May 12, 2018. Shanghai – China’s service sector now makes up the bulk of the country’s economy and is expected to play an even greater role in the years ahead. But there is still a need for talented professionals – within Chinese firms doing business in and outside of China – capable of offering world-class service across a wide range of industries. The freshly launched Hospitality Executive MBA (HEMBA) is expected to make a huge difference in addressing this talent shortage. The joint CEIBS-EHL programme began classes at the China Europe International Business School’s (CEIBS) Shanghai Campus today. For the next week, 52 executives from a mixture of Chinese companies and foreign firms doing business in China will have classes on Strategic Management in the Hospitality Industry, Organisational Behaviour and Leadership. 

The group includes Hongjie Wang, Board Chairman of H&C Property Management that over the past 12 years has grown from a modest operation in Shandong to become China’s first international property management company. H&C’s 20,000 employees manage residential properties and office buildings around the world. Convinced that the service economy will become increasingly important in today’s China, within the context of a new era that includes a much more global focus with bellwether projects such as the Belt & Road Initiative, Wang encouraged a number of his executives to enrol as well. “I am excited to be part of this new era, ready to create new miracles in the service sector. I hope we can make Chinese service a brand new hallmark of Chinese business around the world,” he said in a speech on behalf of the entire class during yesterday’s opening ceremony. Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai Alexander Hoffet was among the VIPs at the opening ceremony, which was also attended by leadership representatives from EHL.

The HEMBA programme, a combination of general business education and service management, is a partnership between CEIBS, China’s leading international business school, and Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), recognised as the best hotel management school in the world. As CEIBS Dean Professor Ding Yuan noted, it took just 10 months to get the programme up and running after both sides inked an agreement last year. “China is transforming its economy to focus more on the service industry and boost domestic consumption. We are in line with economic trends, and so we saw an opportunity for this programme. It will be a win-win for both CEIBS and EHL,” he said.

The first of its kind in China, the HEMBA is also CEIBS’ first dual degree EMBA and first joint EMBA. Another of the HEMBA’s unique features is the global nature of it teaching locations. Along with the opening module and core courses in Shanghai, the 18-month programme will be offered in other locations across Asia including Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Midterms and graduation will be in Switzerland. Graduates will earn dual degrees – one each from CEIBS and EHL – and gain entry to both schools’ impressive and influential alumni networks. CEIBS has more than 20,000 alumni across the world while EHL has trained over 25,000 hospitality managers. “Two exceptional partners have come together to form a perfect match and offer a leading-edge programme that will position graduates for executive roles in a service sector that is hungry for the skills the programme will provide participants,” said EHL’s Chief Academic Officer Professor Finbarr O’Mahony, representing EHL Group CEO Michel Rochat during the opening ceremony.

Class participants represent more than 10 different locations across China, including Taiwan, and various aspects of service-related industries ranging from financial services to medical beauty. As CEIBS HEMBA Programme Director Professor Katherine Xin explained, they are seasoned professionals with almost 19 years’ work experience, on average. More than 80% of this very first HEMBA class are top executives, typically with about 15 years of management experience. Females make up 35% of the class, and 44% of participants have a master's degree or above. Nearly a third previously completed other CEIBS courses such as the EMBA and AMP (General Manager Programme).

As other countries before it, China has made the journey from having an economy dominated by the manufacturing/industrial sector to one where the service sector now dominates, accounting for between 52-55%. Over the past two to three years, consumption has replaced investment as the main contributor of GDP growth, and in this new consumption-driven growth model, a lot of the growth is being driven by the new service economy. 

About China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)

China Europe International Business School (www.ceibs.edu) is among the top international business schools in Asia, where it is the only b-school to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times’ top 30 list of MBA, EMBA and Executive Education programmes. CEIBS’ world-class faculty – from both China and abroad – are experts in their fields. CEIBS, which has provided management education to over 130,000 executives both at home and abroad, has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Zurich and Accra.

About Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL)

Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL, @EHLnews) is an ambassador for traditional Swiss hospitality and has been a pioneer in hospitality education since 1893. It has created and inspired a unique professional community of over 25,000 hospitality managers, united by the values and the legacy of EHL.

EHL is a leading university that provides learning solutions for enthusiastic, talented and ambitious students from 114 different countries. With undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, EHL offers its students a range of on-campus and online education opportunities at different stages of their professional journey.

EHL is regularly recognized as the best hotel management school in the world with the highest graduate employment rates in the industry. EHL is a member of EHL Holding SA, a Group dedicated to hospitality management education.