Unpacking Global Supply Chain Disruptions

Global supply chains have been rattled over the last year. The COVID-19 pandemic has both impaired production but also exposed many fragilities in the world’s international trade and logistics system. Supply shortages, once the domain of policy and industry experts, has now made its way into dinner table conversations. Since the late summer, these disruptions have become more acute, creating shortages during the holiday season and contributing to rising inflation.

Please join us for a discussion with global trade economist Walter Kemmsies to understand a myriad of factors affecting global supply chain challenges, the long-term impacts, and how these issues relate and affect U.S.-China relations.

REGISTER HERE

SPEAKER

Dr. Walter Kemmsies is the Managing Partner of the Kemmsies Group, a consultancy providing services on freight movement, global trade, industrial real estate, infrastructure financing, and  long-term strategic planning/capital investment.

Dr. Kemmsies is widely viewed as one of the foremost experts on ports, rail, and infrastructure in the U.S. His areas of expertise include demand forecasting, maritime and overall global trade regulatory issues, public and private port and infrastructure financing, and long-term strategic planning and capital investment. Having worked in major cities all over the world, Walter has a global perspective which uniquely qualifies him as a global trade economist.

Walter currently advises several major U.S. Port Authorities and is routinely asked to work on complex issues with various investment banks. private equity firms, and public regulatory agencies. He provides substantial support to the freight movement industry via publication of port volume data for the American Association of Port Authorities, presentations at major international industry conferences, and advises the U.S. Department of Commerce on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Walter recently testified to the U.S. Senate Transportation and Commerce Subcommittee on issues affecting freight industry. He has also published research in scholarly journals.

Prior to forming the Kemmsies Group, Dr. Kemmsies was a Managing Director and Senior Director, Economist and Chief Strategist for JLL’s U.S. Ports, Airports, and Global Infrastructure Group. Before joining JLL, Dr. Kemmsies served as the Chief Economist for Moffat & Nichol, a leading global infrastructure advisement firm. Proceeding his experience working with Moffat & Nichol, Walter was the Head of European Strategy at JP Morgan in London, and, earlier, Head of Global Industry Strategy at UBS in Zurich and London.

MODERATOR
Dr. Spencer Cohen is the Principal and Founder of High Peak Strategy, an international trade and economics research consulting firm based in Seattle, WA. He consults and writes extensively on international trade, China’s economy, industry clusters, and regional economic analysis. He has written opinion pieces in the South China Morning Post, The Daily Guardian (India), Puget Sound Business Journal, and Seattle Business Magazine. Prior to forming High Peak Strategy, he served as senior economist with a Seattle-based economics consulting firm. He has also held policy and research roles with the State of Washington.

Spencer is a 2021-2023 Public Intellectuals Program fellow with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, a 2020-2021 Seattle World Affairs Council Fellow, and Senior Fellow with Infinite Sum Modelling, an economics modeling and research firm whose clients include the World Bank, Asia Development Bank, and various national governments. He is also an affiliate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington.