Brussels Forum Session: Make China Great Again
Desmond Shum is an entrepreneur and author with decades of experience in private equity and real estate in China. He was a pioneer in the development of airport cities as president of Aeropolis, overseeing major projects such as cargo terminals, logistics hubs, and office facilities at Beijing Capital International Airport. His work helped turn transportation nodes into engines of long-term regional growth.
Shum is an active philanthropist, supporting scholarships at Tsinghua University, Harvard University, and other institutions, with a focus on advancing humanities education. He is the author of the international bestseller “Red Roulette”, a memoir that explores wealth and power at the highest levels of the Chinese state. The book became a New York Times and SPIEGEL bestseller, and has been translated into 12 languages.
Shum has served as an honorary trustee of Tsinghua University and was a member of the 11th and 12th Beijing Political Consultative Conference. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and an EMBA from the joint program of Northwestern University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is a chartered financial analyst and a Henry Crown fellow of the Aspen Institute.