Welcome to HFBB Associates
Business Intelligence Expertise on the China Market
Who We Are
HFBB Associates LLC is a bespoke strategic geopolitical and financial risk consultancy. We are focused exclusively on providing comprehensive analysis and expert advice to companies interested in developments in China and the region, as well as the evolving global order challenges and economic issues associated with China's rise. The firm was established by President & CEO Randal L. Phillips after a twenty-eight year career in the Central Intelligence Agency, including heading its China-related activities from both Washington and Beijing.
Our approach is straightforward: provide our clients the real-time understanding they need regarding policy developments in China and the region upon which to make contemporaneous business decisions. The evolving and worsening geopolitical tensions of the last decade show little sign of easing. We seek to cut through the noise and opacity to provide clients the best possible insights relevant to their business challenges. We help "red team" crisis scenarios and help with risk mitigation. The experience we bring from decades of in-country experience and sustained contacts at elite levels is our competitive advantage.
Our Clients
Our clients represent a diverse set of companies with interests in China ranging from Fortune 100 firms to boutique financial houses. We support clients engaged in on-the-ground manufacturing and services in China and offer insight to firms that, although not formally invested in China, seek to better understand the country’s impacts on global markets and the world economy. We are helping each of them anticipate the challenges, and seek out the opportunities, inherent in a challenging geopolitical situation. We offer our clients the full range of advisory services, assistance with navigating regulatory or other business challenges, and on-the-ground support to visiting executives. We tailor our work to each client’s unique interests and customize our support to suit those needs.
Our Team
Randal L. Phillips is the President and CEO of HFBB Associates. As one of the top China experts in the field, his insights frequently are sought out by the world’s leading corporate and financial interests to help develop strategies for clients pursuing opportunities in China and regionally. Randy is based in Singapore but travels frequently throughout Asia. Randy spent 28 years with the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations, most recently serving as the Chief CIA representative in China. Randy has lived and traveled extensively throughout China and Asia, and has managed worldwide China and regional programs from both Washington and Beijing. He has extensive relationships with officials and business leaders throughout the continent, and previously served as Vice Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China. Randy has a B.A. in Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs from Miami University, and a Masters of International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is married with three children. He is fluent in Mandarin and Bahasa Indonesian.