RUNCKEL
& ASSOCIATES TEAM
We have experienced
English-speaking associates on the ground in China, Vietnam, Thailand,
Cambodia, Laos and other countries in the region. Most of these
associates have been working with us for 6-8 years during which they
have performed a wide variety of projects with us. This gives you
and your company experience, knowledge, a trusted partner and an
advantage helping you in all aspects of your new endeavor in
Asia.
 Christopher W.
Runckel, President and Principal of Runckel &
Associates. Mr. Runckel
has had a long association over his career
with Asia. He worked in President Ford’s White House as Deputy General
Counsel of the Presidential Clemency Board, which recommended clemency
for Vietnam era draft deserters and evaders. In 1994, he was assigned
to Hanoi as the first permanently assigned U.S. diplomat since the
Vietnam War. In 1997, Mr. Runckel was recognized for the breadth of his
contribution to U.S. - Vietnam relations by being awarded the U.S.
Distinguished Honor Award, the highest U.S. Award for diplomatic
service. In addition Mr. Runckel has served in foreign assignments in
Hong Kong, Fiji, Thailand (two tours), London and in China. Mr. Runckel
continues to advise Federal, State and Local government on a wide range
of issues. He is a specialist in foreign trip planning and has served
the last seven U.S. Presidents in this capacity. He is an advisor to
the Shanghai Discovery Children’s Museum. He also is Honorary Chairman
of the U.S. Vietnam Business Council and an active speaker on Asian and
business subjects to community, State and National groups. Mr.
Runckel’s languages include Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese (Mandarin),
French, German and Spanish.
Soraya
Runckel, Vice
President. Born in Thailand and a graduate of the
prestigious
Chulalongkorn University in foreign languages and with a Master's
degree in Technology in Education, Mrs. Runckel is noted for her
language skills and computer expertise. She has operated her own
computer consulting and training business in America, Europe, and in
Asia. Mrs. Runckel heads the IT department of Runckel & Associates
and creates
successful websites, including Runckel & Associates' www.business-in-asia.com
and www.asia-art.net,
and many other organizations and corporations. She is also an
accomplished artist and exhibited her work around the world.
Mrs. Runckel is fluent in Mandarin, Thai, Vietnamese and several other
languages.
Frank
Augustine,
Senior Washington, DC Associate. Frank Augustine is one of
the
nation’s experts in acoustic research. He received his Ph.D. in
Acoustics in 1969 and has extensively applied the principles of
acoustics, electronics and optics to solving complex problems for the
military, government and private sectors. In 1998 he joined Etrema
Products, Inc., working on developing magnetostrictive materials
concepts for the automotive, military and industrial sectors. Since
leaving Etrema, he has been a Senior Consultant with TechSavants and
Furness-Newburge. Dr. Augustine brings an extensive background in the
science and physics of sonication and a broad-base of knowledge of the
literature and research conducted in the areas of sonication,
especially acoustic cavitations and advanced oxidation.
John Muller,
Consulting
Business and Security Expert, Southeast
Asia. John Muller has a lifetime of work and experience in
Southeast Asia. A Political Science graduate of the University of
Washington and a Seattle native, Mr. Muller has headed major U.S. and
local companies in the airfreight, airline and helicopter services,
security and other fields in Thailand, Cambodia and other Asian
locations. Mr. Muller’s involvement with security first started in 1969
in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and then continued on with a private
investigator firm in Seattle before he returned again with U.S.
government security from 1975-77. Mr. Muller then worked for such
famous names as Flying Tigers, Evergreen International Airlines, Circle
Freight International and several security firms in Thailand where he
headed up operations.
Mr. Muller is a world renowned expert in VIP protection, security,
business in Southeast Asia and is often consulted on due-diligence and
other business-security issues. Mr. Muller has numerous commendations
from the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Department of State, the FBI, Thai,
Cambodian and other nation’s police on his work throughout the years in
the region. He is Chairman of the Security Committee of the American
Chamber of Commerce of Thailand and the Overseas Security Council of
Thailand respectively, a Member of the American Society for Industrial
Security, the International Bodyguard Association and the US Special
Forces Association. He is also an Honorary Member of the Royal Thai
Special Forces.
Tina Zhang,
Senior China
Associate. Ms. Zhang heads Runckel & Associates operations in
Shanghai, China and has had a relationship with our company for many
years. Coming from a background in consumer products design,
manufacture, quality control, sales and marketing, Ms. Zhang has gained
deep understanding of what it takes to do business in China today. She
daily puts her skills and expertise to work for clients in outsourcing,
OEM, market focus studies and many other facets of our work for
clients. She is particularly knowledgable in the plastics and consumer
sales industry and maintains a wide range of contacts throughout China.
These have been extremely helpful to Runckel and Associates in projects
as diverse as business plan development and research, factory and
office site selection, factory and office lease, recruitment, trip
planning and facilitation for both small and large groups plus many
other activities. Ms. Zhang is China based but has travelled
extensively to the U.S., Europe, Japan and throughout Asia in support
of her past work.
Dang The
Truyen, Senior
Vietnamese Associate, Hanoi. Dang The Truyen is Runckel &
Associates and
www.business-in-asia.com ‘s exclusive representative in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Truyen has had extensive experience in senior national government,
international organization and commercial business. He was a former
Senior Assistant to the Prime Minister; worked with the UNDP in early
studies looking at restructuring Vietnam’s Economy; served as Permanent
Member of the Board of Management of Vietnam Airlines: served as a
member of the Prime Minister’s Research Commission plus has served as a
researcher and a consultant on many educational, business,
developmental and cultural studies for European and other bodies.
Mr. Truyen is also a highly successful business entrepreneur with
experience in management of companies involved in the foreign
investment consulting, travel and tourism industry. He helped to set up
the very first American Consulting Firm – VATICO in Vietnam in 1992. He
served as consultant to the World Bank in Washing ton D.C, Directors of
two Technical Assistant projects for Vietnam funded by Swedish DIDA and
Canadian CIDA. Currently he provides consultancy to various World Bank,
Asian Development Bank projects in Vietnam, Mr. Truyen’s present
positions include Head of Section for Political and Social Studies of
Western Europe of the Institute for European Studies of the Vietnamese
Academy of Social Sciences plus Advisor to the Prime Minister’s
Research Commission, specializing in national economic performance,
business regulations and institution building. Academically Mr.
Truyen’s accomplishments are equally impressive including a Ph.D. in
Economics from the Institute of Economics, Vietnam Academy of Social
Sciences, Hanoi and a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from the
Kennedy School of Government Harvard University, and a BA from the
Australian National University.
Nguyen Thi
Nhu,
Senior Vietnamese Associate, HCMC. Nguyen Thi Nhu was Runckel &
Associates and www.business-in-asia.com 's first international
associate. She has worked with Runckel & Associates for nearly six
years and is the company's exclusive representative in Ho Chi Minh
City, Vietnam. Ms. Nguyen is a specialist in Vietnamese manufacturing,
import/export, and sources of local products. She is an expert in
assisting foreign companies in sourcing jewelry, handicrafts, gifts,
agricultural commodities and many other products. She has worked
closely with US and other major companies for over 10 years. Nguyen Thi
Nhu, or Ruby as she is known to many of her clients, has been a Senior
Associate of Runckel & Associates for over
7 years and is a key component of all Runckel & Associates projects
in Vietnam. She also owns and runs her own gemstone business and school
in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ruby speaks and writes fluent English. After getting her degree from
the Pedagogy & Technology University in Vietnam, Ruby took courses
at the Minnesota University in the US. Ruby also has served as a part
time instructor at an Open University in HCMC and is active in
assisting foreign Universities and other groups in environmental,
educational and other development projects throughout the country. Ruby
has traveled extensively to the U.S., Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and
many other countries.
Kundan Singh
Bajetha, Associate in New Delhi, India is a self-motivated and
innovative business professional with extensive experience in working
in both a range of leading Indian firms plus with firms involved in
China. Kundan pursued basic Chinese language from Bharti Vidhya
Bhawan Jawaharlal Nehru Academy of languages for 06 months and then
further extended this exposure with a one year intensive Advanced
diploma in Chinese language from Delhi University in 2004-05 followed
with work in Shenyang, China before returning to New Delhi and working
to help support numerous Chinese business and other delegations.
Kundan has traveled and worked extensively through India and is an
expert in supporting the requirements of both Senior Level visitors and
large business delegations.
Sothy Phan, Senior
Representative for Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Mr. Phan heads Runckel
& Associates operations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and has worked with
our company on projects in Cambodia for nearly five years. During this
time Mr. Phan has worked on projects involving agriculture, economic
development, humanitarian demining plus many other business related
studies and due diligence projects. He also serves as Advisor to the
President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia and also
as Executive Director of the Assiaance to Demining Service (TADS).
Additionally he is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Cambodian
Researchers for Development (a Cambodian Non Governmental Organization
- NGO). Mr. Phan's languages include Cambodian, English and French and
he has travelled to both the U.S. and Europe for previous projects.
Sihattha
RASPHONE, Co-Senior
Representative for Laos, Vientiane. Sihattha and his brother
Xanbandith head Runckel & Associates’ team based in Vientiane, Laos
where they are the Exclusive Representatives of R&A. Sihattha is
the first Lao to graduate from the prestigious School of Electronics in
Tokyo and further obtained his Master degree in Information Systems
from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Hokuriku,
Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan. Sihattha and R&A currently are
marketing to others the opportunities in the following business fields
in Laos such as: Savan-SENO Special Economic Zone, international
business consulting, tourism and travel, agriculture business
development, energy and mining, investment promotion, trading, sourcing
and other mutual business projects.
Shattha is has been a Correspondent for the Japan External Trade
Organization in Laos (JETRO) since 2000, and he serves as the first
stop for Japanese investment into Laos. He has assisted and coordinated
the establishment of garment, shoe and hats and sewing factories and
the first ever Korean Hotel Restaurant in Laos ‘COSMO’. Due to both his
experience and his range of connections, Sihattha is a key counselor to
all interested in developing business in Laos. He is a member of the
Lao Chamber for Commerce and Industry and in 1999 Sihattha linked
Vientiane City with Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan to be partners and
Sinter or Partner cities in development and peace. Sihattha is active
in community activities such as assisting the Central Lao Buddhist
Fellowship Organization (CLBFO) to mobilize external assistance and
fund raising for school building, renovation of temples and education
for the poor. Sihattha has traveled and lived extensively throughout
the world including Japan, Korea, China, Southeast Asia, European and
Scandinavian countries, Germany, Belgium and the U.S. He speaks fluent
Japanese and working English.
Dr. Xaybandith
RASPHONE, Co-Senior LAO Associate,
Vientiane. Dr.
Xaybandith has lived extensively overseas including
6 years in the Ukraine and eight years in North America mostly in
Canada. He obtained a B.Sc./M.Sc. in Computer Science from the Ukraine
in 1990. Later he added an M.Sc in “Informatique de Gestion” from the
Université du Québec Montréal and then his Ph.D. in Management of
Information Systems from Concordia University in 2000. As a former
member of the Science, Technology and Environment Agency (STEA) under
the Prime Minister Office in Laos, Dr. Xaybandith has analyzed,
designed and developed management software as well as provided
technical support and assisted the needs of government organizations
undertaking information management and computer implementation. His
main responsibilities while in Canada were in presenting specific
technology cases, performing market surveys, preparing feasibility
studies, elaboration of work documents on a prospective opinion about
technology evolution (including the electronic superhighway) as well as
the impacts and needs of city government in information technology and
telephony infrastructure. He has conducted advertising campaigns of
products, design and developed search engines for queuing activities,
management software for sale and services, quotation and inventory
system used for software & hardware availability search engines
inside company, integrated newly introduced internet/intranet with the
present local area network and many others activities. Xaybandith has
served as Vice-President and consecutively President/CEO of Champa Lao
Development Consulting Co., Ltd. (CLDC) based in Vientiane, Laos since
the beginning of 2000. Most of CLDC works deal with the sector of
trade, investment, marketing, project development and management,
agricultural and industrial development, information technology,
accountancy, insurance, eco-tourism, services and other industries. The
company serves as a "Think Tank" by bringing together highly
specialized and skilled personnel in a local Consultancy Organization
supported by the Government of Lao PDR and funded by private
organizations. Xaybandith is also Managing Director/Owner of Champa Lao
Garment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. an apparel manufacturing company
specialized in producing sportswear, pants, shorts and women items for
export mainly to the EU. He is also the Secretary General of the
Association of the Lao Garment Industry (ALGI) and a member of the Lao
National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI). Xaybandith is fluent
in English, French, Russian and Thai.
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