February 20, 2025. Shanghai – Ambassador of the European Union to China Jorge Toledo attended a forum on the CEIBS Shanghai campus today, offering detailed and insightful remarks into the current relationship between China and the European Union along with an analysis of its past accomplishments and future trajectory.

For CEIBS, the event signified the beginning of a year marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union. One of the world’s most important diplomatic relationships, decades of cooperation and trade between the two sides has contributed in no small part to remarkable development and gains in prosperity over the past five decades. CEIBS itself has had its own role to play in this story. As the only school co-founded by government-to-government collaboration between the Chinese government and the European Union, it has directly facilitated a large amount of the exchanges between China and the EU that have allowed the relationship to flourish as well as weather times of turbulence.

As such, CEIBS will mark this milestone with a special series of events throughout 2025, inviting and fostering open exchange between Chinese and European leaders in the academic, diplomatic and business communities. These forums and symposiums will not only celebrate a successful 50-year partnership but frankly assess the current state of the relationship and attempt to chart a course forward, with the help of the insights and experience of various leading figures from China, Europe and the rest of the world.

The first event of this initiative, a special edition of the CEIBS OUTLOOK Series, invited His Excellency Ambassador Jorge Toledo to the CEIBS Shanghai campus to give a speech and participate in an open discussion with members of the CEIBS community. The event was also attended by 16 Consuls General in Shanghai from multiple European nations, as well as alumni from the school’s MBA, Global EMBA, DBA, Hospitality EMBA programmes and more.

With many of the world’s most important diplomatic relationships in a moment of flux, it is more vital than ever to think seriously about the current state and a path forward for EU-China relations, which Ambassador Toledo is exceptionally well-qualified to comment on. Following an introduction from CEIBS President Wang Hong, Ambassador Toledo gave a speech detailing his thoughts on The Past, Present and Future of EU-China Relations, outlining the progress made over the past five decades, the challenges and opportunities the relationship faces in today’s fast-changing geopolitical and trade climate, and current issues of tension and possible solutions.

Discussing paths forward for effective cooperation and another 50 years of constructive collaboration, Ambassador Toledo posited that the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations could serve as an opportunity to rebalance the relationship and resolve current issues. The Ambassador also took time to elaborate on CEIBS itself, highlighting the school’s development in the 30 years since its founding and its contribution to the relationship between China and Europe through the cultivation of people-to-people ties.

His remarks were followed by a frank and lively Q&A session hosted by CEIBS Vice President and Dean Frank Bournois, in which Ambassador Toledo answered several questions from audience members. Topics included gaps in the mutual perceptions of Chinese and European citizens, potential EU-China collaboration in artificial intelligence, the trade relationship between China and the EU, and more.

The forum was then concluded with remarks from CEIBS President (European) Dominique Turpin, followed by an informal cocktail and networking session that allowed CEIBS alumni to interact with the leading figures present.

February 17, 2025. Shanghai – In the Financial Times’ 2025 global ranking of MBA programmes, CEIBS has once again been named #1 in Asia, marking nine consecutive years as the highest ranked programme in the region on the internationally authoritative list. The programme was ranked #12 globally.

This accomplishment demonstrates the robustness and enduring quality of our programme in a climate of increasing uncertainty for management education and the global economy, highlighting both its fundamental strengths and its key attributes that are unique in the world of international MBA programmes.

Across the globe, management education is undergoing a transformation amidst changing demands from participants, disruptive technologies, and an economic environment that is affecting both global job markets and the perceived value of MBA qualifications themselves. While many institutions struggle, this year’s ranking also reflects the growing strength of management education in China overall. To have maintained a leading position in the face of both these changing circumstances and intensified regional competition demonstrates our programme’s ability to adapt, as well as our commitment to offering a worldclass experience to participants.

A deeper look at the individual metrics that compose the overall ranking shows the unique characteristics that make the CEIBS MBA stand out amongst global business schools. The CEIBS MBA is dedicated to offering a diverse and international experience in line with the school’s overall mission of providing “China Depth, Global Breadth”, which is notably reflected in the fact that the programme continues to rank #1 globally in terms of international board and women on board, and continues to rank within the top 20 in terms of international course experience.

More notable than our consistent strengths, however, is that in other areas our MBA programme has made great strides this year. Particularly important to us is a jump of 26 places in ESG and net zero teaching, placing us in the global top 20. This remarkable progress represents the commitment of everyone, from school and programme leadership to faculty and staff, to ESG principles in teaching and operations, and places us in good stead to develop even further in this regard, establishing the CEIBS MBA as a global leader in ESG in management education.

This year’s ranking also highlights the CEIBS MBA programme’s continued prowess in faculty and research. The school’s worldclass faculty is instrumental in the success of all its programmes, a fact that is bolstered by our impressive climb of 11 places in the ranking’s FT research indicator this year, and our continued placement of #1 globally in terms of faculty with doctorates.

Perhaps most important of all is the fact that this year’s ranking demonstrates the tangible impact that the CEIBS MBA can have on the lives and careers of its participants. Our career progress rank improved by 13 places to reach #7, placing us in the global top ten and ahead of many other leading business schools at the top of the overall ranking. Our ranking in aims achieved also jumped 21 places. These individual metrics, based on the experience and reporting of those that have experienced the programmes themselves rather than data provided by the school, represent a level of satisfaction amongst our large and successful alumni network for which we are extremely grateful, and which reflects our focus on delivering opportunities for dynamic growth and genuine positive value to our participants. In today’s changing global climate, the worth of MBA qualifications is sometimes called into question; we are proud that this year’s FT ranking demonstrates that the CEIBS MBA proves these doubts wrong.

Following this recognition of our MBA programme’s continuing strength and global competitiveness, CEIBS remains committed to building on over three decades of success and offering our participants even higher standards in the future, providing management education that is informed by our motto of “Conscientiousness, Innovation and Excellence”.

About CEIBS MBA

CEIBS’ full-time English-language MBA programme is an intensive 12- or 16-month journey combining academic rigor, experiential projects and personal transformation. Designed with the school's motto of “China Depth, Global Breadth” in mind, students build on business fundamentals before taking deep dives into electives. Learn more here.

About CEIBS

China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) was co-founded by the Chinese government and European Union (EU) in 1994 and has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Accra (Ghana), and Zurich (Switzerland).

January 7, 2025. Shanghai – From new technological developments to geopolitical upheaval and uncertain economic prospects, 2025 promises to be a year of change. To gauge where the world might be heading, we asked some of our faculty members to offer their predictions for the year ahead. Read on to find out what they think the next 12 months may have in store.

Zhu Tian

Professor of Economics, Santander Chair in Economics, and Associate Dean (EMBA)

“The year 2025 could be a turning point for China’s economy. If China further intensifies its fiscal and monetary policies to stimulate consumption and investment, and strengthens protections for the private sector, the economy could return to an upward trajectory in 2025.”

Shameen Prashantham

Professor of International Business and Strategy

“I expect 2025 to be a year of heightened uncertainty and complexity as three key macroenvironmental forces – digitalisation (especially AI), sustainability (especially climate change) and geopolitics (especially China-US tensions) – continue to intensify and intersect. Success in navigating these unsettled times will in part come down to how well companies and individuals can be both strategic and entrepreneurial. This, in turn, calls for accepting that complex challenges typically don’t have simple answers – and that there’s no room for intellectual dishonesty or laziness.”

Dr. Robert Straw

CEIBS Zurich CEO

“In 2025, opportunities lie in leveraging AI advancements for innovation across industries, Europe’s steady economic growth for sustainable development, and tapping into the global talent pool, particularly China's record number of graduates. However, significant challenges include escalating US-China tensions disrupting global trade, labour market pressures from slowing growth in China and regional disparities in Europe, and ethical dilemmas around unregulated AI development. Capitalising on these opportunities while addressing these challenges will require strategic investments, collaboration, and a focus on governance. The balance between competition and cooperation in technology and trade will define global progress in 2025. Resilience and adaptability will be key for nations, businesses and individuals.”

Wang Yajin

Professor of Marketing

“The consumer outlook for 2025 may remain cautiously optimistic. Beyond essential needs, emotional value will become increasingly scarce and highly sought after by consumers. The market is expected to grow more polarized and segmented, requiring businesses to gain sharper insights into their customers and adopt multi-product and multi-brand strategies to address these challenges.”

Nana Yaa A. Gyamfi

Lecturer of Management

“As large employers such as Amazon trend toward integrating AI and robotic technology in the workplace, employees will prioritise gaining skills and capabilities, in order to be more versatile in shaping their careers and navigating the job market.”

Yinliang (Ricky) Tan

Professor of Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems

“Artificial intelligence is revolutionising the global industrial ecosystem, from intelligent healthcare to autonomous driving, emerging as a critical force propelling innovation and efficiency. In the future, increasingly intelligent and human-centric AI systems will be deeply integrated into our daily lives, providing unprecedented decision support and creative assistance to humanity.”

Mai Ke

Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour

“By 2025, effective leaders will need to cultivate a new set of skills to navigate the complexities of an AI-driven workplace. This includes not only understanding how to leverage AI tools for decision-making but also fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability among their teams. In the year 2025, successful leaders will prioritise human-AI collaboration, recognising that the most effective outcomes arise from combining human creativity with AI efficiency. Leaders will need to guide their teams in embracing AI as a partner, fostering an environment where technology enhances, rather than replaces, human contributions.”

Bai Guo

Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

“Making predictions for 2025 is rather difficult, as we face fascinating opportunities and daunting challenges simultaneously. In my personal view, when uncertainty is so high, it is useless to make predictions. Instead, we should focus on the “right” things. For business leaders, that would be protecting their employees and competitiveness by continuing to create value for users. When the waves are strong, surf. Be agile, be entrepreneurial, stay humble, and keep learning. Let’s make the best out of 2025!”