'09-'10 EPWS Board

President:  Kerstin Hinterholzer

Kerstin comes from Germany and has now been in Shanghai for almost two years. She holds a teaching degree in Sport and German Language and Literature from Munich University. In Germany, she was principal of a private Montessori School for 1^st to 10^th graders. Coming to China meant many changes in her life and, for this reason, she decided to get a new profession. She started studying again and will get her masters degree in health-tourism, sport- and event management.

One of the first things she did when she came to Shanghai in 2008 was join the EPWS. The nice and open-minded women she met at the events and the networking opportunities made her start in this buzzing and fast growing city much easier. She joined the board in Fall 2009 as Marketing Executive and has now moved up to President.  In this position, her aim is to provide a balanced range of topics through the events in order to meet the needs of expat women in Shanghai.

Vice President & Membership Executive: Suda Kongpradist

Suda serves as a project manager for HLD Event Services, a corporate event management company. Suda was born and raised in the sunny state of California. She has lived in the Bay Area, Los Angeles area and San Diego, so she would call herself a true Californian. Suda has had a strong interest in international organizations and studies. During her years of study she has worked with UNICEF, AIFS, and the International Rescue Committee. Suda has been a part of women's organizations such as Kappa Alpha Theta and Step Up Women's Network. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Contemporary International Relations with a minor in Education from the University of California, Berkeley. To complement her studies, she studied abroad in Paris during her junior year. Suda moved to Shanghai in September, 2007, to work on her Masters in International Studies with an emphasis in business. Her masters thesis was appropriately titled, "Expatriate Women in China." Suda has been a member of EPWS for three years. This is her second year serving as a board member. Suda encourages twenty-something expatriate women to join EPWS as a source of networking and developing professional and personal relationships with dynamic women in Shanghai.

Treasurer: Alexandra Wassenhoven

Webmaster & Info Services: Nicole Nissen

Nicole Nissen comes from Atlanta, Georgia, and has been in Shanghai for about two years now in various roles. Her work experience includes sourcing and quality control for a furniture company and an internship with the US-China Business Council. She is currently working in Quality Assurance for an American-based human resources company.

With a bachelor's degree in Chinese and International Trade, Nicole enjoys working and living in the bustling metropolis of Shanghai. Her hobbies include continuing her Chinese studies, traveling and cooking. Nicole joined the EPWS and quickly jumped into the role of Webmaster feet first. Later, she volunteered to take on the role of Info Services. She enjoys being a member of an organization of like-minded women and hopes to learn much from her fellow EPWS members.

Marketing Executive: Ellen Petit

Ellen comes from Holland and has been living in Shanghai for almost 3.5 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, and it was through these studies that she came in touch with Asia for the first time: first through a 6 month traineeship in Shanghai and after that a 6 month period in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Both experiences made a lasting impression on her and, after graduating, it didn’t take her long to decide on coming back. On the day she officially received her degree, she was hired for her first job in Shanghai. Since then, she has held management positions in different 5-star hotels as well as high end hospitality companies, mostly in event management and sales & marketing related jobs.

Ellen is excited about serving on the board of the EPWS as she has always felt that professional women everywhere should stick together, learn from each other and, through this, build a reliable and trusted network of like-minded professionals. She will focus on continuously building the name of the EPWS as the place to expand your network in as dynamic a city as Shanghai.

Newsletter Editor

Administrative Assistant:  Naambo Shivute

She is often the very first point of contact for prospective members as the owner of the info@epws-shanghai.org email.