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​Engage in dialogue and discourse on topics affecting New Orleans and around the Globe. Our events feature speakers leading their industries and changing the world.

April 21, 6:00pm CST

New Orleans and China: Trade, Intercultural Communication, and Success

Presented by the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce / International Trade Commission

China is often a topic of interest in headlines spanning from geopolitical ambitions to economic stratagem. Join the NOCDC and three local China experts for an in-depth discussion on their work and first-hand experiences covering:

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• U.S.-China trade relations and retaliations of the past decade

• Unique aspects of doing business successfully in China as a foreigner

• Doing business with China today

• Possible future trade relation trends & Louisiana’s relations

Charlotte Conerly is an International Trade Specialist at U.S. Commercial Service New Orleans, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. The agency’s worldwide network helps U.S. companies to compete and win in international markets. As a New Orleans native, Charlotte was thrilled to join the team to represent her country and consult businesses in her home state to sell their products and services globally.

​Charlotte’s career in international business includes export sales, business development, and project investment in both China and the U.S. Some of her experiences include exporting U.S. agricultural products at PMI Foods, driving foreign investment in U.S. development projects by Related Companies, as well as developing and managing a wine blockchain company and private club at The House of Roosevelt – Shanghai. She is fluent in both Mandarin Chinese and Shanghainese and conversant in Spanish.

​Charlotte holds a master’s degree in Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, where she completed her thesis on the U.S.-China trade relationship. She completed her undergraduate studies in Chinese language and literature and business administration at the University of Utah.

Anna Finch is the co-founder and CEO of Real DFM, a product design and development firm headquartered in New Orleans but with additional offices in Dongguan, China. Real DFM works with clients in designing, engineering, prototyping and the eventual mass production of hardware products ranging across the board from consumer electronics to kitchenware to soft goods and more.

​From Bath, England, Anna earned an MA in Chinese from Edinburgh University and after graduating she moved to Beijing, China where she worked in the wine trade as a distributor for high end hotels, bars and restaurants. A move to California marked a turn in career towards project management of multi-million dollar budgets in the oil, gas and solar industry, identifying appropriate utility scale locations for new facilities and purchasing mineral rights and negotiating contracts to allow development of these sites.​

After a decision to engage with her more creative side, Anna founded Real DFM with her husband and business partner after deciding that the combined skillsets of international business knowledge, project management and Chinese language skills were the perfect complement to running an international design firm. She runs the day to day business of client acquisition, project management and factory liaisons. Since starting the business six years ago, Anna has grown the company year over year and has built an international client base, working on over 80 projects spanning over five continents, she was the winner of the 2017 New Orleans Entrepreneur week Women In Business Challenge, the Chaffe McCall Entrepreneur Award, and has been awarded three design awards for the Lullabuddy speaker which was designed and produced under Real DFM.

Janine M. Mansour, Commercial Director, manages the Port of New Orleans’ Cargo and Cruise departments encompassing expansion and commercial support of ship calls, cargo and cruise passenger movements. Focusing on customer service, new business development and joint venture opportunities, Mansour and her team truly embrace the motto of “shipping is our passion.” Prior to joining the Port, Mansour worked in community relations and communications at Entergy New Orleans Inc. Mansour is a member of numerous industry associations and has served as a Board Member on the Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Traffic and Transportation Club of Greater New Orleans and the French American Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Rice University and received her MBA from Tulane University.