Business Week Keynote Address

THURSDAY | Febuary 27, 2025

2024 KEYNOTE SPEAKER |ROBERT ROCHE
President
Roche Enterprises

Robert Roche is a serial entrepreneur, civic leader, and philanthropist. As founder and President of Roche Enterprises, he has launched, managed, and invested in more than 100 successful global businesses, including Oak Lawn Marketing (Japan), Acorn International (China), IS Seafood (China/US), and Cachet Hotels & Resorts (China). In the United States, his businesses and real estate interests include Sand Hollow Resort, Gallup Land Partners, and Redhorse Performance.

Roche is a dedicated civic leader who has served as a civic and business representative for the U.S. in Japan and China, and participated as a donor and advisor to many non-profit organizations. He is a senior advisor to The Quad Investors Network, a non-profit that facilitates the development of emerging technologies across the Indo-Pacific. He also serves on the Board of the Center for New American Security and founded the Business Forward Foundation. In 2010, President Obama named him to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, a committee he served on until 2014.

Roche is also a passionate philanthropist who is involved extensively in nonprofit organizations focused on enhancing education, improving international relations, and building strong, sustainable communities. Endowments from Roche established a Chair for Interreligious Research at Nanzan University in Japan, and a Master of Laws in International Business Transactions at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.

Roche received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics/Japanese studies at Illinois State University and earned his J.D. at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He also participated in two study abroad opportunities at Nanzan University in Japan. Roche is married with three children and spends time in China, Japan, and the United States. He is fluent in Japanese and proficient in Mandarin Chinese.