May 11, 2021. Shanghai – Global recruitment firm Michael Page and China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together on leadership development, industry insights generation, academic research and exchange.

At a ceremony held at CEIBS Shanghai Campus, CEIBS Vice President and Dean Ding Yuan and PageGroup China Senior Managing Director Rupert Forster exchanged gifts and put pen to paper on the MOU.

During the event, Prof. Ding spoke of his personal admiration for Michael Page and noted that both institutions had co-operated successfully many times in the past, including on a scholarship programme focusing on the skilling, reskilling and upskilling of professionals.

“We have all been working very hard on both sides since December towards this goal, and I’m very confident that this partnership will be a very fruitful one,” he said.

Mr. Forster echoed Prof. Ding’s sentiments on the effort spent to make the partnership possible.

“We are very proud of our brand, and we see CEIBS as a global brand and exactly the kind of organisation we are very proud to work with,” he said, adding, “We have a mission which is creating opportunities and changing lives and I’m really hoping that in the partnership we have with CEIBS we can do just that.”

Following the ceremony, Mr. Forster spoke at a CEIBS Executive Forum in front of an audience from the school’s student and alumni community.

During the event, he shared his observations on developments in China’s talent market, most notably the trend of increasingly sophisticated demands from job seekers in the country, and career advice for CEIBS students.

“Ten years ago, for the most part, employees were asking employers simply what title was on offer and how much they could pay,” said Mr Forster.

“But now, a much bigger range of factors have come into play, such as work-life balance, career development, training, benefits… and this is a challenge employers have to tackle.”

Mr. Forster also shared his suggestions for professionals on maximising their career potential in the long run.

Besides practical job search tips from the perspective of recruiters, Mr. Forster encouraged professionals to develop a growth mind-set to chase potential.

“A growth mind-set is not a silver bullet – you need focus and hard work to back it up,” he said, adding, “But as a learned behaviour, it vastly increases the likelihood of success and your ability to overcome setbacks.”

About CEIBS

China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) is amongst the top international business schools in Asia and the world. CEIBS has more than 25,000 alumni from over 80 countries and regions worldwide, and over the last 27 years has provided a broad range of management programmes for near 200,000 executives both in China and abroad. With a faculty team that has extensive China knowledge and global insight, CEIBS is uniquely equipped to nurture business professionals, preparing them to make a global impact.