Chris Devonshire-Ellis

BIO

Chris Devonshire-Ellis is the Founder of Dezan Shira & Associates and Chairman of the firms International Board of Equity Partners & Directors; and is the Managing Director of Asia Briefing publications.

He is based in South East Asia, and has enjoyed a 32-year career advising foreign companies on their Asia business strategy, including 25 years based in mainland China. He advises multinational corporations and foreign governments on their investment strategies for China and Asia, expanding this in recent years to include the Belt & Road countries, particularly in regard to Eurasian integration with China's "Belt & Road" initiative. His most recent 2023 work on the subject topic was "BRICS & MENA: China's Growing Role In The Middle East" available here.

Chris established Dezan Shira & Associates in 1992 and Asia Briefing in 1999. Dezan Shira & Associates now employs several hundred professional legal, tax and related personnel throughout Asia and possesses 40 regional offices advising foreign investors in the region. Asia Briefing possesses subsidiary titles concerning ASEAN, China, India, Vietnam, the Middle East, and the Belt and Road Initiative, and has published over 100 books and 1,000 Asia investment advisory magazines over the past 25 years.

During this time Chris has facilitated several billion euros worth of investment into Asia on behalf of his clients. Chris was ranked one of the top ten most important consultants in China by Accountancy Age Magazine in 2011 and ranked 1st in influence by Asia Law in 2015. He is a visiting lecturer at numerous Universities throughout Europe and Asia, while his books and papers are regular course material at multiple Universities across China and Europe. His analysis is regularly featured in international media.

Chris is a member of the Royal Overseas League and St. James Club in London, is a previous member of the Institute of Directors in Hong Kong, and the Capital and American Clubs in Beijing. He is a lifetime member of the Hanoi Press Club and life friend of the Cambridge University Scott Polar Research Institute. He is a regular contributor to numerous regional charities, ranging from education for orphaned children in China (Care for Children) wildlife protection in Mongolia (Snow Leopard Trust) and Sri Lanka and the preservation of ancient buildings and reconstruction of hospitals and orphanages in Tibet (Surmang Foundation). He regularly travels around our offices and the Eurasian region and is an acknowledged key Asia investment influencer on a global basis.

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