What do Chinese executives think about the "economic meltdown"? - Joel Backaler

Joel Backaler

While the global financial markets got all jumpy on China, author Joel Backaler, of China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global, toured meetings with Chinese executives. He did not encounter a sense of panic, he writes on LinkedIn, there is an effect on outbound investments.

 Joel Backaler:

Despite the news headlines in the West, I did not get a sense that the executives I spoke to were panicking about the state of the Chinese economy. What was intriguing, however, was the impact of current economic conditions on their overseas investment plans. In the past, I had most often heard from Chinese executives that they wanted to expand overseas to acquire advanced capabilities (i.e. technology, talent, management know-how) or get closer to international customers, but this past week I found that many of the executives I spoke to expressed “market diversification,” i.e. beginning to lessen their reliance on the single Chinese marketplace, as a key driver for why they were looking out. 

Consistent with the general trend that we have been seeing, executives from private companies were most interested in expanding their international footprint. For example, the CFO from a large private food and beverage company told me about her firm’s current plans to expand into Southeast Asia in order to reach new consumers. She said that the hyper-competitive domestic marketplace and slowing economic performance were two major reasons why they were looking out. On the other hand, the chairman of a major state-owned enterprise in the industrial space talked about his firm’s decision to enter markets in the Middle East as an outlet to compensate for overcapacity back home.

While the executives I spoke with were not panicking about stock market fluctuations or currency devaluation, there was a clear sense that everyone recognized the days of double-digit economic growth are over, and the strategies that led to their firm’s initial success will not be effective in today’s operating environment—and certainly not tomorrow’s.

More on LinkedIn.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

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Lesson #1 from Alibaba: Be visible - Joel Backaler

Joel Backaler

Jack Ma of Alibaba made a recent splash by his visit to the US, and more Chinese companies want to follow in his footsteps. Joel Backaler, author of China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global explains in Forbes the rules to be learned from Alibaba.

Joel Backaler:

Jack Ma, chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, recently returned to the city where his firm made history last year with its record-breaking $25 billion IPO. First in New York and then in Chicago, Ma emphasized the importance of ‘cross-border e-commerce’. This relatively new form of e-commerce enables Chinese consumers to purchase products directly from the US and other international markets via Alibaba’s TMall Global online platform. This booming industry is expected to grow from $40 billion in 2014 to as large as $240 billion by 2020. There’s a huge market up for grabs, and competition is intensifying – NASDAQ-listed JD.com recently launched its similar JD Worldwide, while other ‘pure cross-border’ companies like Shanghai-based Ymatou.com are quickly gaining ground. 

Ma’s high-profile US visit had two goals. First, it enabled him to promote cross-border e-commerce and explain how American businesses can capitalize on the emerging phenomenon to sell their products to Chinese consumers. Second, it provided him a platform to address mounting concerns about counterfeit products being sold on Alibaba’s sites. Ma’s fluent English and ability to navigate complex and sensitive topics are key assets that have enabled him to connect with Western audiences. However, there are three more important lessons that Chinese CEOs who wish to ‘go global’ can learn from Jack Ma and Alibaba. 

Lesson #1: Be Visible 

Chinese companies, especially in traditional business-to-business sectors, have often built success through a relentless focus on short-term sales. Given the size of the Chinese market and rapid pace of economic growth, their firms often grew without extensive focus on activities like marketing, branding and public relations. Yet these three capabilities are critical for Chinese firms expanding overseas in order to proactively build and manage their international reputations. 

Alibaba’s successful example demonstrates how important it is for Chinese CEOs to personally invest in spending time with overseas governments, trade associations and media to shape perceptions, rather than appearing only during times of crisis. During Alibaba’s high-profile IPO roadshow, Jack Ma traveled to 10 different cities around the world serving as the face of Alibaba. He accepted interviews and guest spots with nearly every major international business media outlet. His firm produced high-quality videos, articles, and a wide variety of online and offline content positioning the firm as a global company with a track record that is comparable to other more established multinational firms.

More lessons in Forbes.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Are you interested in more experts on China´s outbound investment? Do check out this list.  

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Reasons Chinese firms fail and succeed abroad - Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

Chinese companies are increasingly going abroad, for a large variety of reasons, and with an even larger variety of success and failure, says Joel Backaler in Knowledge CKGSB. The author of China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global looks at Huawei, Lenovo, Baidu, Xiaomi and TCL.

Knowledge CKGSB:

Chinese technology companies are looking for a variety of things in their investments and acquisitions abroad. They may take controlling stakes or minority stakes in foreign companies to access new markets, to acquire useful technologies, capabilities or talented personnel, or just to diversify their investment portfolios.

Of all these goals, accessing new markets typically offers both the highest risks and highest returns. As Joel Backaler, the author of China Goes West and a director at Frontier Strategy Group, says, “There [are] some very real business reasons why these Chinese companies, particularly tech companies, are going out. The market [especially for smartphones or consumer electronics] is highly competitive within China. Therefore if you can take that kind of product and adapt it for other markets, it can be a good way to diversify your business and maintain your margins.”

Chinese companies have tried their hands at both developed and developing countries. Companies operating in the former, such as Huawei, the telecoms manufacturer, and Wanxiang, an automotive parts maker, have had success focusing on hardware. While Baidu and Xiaomi, a company best known for its smartphones, have targeted the latter, with Baidu focusing on Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America....

Backaler points out that many of China’s early failed acquisitions were the result of Chinese companies with plenty of money going after assets that were failing for complex reasons. Chinese companies like TCL Corporation “weren’t necessarily in a position to go overseas, let alone to bring a company facing tough times back to life,” he says. He also cites Huawei as another Chinese company that failed to listen to the market, made mistakes in managing its image, and now is essentially barred from doing some types of business in the US.

On the positive side, Backaler says that Lenovo has done a great job of managing its US-based acquisitions. By retaining the acquired company’s management and staff, and only gradually making changes to the business model, Lenovo has convinced its American employees at IBM and Motorola Mobility that it was ready to learn from their experiences and dedicated to managing the company for the long haul.

There are other obstacles to Chinese outbound investments: hurdles to financing and approvals within China, or potential security threats with high-tech investments. However, the biggest obstacle to Chinese outbound investment appears to be connecting interested Chinese companies with potential targets. Very often, investors and investees just don’t know how to find each other.

“I think it’s challenging, because on one hand there is tremendous interest on the Chinese side to go out, and then if you’re looking from the American perspective there’s a strong desire for that investment, however there’s a really big gap in between,” says Backaler. Typically, interested Chinese investors go on tours or attend conferences where they can meet investment targets, and foreign states, cities and other local governments set up organizations inside China to recruit investment. However, both methods fall short of connecting all the interested parties.

More in Knowledge GKCSB.

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How Geely bought Volvo - Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

In his book China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global author Joel Backaler describes how Geely bought Volvo. An example of how China´s business leaders do things differently. From an excerpt at his weblog.

Joel Backaler:

Ever the ambitious visionary, Li (Shufu, Chairman of Chinese automaker Geely) had his sights set on Volvo early. Through Li’s research, he had learned Volvo was never a strategic brand for its American owner, Ford Motors. This is because Ford has been and remains primarily a mass-market car company; as a premium brand, Volvo was out-of-reach for many of Ford’s target consumers. As early as 2002, Li began contacting Ford, to try to convince them to take his intention to buy Volvo seriously. He sent letters to Ford’s senior management and networked with them at auto shows, but without success. Li took his first trip to Ford’s headquarters in Detroit to visit its Chief Financial Officer in 2007, but he did not receive a warm welcome. Instead, Li was met with concerns about his ability to raise sufficient capital for a deal, and was reminded of the fact that Geely was a relative unknown in the West. At the time of his first visit Volvo was not nearly as troubled as it was about to become, but Li had his heart set on acquiring the Volvo brand from Ford at all costs.It wasn’t until the 2008 global financial crisis occurred that Ford’s leadership finally became receptive to Li’s proposition. Li began to rack up miles on overseas flights to Detroit and Gothenburg, Sweden, where Volvo was based. To appease Volvo’s senior management, Li committed early on to ensure Volvo’s headquarters stayed in Sweden and its leadership team remained intact. Geely’s acquisition of Volvo would keep 16,000 local employees at their jobs. Back in China, Li communicated with regulatory authorities to make them aware of the potential acquisition and procedural obstacles before they arose later on to impede the deal’s progress. Li effectively painted the picture of a win-win situation for all parties involved in the acquisition. In fact, many of Li’s fellow Chinese automotive executives believe that one of the greatest talents he brings to the table is public relations. 

Li also wooed the Swedish leadership team of Volvo by emphasizing the vast untapped potential of the Chinese auto market. He argued that while the US, Germany, and France had all been major markets for Volvo in the past, they were highly competitive and increasingly saturated. China was not only the world’s largest auto market; it also had tremendous growth potential given China’s historical absence of car ownership. There were 62 million automobiles on China’s roads in 2009, which some projected would grow to reach 200 million by 2020. By selling China as the world’s largest automobile market, Li helped paint a path of opportunity for future growth, and a chance to make Volvo profitable in China. Li also underscored the potential for selling Volvo’s European premium brand to China’s growing population of luxury consumers. With Li offering the localized know-how to navigate the intricacies of doing business in China, Volvo’s management saw how they could benefit from the acquisition by Geely. 

In August 2010, the farm boy from Hangzhou, China, officially acquired the movie star from Gothenburg, Sweden, for $1.5 billion. By 2013, China became Volvo’s most profitable market, where it produced 42,000 automobiles. Doug Speck, Senior Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Volvo told the Financial Times in a 2013 interview: “We expect a significant bump-up from localization.” Management expects annual sales to increase to 200,000 by 2015 after the Chinese government officially recognizes Volvo as a local firm through Geely’s ownership in 2014. Li Shufu fulfilled his commitment to open new markets for Volvo, while acquiring a global luxury car brand to help boost Geely’s international image.

 More at the China Business Review.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Are you interested in more experts on China´s outbound investments at the China Speakers Bureau. Do check our list here.

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10 Chinese firms to follow in 2015 - Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

2014 was a first record year for Chinese investments abroad, but 2015 is bound to follow that track. Outbound Chinese investments specialist Joel Backaler, author of China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global gives in Forbes his top-10 firm to watch this year.

Joel Backaler:

1. Lenovo – Best known for its 2005 acquisition of IBM’s ThinkPad division, the firm had a big year in 2014 with two major acquisitions in the US: Motorola Mobility and IBM’s x86 enterprise server division. In 2015, the firm is set to continue to grow its global mobile business though both organic and potentially inorganic means.
2. Dalian Wanda – The Chinese diversified conglomerate first made a name for itself in 2012 with its $2.6 billion acquisition of AMC Entertainment in the US. Dalian Wanda, led by billionaire founder Wang Jianlin, has since made other major overseas investments including Sunseeker yachts in the UK and high-profile real estate acquisitions includingChicago’s third tallest building.
3. Fosun – Fosun operates across a diverse range of sectors including real estate, insurance and healthcare, and it has deep pockets to fuel global expansion. In December 2014, the firm announced a $433 million deal to acquire Michigan-based Meadowbrook Insurance. It also is currently engaged in an 18-month bidding war for French vacation resort firm, Club Med, and invested in multiple international real estate projects.
4. Huawei – Despite facing challenges in the US in its core telecommunications equipment business, the firm continues to do exceptionally well around the world. The firm’s consumer business has been booming overseas, and many of its new products were featured at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
5. Wanxiang –The Chinese automotive and new energy firm has acquired more than two dozen companies in North America since opening its overseas headquarters there in 1994. In 2014, Wanxiang purchased Fisker Automotive, prompting reports that Wanxiang may seek to challenge Tesla in the electric vehicle space.
6. Alibaba – The e-commerce giant’s record-breaking 2014 IPO in New York was just the tip of the iceberg—an overseas acquisition spree, particularly in the US and other Asian markets, combined with greenfield investments, make this a top Chinese firm to watch in 2015.
7. Xiaomi – Currently valued at $45 billion, the Chinese smartphone maker is taking the mobile industry by storm and becoming a serious competitor to global rivals Apple and Samsung. The firm may take part in an overseas IPO as early as this year.
8. Baidu – Despite its US IPO in 2005, Baidu has focused primarily on the Chinese market in recent years. However, in 2014 the firm began pushing more aggressively overseas with its Nokia partnership, $3 million Israeli startup investment and strategic stake in Uber.
9. Tencent – The Chinese gaming and social app giant has been stepping up its investments in Silicon Valley during the last two years. The global success of its WeChat social messaging app also makes it a key company to watch this year.
10. Bright Food – Bright Food previously made headlines for high-profile investments in the UK and New Zealand, and the firm is aiming to achieve 25% of revenues from overseas by 2017.

More in Forbes.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers  

Are you looking for more experts on China´s outbound investments? Check our latest list here.

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How can Chinese brands become global? - Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

Chinese products are entering the global markets fast, but have a hard time to establish themselves as truly global brands. In European Huawei commercials even the voice actors have no clue how to pronounce the firm´s name. But there is hope writes Joel Backaler, author of China Goes West in the China Daily.

Joel Backaler:

What makes a brand "global?" According to the former head of marketing for Starbucks and Nike, a global brand "can travel worldwide, transcend cultural barriers, speak to multiple consumer segments simultaneously, create economies of scale, and let you operate at the higher end of the positioning spectrum - where you can earn solid margins over the long term". 

Based on this definition we have yet to see any Chinese companies develop brands with global appeal. Even current "success stories" such as Haier, Huawei, Lenovo and Tsingtao have brand names that are more challenging for some Western consumers to pronounce than childhood tongue twisters. 

But despite the current absence of truly global Chinese brands, I remain optimistic that Chinese companies will create globally competitive brands soon. This is due to an evolving domestic business environment that is beginning to reward competitive brand positioning combined with an emerging class of Chinese business leaders who recognize the importance of building a strong globally recognized brand. 

The responsibility of marketing in any company is to strike the right balance between driving sales today and building a long-term brand for tomorrow. In the years of double-digit economic growth, Chinese firms focused almost exclusively on sales to drive corporate growth. Marketing was all too often focused on the next product launch rather than building a brand asset for the future. While researching for my book, a China public relations executive shared an industry joke used to describe the way many Chinese companies perceive marketing: 

"'Branding' means designing a new logo, 'marketing' is the equivalent of purchasing ads on China Central Television, and 'PR' does not stand for 'public relations' but rather 'pay the reporter'."

More in the China Daily. 

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

Are you looking for more experts on China´s outbound investments at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check our latest update.

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China firms going international: friend or foe? - Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

Chinese companies going abroad are mostly new kids at the block for domestic and international companies. How to look at them, was a question consultant Joel Backaler, author of China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global often got. His third installment of his post-Europe trip.

Joel Backaler:

From the corporate perspective, this means Western multinationals will increasingly find Chinese companies taking on new roles in the international business landscape. Their new relationships with Chinese firms will vary depending on whether the Chinese firm is a competitor, partner, or owner. 

Competitors 

The extent to which Chinese firms compete on equal footing will be determined by the level of oversight and regulation provided by the government where the investment occurs. In advanced economies like the US and EU where regulations are more strictly enforced than many emerging markets, Chinese firms do not play by a separate set of rules – and if they attempt to do so, they will face consequences. Take the case of Sinovel, a Chinese wind turbine producer that divested its U.S. operations last July after it was charged in federal court with stealing trade secrets from its former U.S. supplier. 

Partners 

Over the course of my trip and during my ongoing interactions with my firm’s clients, I find that more and more Western multinationals are interested in identifying ways to partner with Chinese companies overseas. Western firms should proceed with caution. To cite just one example, Hollywood studios like DreamWorks and Chinese firms like Alibaba and Dalian Wanda are forming partnerships at a rapid pace. As collaboration between Hollywood and Chinese firms deepens over time, it will be interesting to see the impact these partnerships have on the Chinese movie production industry. What will happen when Chinese firms begin producing blockbuster international films of their own? 

Owners 

Last year I was surprised to discover that a former client, Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, had been acquired by Shuanghui International, a Chinese pork producer. Smithfield is not the only American firm to be acquired by a Chinese company and it surely won’t be the last. Chinese ownership presents a unique alternative for American companies seeking strategic investment beyond traditional routes like private equity investment or acquisition by a larger domestic industry incumbent.

More at the China Observer.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

Are you interested in more experts on China´s outbound investments? Check our latest list.

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Why do Chinese companies want to go international? - Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

Since the Chinese domestic market is so huge, why to Chinese companies bother to go international? Author Joel Backaler of China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global gave last month 14 presentations seven European cities. And this was the most asked question.

Joel Backaler:

It would take an entire book to provide a sufficient answer to this question, but I typically answered by breaking the common misconception held by observers of this trend. People all too often attribute Chinese companies going global exclusively to the government’s 走出去 or ‘go out’ policy. Indeed, government policy is an important factor to consider as the internationalization of Chinese firms helps the government invest its vast foreign exchange reserves (state sector investment), obtain critical natural resources to sustain China’s economic growth, and develop a series of “national champions” (Chinese firms that are able to compete globally in key industries). However, focusing solely on government policy only reveals one part of the story. Even more important – and what matters most for Western multinational executives– are the business drivers for why Chinese companies go global. The business environment in China has changed dramatically in recent years – the days of 10% GDP growth are over, labor costs have increased significantly, and competition has heated up across industries. Chinese companies are not immune from the consequences of doing business in this new reality. As a result, Chinese firms are going global for many of the same reasons that Western firms do, including:

• Geographic diversification
• New capability acquisition (ex: technology, brands, talent)
• Cross-border capital relocation

It’s also important to keep in mind that there is still a lot of opportunistic investment occurring that may neither be due to government policy nor sound business strategy and may result from the personal motivations of the executives leading these Chinese firms. That’s why we see examples like a Chinese bulldozer firm acquiring an Italian yacht company the same way we have previously seen Chinese firms in a heavy industry like chemicals decide to enter obscure business areas like noodle restaurants domestically.

More at the Frontier Strategy Blog.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Are you interested in more experts on China´s outbound investments? Do check our latest list.

Can Chinese firms compete internationally? - Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

Last month premier Li Keqiang visited Europe with the biggest business delegation ever, in an effort to push Chinese companies on the international market. China veteran Joel Backaler was there during the visit and wonders if Chinese firms can successfully enter international markets. From the China Observer.

Joel Backaler:

A strong brand is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘need to have’ in order to remain competitive in the current cutthroat Chinese business environment. In my book, I dedicate an entire chapter to Chinese firms building globally competitive brands, either through their own efforts or by acquiring long-established brand names from the West. Given that building a brand from scratch can take years and millions of dollars in investment, many Chinese firms view brand acquisitions – like ThinkPad, Volvo, Weetabix, and Ferretti – as an ideal path to increasing their competitiveness within China while expanding their business into international markets for the first time. 

Over the long term, I am optimistic that Chinese firms will build global brands through their own efforts. The boom in Chinese individuals going West today (explosive growth in outbound tourism and study abroad) will naturally lead to more globally-minded executives at the helm of Chinese firms who understand the value of investing in brands. We are already seeing examples across ‘younger industries’ like biotech, Internet, and consumer electronics.  Alibaba’s founder Jack Ma is a great example.

More at the China Observer.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Are you interested in having him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

Are you interested in more experts at China´s outbound investments at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check our latest list.   

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Europe book tour for Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

 Author Joel Backaler of China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global is visiting Europe this month on an impressive book tour. Shortly, he will visit Dublin, London, Hamburg, Brussels, Amsterdam, 14 events in 8 cities.

The Hamburg EU-China is the largest event, also attended by premier Li Keqiang.

A selection of these events you can find here:

• London, Oct 6: London School of Economics
• London, Oct 7: SOAS
• London, Oct 7: China-Britain Business Council
• Dublin, Oct 8: Institute of European and International Affairs
• Hamburg, Oct 10-11: Hamburg Summit
• Brussels, Oct 13: EU-Asia Centre
• Amsterdam, Oct 17: NCH Netherlands

If you are interested in attending one of these events, please follow the links to check on the availability of seat, reservation and other details.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

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Why Alibaba is not going international soon - Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

Will Alibaba use the capital gained from its IPO to expand fast internationally? China consultant Joel Backaler, expert on China´s outbound investments, does not think so, and explains in Forbes why Alibaba will be tied up at the domestic market at least in the short run.

Joel Backaler:

Alibaba is the unmatched e-commerce market leader in China. It holds roughly 95% of China’s C2C market (Taobao Division), and more than 50% of the B2C market (Tmall Division). With new Chinese consumers shopping online every day, potential growth in this sector remains tremendous. For this reason, Alibaba is unlikely to risk losing domestic market share by expanding aggressively into international markets after its IPO – especially as domestic competition continues to heat up. As recently as last month, Baidu , Tencent and Dalian Wanda all teamed up to create a competitive new e-commerce firm. 

Moreover, Alibaba’s NYSE listing does not necessarily mean it intends to ramp up business operations in overseas markets like the U.S. – just look at Chinese internet firms such as VIPShop, Baidu and Youku Tudou YOKU +0.4%. All three built their businesses focused on the Chinese market, and they continue to do so today even after going public in the U.S. And as Jack Ma has said himself, for Alibaba’s e-commerce business: China is the “main course,” while developed markets like the U.S. are merely “dessert... 

In the short-term, Alibaba is likely to continue focusing its efforts within China, where it is already a market leader and the growth potential is enormous. But as the domestic business environment grows increasingly competitive, Alibaba’s globalization strategy is not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’. When Alibaba does ultimately expand aggressively into overseas markets, it will be ready. Alibaba has as much experience as its global competitors and it is run by internationally exposed leadership. Although Alibaba currently lacks significant international offices and dedicated platforms for markets outside of China, its founding model – connecting buyers and sellers around the world – makes the nature of its business inherently global.

More in Forbes.

Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Joel Backaler is based in Washington, but will be visiting Europe in October. You can check out his schedule here.

Joel Backaler to visit Europe in October

+Joel Backaler 

Joel Backaler, a leading expert on China´s outbound investments, will be visiting Europe in October and has still some time slots available for speeches. He will be visiting London and Dublin in the week of October 5, and Brussel and Amsterdam in the week of October 13.

Washington-based Joel Backaler just published China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global. Backaler is the person to talk to if you want to get your company or organization China-ready.
Joel Backaler is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Are you interested in the recent stories by Joel Backaler. Do check out our list with his contributions. 

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