  published peer reviewed articles on Asian free trade issues and China in particular. Sigurður holds a Masters degree in Chinese Studies from University of Cambridge as well as BS degree in Finance from University of Iceland.

Sigurður has work experience in business, having been sales manager in Japan, handling marine products to China (The Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong), Korea, and Australia. He was responsible for pioneer work on the Chinese market, and did consulting tasks for Icelandic companies establishing them selves in China. 

Hafliði Sævarsson

Sessional Lecturer in Chinese Studies

University of Iceland

Hafliði Sævarsson holds an MBA in Management Consultancy and among various roles works as a Sessional Lecturer of Chinese Studies at the University of Iceland. He worked in China for a decade in banking and diplomacy, and as director of the Iceland Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo. He has studied Economics, Politics and Sinology at the universities of Utrecht, Leiden, Kyoto, Peking and Wales. His research interests include Resource Economics, Free Trade and Political Economy. He has written about international relations for a number of news outlets in Iceland on a wide range of topics, from espionage in Asia to Castro´s Cuba. Hafliði is also active in visual arts and has held and curated a number of exhibitions as well as authored and illustrated a children´s book published in 2022.