Developing Global Business Communication in Asia

Jane Lockwood is currently Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of English at Hong Kong Polytechnic University after working in educational management and academic teaching and research at the University of Education and City University of Hong Kong. She completed her doctorate studies at Hong Kong University where she investigated the impact of business communication on in-house courses in Hong Kong workplaces. She has published widely on business English in the workplace with specific reference to the business processing outsourcing industry (BPO) in Asia, and on how business English communication is being impacted by technology. Her primary interest is in turning theoretical findings into practical educational usage. She has co-published a coursebook, Contact US; developed the business performance language assessment scale (BUPLAS) framework for the BPO industry in Asia; and developed business English curricula for a wide range of businesses and universities.

Neil Elias is currently CEO of Future Perfect, business English specialists. For the past 35 years Neil has been based in Asia-Pacific, generally in the financial services and offshore outsourcing industries. With a background in information technology and consulting, he became the first Asian Regional IT Director for an Australian insurance group with responsibility for six countries including PRC and Thailand. Returning to consulting, he set up a Japanese operation for a US/Indian technology company before being headhunted to set up and manage a Philippines operation for a large US-based financial group. In 2006, he was again selected to start up a Philippines operation centre for a European IT group, Logica, as well as serving as director of Future Perfect, a business training company in the Philippines. He left Logica when it was taken over in 2012, and took on the CEO role at Future Perfect. Neil served on the Board of Trustees of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines and on the board of the European Chamber of Commerce.