New York

New York · March 21, 2026 NYU School of Law

Panel 1 · Location Strategy for Cross-Border Brands Landing in New York

Milly Cheung · Director, Lee & Associates (Moderator) 20+ years of premium real estate experience across China and the U.S. Focuses on helping overseas companies establish offices and retail spaces in America.

Woody King · Senior Managing Director, Lee & Associates Specializes in commercial real estate leasing and investment brokerage in New York. Previously at Mohr Partners and Greystone & Co. Notable transactions include a 48,800 SF lease at 352 Park Avenue South.

Noah Caspi · Associate, Lee & Associates Two years deeply engaged in New York's rental market, managing clients with diverse requirements across residential and commercial real estate.

Panel 2 · Capital, Site Selection & Resource Integration for Asian Brands' First North American Stores

Milly Cheung · Director, Lee & Associates (Moderator)

Kinny Liu · Asian Market Marketing Manager, American Dream Previously in risk and data analysis at Ernst & Young. Graduate of Johns Hopkins University. Leads Asian market strategy and brand partnerships at American Dream, one of the largest retail destinations in North America.

Kathy Wang · CEO, Broadar Master of Design from UC Berkeley. Provides AI and digital growth solutions for leading brands including Driscoll's and TARANIS. Winner of Red Dot, iF, and SXSW Innovation Award.

James Yang · Chief Operating Officer, Doo Financial US Focused on capital structure, financial compliance, and cross-border financing solutions for brands and businesses operating between Asia and the U.S.

Panel 3 · Brand Experience, Spatial Storytelling & Sustainable Business Models in North America

Vivienne Yang · Founder & Director, VillageOneArt (Moderator)

Jianfei (Rita) Lyu · Communication Designer, PEI Architects Focuses on the intersection of brand identity, spatial design, and user experience within architectural and commercial environments.

Sarah Shan · Regional Operations Manager, TARANIS Manages the full lifecycle of TARANIS U.S. stores — from site selection and construction through to daily operations.

Dandan He · CEO, CHC Fashion Group Leads cross-border fashion retail operations, with experience building brand presence across online and offline channels in the North American market.

Julie Zhu · Senior UX Designer, TelevisaUnivision Focuses on user experience design for large-scale media and consumer platforms, with expertise in bridging digital and physical brand touchpoints.

Elsie Wang · Co-Founder, Hibee Experience across entrepreneurship, community collaboration, and brand partnerships. Previously at MiraclePlus, Industrial Securities, and Hengtai Securities.

Panel 4 · Capital Strategy & Localized Operations for Cross-Border Food & Lifestyle Brands

Vivienne Yang · Founder & Director, VillageOneArt (Moderator)

Jennie Xu · Investment Manager, Hiwin Group USA Focuses on real estate investment and development, evaluating F&B and lifestyle service brands as part of commercial property strategy in New York.

Bruce Xie · Regional Manager, Fantuan Leads East Coast expansion for Fantuan, one of the leading food delivery platforms serving Chinese communities in North America.

Qing Yang · UX Designer, HungerRush Works on SaaS product design serving 7,000+ restaurants across the U.S. Focused on the digital operations gap between Chinese and American food businesses.

Topics Covered

• Site selection logic for overseas brands entering New York

• What Manhattan landlords evaluate before saying yes to an international tenant

• Capital structure, compliance, and financing for a first North American store

• What flagship retail destinations like American Dream look for in Asian brands

• Digital readiness as a prerequisite for offline expansion

• Why physical retail still matters in an era of social commerce

• Designing stores that function as brand statements, content environments, and sustainable businesses

• Legal and operational risks most brands overlook before and after opening

• Cross-border F&B and lifestyle: capital strategy and localized operations

• The digital infrastructure gap between Chinese and American restaurant businesses