November 15, 2019. Shanghai – More than 1,000 alumni, students, faculty, staff and other guests joined members of the CEIBS management committee, including CEIBS President Li Mingjun, President (European) Dipak Jain, Vice President and Dean Ding Yuan and Vice President and Co-Dean Zhang Weijiong, at our Shanghai campus today for the CEIBS 25^th Anniversary Celebration Gala.

In his opening speech, Prof. Li expressed a warm welcome and his sincere gratitude to all the officials and guests who attended the event, and highlighted some of CEIBS’ important achievements over the past quarter century. He then thanked the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC, the State Education Commission of the PRC, the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and the European Commission for granting CEIBS the educational flexibility and autonomy it has enjoyed since it was first established. He also thanked officials from the Chinese central government and the EU for their recognition of the school and continuous encouragement. He expressed further gratitude to the school’s executive partners, SJTU and the EFMD, former leaders of CEIBS, faculty, students, staff, and alumni, as well as fellow global institutions of management education and partners from various sectors. “CEIBS should strive to be not only a world leading business school, but also an expert in Chinese management education,” he said. “And the school will do everything within its means to achieve its mission and live up to the expectations of this new era.” Finally, President Li called on everyone to work together for a better future.

In the storytelling sections of the gala, CEIBS Professor Emeritus Liang Neng paid tribute to CEIBS’ pioneers, whose entrepreneurial spirit and pursuit of excellence have come to symbolise the school’s motto of “Conscientiousness, Innovation, and Excellence”. Professor of Finance and Accounting Zhao Xinge then shared the story of why he left the US 14 years ago, returned to China and joined CEIBS. Next, Mr. Cai Tingzhong, MBA Alumnus 1995, and Mr. Hong Huijie, EMBA Alumnus 1995 – the very first students in each of their respective programmes – then took the audience back in time with stories about their crumpled, handwritten student ID cards. CEIBS Assistant President Hobbs Liu then shared a number of stories about staff members who dedicated their youth to the school.

Prof. Wu Jinglian, a famous 89-year-old Chinese economist who has been actively involved with CEIBS since its earliest days, sent a greeting via a video message in which he offered his best wishes and hopes that the school could go further along the path of “China Depth, Global Breadth”.

An awards ceremony was then held to recognise CEIBS faculty for their exceptional teaching and research achievements, as well as CEIBS alumni, partners and staff for their dedication to the school. During the ceremony, CEIBS Associate Dean (Research) and Professor of Economics and Finance Xu Bin and CEIBS Associate Dean (Executive Education Programme) and Professor of Marketing Wang Gao were given the CEIBS Medal for Teaching Excellence. The CEIBS Medal for Research Excellence went to CEIBS Distinguished Chair Professor of Management Jiing-Lih Farh, who was also appointed CEIBS Honorary Professor during the ceremony. Finally, recipients of the CEIBS Distinguished Alumni Representatives Award were also recognised, including Tomson Li, Founder & Chairman of TCL Corporation; Leon Wang, Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca; Tian Ming, Chairman of Landsea Group; and Louise Vogler, Managing Director and Head of Financial Institutions of Greater China, Standard Chartered Bank.

Dozens of CEIBS alumni also sent their wishes to the school via a series of video messages in which they said, “Happy birthday, CEIBS!” in a variety of different languages. The night of celebration also featured a series of songs performed by CEIBS faculty, students and staff, including “Miss You Every Day” (performed by CEIBS family members), “We Are All Dream Chasers” (by the CEIBS Maple Choir) and “Ode to Hé” (by the FMBA Programme), as well as an African Dance Baamaaya performed by staff from CEIBS Accra Campus.

Finally, Prof. Jain delivered the closing speech of the event, in which he presented his ideas for the future of globalisation at CEIBS. Looking ahead, he explained, CEIBS will continue to enhance its academic excellence, business relevance and social influence. At the same time, he added, CEIBS will expand its brand awareness in the US, while striving to strengthen its operations in Europe and Africa in order to enhance the school’s international reputation. The brand positioning of CEIBS, he told the audience, is to create a world-class business school that focuses on China and contributes to the world. In this way, he concluded, CEIBS provides both educational and brand value.

Co-founded by the Chinese government and the European Union (EU) in 1994, CEIBS is committed to educating responsible leaders versed in “China Depth, Global Breadth”. As a forerunner in management education in China, CEIBS has solidified its reputation as the leading international business school in Asia and one of the best business schools in the world. Its MBA and Global EMBA programmes have both featured amongst the top 5 in the Financial Times’ global rankings. As of today, there are 22,868 CEIBS alumni from 85 countries and regions around the world, making important contributions to China’s economic reform and development and to global communication and economic co-operation. Leaders from the Chinese government and the EU, respectively, have lauded CEIBS as “an incubator for excellent business leaders” and “an example of effective co-operation between the EU and China”.

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November 15, 2019. Shanghai – Nicolas Chapuis, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to China, visited CEIBS today on occasion of the school’s 25th anniversary to congratulate the school on its achievements over the past quarter century.

In his address, Ambassador Chapuis said that, in 1994, the Chinese government and the EU made a forward-looking decision to establish a world-class business school in Shanghai and that, following 25 years of hard work, this goal has gradually become a reality. He also noted that CEIBS has not only made significant contributions to China’s economic development, but also built a high-end platform for international exchange, allowing foreign students to come to China to learn about China, and allowing Chinese students to go abroad to better understand the world. He concluded, China and the EU must continue to work together to strengthen mutual trust, adhere to mutually beneficial co-operation and achieve common prosperity.

Co-founded by the Chinese government and European Union (EU) in 1994, CEIBS is China’s only business school to originate from government-level collaboration. Its MBA and Global EMBA programmes both featured amongst the top 5 in the most recent Financial Times’ global rankings.

On the occasion of CEIBS’ 25th anniversary, Yin Yicui, Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress, and Yin Hong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, visited the school’s Shanghai campus on November 15 to extend their congratulations to CEIBS’ faculty, students, staff and alumni.

In a speech at the event, Deputy Secretary Yin Hong pointed out that, over the past 25 years, CEIBS has made great efforts to improve the quality of school operations and continuously drive innovation. In accordance with the guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping, he explained, Shanghai is accelerating the development of international economic, financial, trade, shipping and science and technology innovation centres. As such, he added, the city needs first-class business schools to continuously provide talent and intellectual support. Deputy Secretary Yin Hong also said he hopes CEIBS will continue to thrive in China, to cultivate outstanding talent versed in “China Depth, Global Breadth”, contribute more original Chinese knowledge and management ideas, and better serve the country’s national strategy and urban development in order to better promote cultural exchange and co-operation between China and Europe.

Other guests who attended the event included Nicolas Chapuis, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to China; Romano Prodi, former European Commission President and former Prime Minister of Italy; Dr. Gerard Van Schaik, Honorary Chairman of the EFMD; Chen Qun, Vice Mayor of Shanghai; Jiang Sixian, Secretary of the SJTU Party Committee; and Lin Zhongqin, President of SJTU. Co-founded by the Chinese government and European Union (EU) in 1994, CEIBS is China’s only business school to originate from government-level collaboration. Its MBA and Global EMBA programmes both featured amongst the top 5 in the most recent Financial Times’ global rankings.

Source: Wenhui Daily

November 6, 2019. Shanghai – With the service industry playing an increasingly important role in China’s economic transformation and upgrading, innovation in traditional services and the development of enterprise service management are expected to serve as new sources for growth. In step with these developments, the Service Excellence Forum 2019 was co-hosted today by CEIBS and École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) at CEIBS’ Shanghai campus. The forum drew more than 300 participants, including entrepreneurs, business executives, as well as other experts and academics from the service industry, for discussions about the innovation and future of the service industry.

Since its establishment 25 years ago, CEIBS has kept abreast of business developments in China and has been committed to nurturing leaders in different industries. In response to the rise of the service economy, the school entered into strategic partnership with EHL – a pioneer in hospitality education – to launch both the Hospitality Executive MBA (HEMBA) programme and the Service Excellence Forum in 2018. The HEMBA programme welcomed its second cohort this past May, and the Service Excellence Forum represents an important contribution to the advancement of China’s service industry by providing a place for the exchange of experience and insights.

CEIBS President (European) Dipak Jain and EHL Board of Governors President André Witschi opened the forum. According to Prof. Jain, all products are service-enabled at all levels, and education is no exception. He added that, over the past 25 years, CEIBS has strived to deliver excellent services by joining hands with many world-class partners and that the HEMBA programme represents a profound friendship between CEIBS and EHL. Mr. Witschi also noted that EHL is proud of their partnership with CEIBS and emphasised that the forum has created a great platform for discussions on the future of the service industry.

Michael Henssler, Chief Operating Officer of Asia and Member of Management Board at Kempinski AG, then delivered a keynote speech on The Evolution of the Service Industry. He elaborated on eight driving forces for the change of the service industry – namely, the availability of expertise travelling from west to east; increased growth in numbers of customers; the roles of scale versus scope in strategy; current trends moving from east to west; new perceptions of luxury; increased knowledge transfer between industries; the expansion of knowledge transfer through strategic alliances and joint ventures; and the creation of new experiences. Mr. Henssler added that he believes that China represents huge business potential and job opportunities, and that Chinese tourists would account for 22-25% of the global total by 2020.

Three EHL alumni, Chris Zhang, Development Manager at InterContinental Hotels Group Greater China; William Xi, Assistant Development Manager at ONYX Hospitality Group Greater China; and Alice Gan, from Business Development at Hilton Greater China & Mongolia; then gave a joint talk on Millennials and Millennial Hotel Brands – Who are We? Their presentation looked at how millennials are redefining consumer characteristics and consumption patterns and how these changes present a huge challenge to the traditional service industry. Drawing on their own personal experiences, the three then shared how their organisations have modified their business strategies to appeal to millennials. Lastly, they explained that young millennials tend to prefer individualised service experience to luxury facilities or prestige brands.

Next, Co-founder and CEO of Tujia & Sweetome Justin Luo offered a keynote speech on Service Upgrading in the Information Fragmentation Era. Referring to serviced apartments, he illustrated how companies can address the diversity of consumer psychology in a timely manner to provide different target groups with individualised and innovative services. He added that, in his view, science and technology play a critical role in sustaining high quality services, and that effective platform management leads to consistent service quality. An increasingly sophisticated society will attach greater importance to service, he said; however, this does not necessarily translate into higher service prices. Finally, he insisted that services should be an integral part of business strategy, and should be included in economic models, business models and product strategy.    

CEIBS Associate Dean (Europe) and Director of the HEMBA Programme Katherine Xin then joined alumni and student representatives for a special roundtable discussion on the future of the service industry. During the session, Sunarea Group Founder and Executive President Tang Zhao (CEIBS HEMBA2018) pointed out that delivering quality services has enabled his company to grow from 1 to 100, and that providing a diverse range of service items touching every aspect of the customer experience has proven to be a source of innovation and profit for the company. Nigale Biomedical Chairman Liu Renming (CEIBS HEMBA2019) also noted that, in addition to manufacturing devices in compliance with laws and regulations, medical companies need to track customer needs, build service ecosystems and develop smart products. Shuncheng Group President and Co-founder Wang Qing (CEIBS HEMBA2019) further emphasised that service innovations should involve not only products and processes, but also the entire service chain. Rounding out the discussion, CCID (Baidu Yunzhi Base) Founder and Chairman Wang Hongquan (CEIBS HEMBA2018) explained how to apply big data to targeted services.

CEIBS Vice President and Dean Ding Yuan and EHL Group CEO Michel Rochat delivered the closing addresses at the forum. In his address, Prof. Ding stated that, as the East overtakes the West at the forefront of the global service economy, service markets in Asia will unlock tremendous opportunities in the future. He also noted that, since asset operations and service improvement follow a gradual process, companies should attach greater importance to the quality and sustainability of services instead of being absorbed in scaling their services. Finally, Prof. Rochat stressed that the service industry would be faced with both challenges and opportunities. He said he believes that the joint CEIBS-EHL programme was well-timed, and hopes both sides will continue to work together towards greater achievements in service management.

November 1, 2019. Shanghai – Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised CEIBS today for its contribution to China-Europe relations at an economic forum hosted by the school in Shanghai’s Lujiazui financial district.

Mr. Brown, along with Former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Horst Kohler, and Former Prime Minister of France and Distinguished Professor of CEIBS Dominique de Villepin, spoke at CEIBS’ “Symposium on Central and Eastern Europe 2019.” An audience of around 150 heard impassioned discussions and debate on the theme of “Economic Co-operation with Central and Eastern Europe under the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’: Embrace New Opportunities and Gain New Momentum” at the event, which was organised by the CEIBS Lujiazui Institute of International Finance and the Economic Research Institute of Central and Eastern Europe.

During a roundtable discussion hosted by Jiang Jianqing, Director of the CEIBS Lujiazui Institute of International Finance, Mr. Brown delivered a speech outlining his views on the current state of the global economy and strongly emphasised the need for international co-operation.

“I want to congratulate CEIBS on your 25^th anniversary, and I have no doubt you will continue to serve relations between China and Europe, and in particular Eastern Europe, in the years to come," said Mr. Brown.

The three former statesmen all complimented China’s rapid development in recent years, and jointly concluded that the world is changing because existing successful partnerships and organisations are coming under strain. China and Europe should rise to this challenge by strengthening their co-operation for the benefit of the world, they argued.

Mr. Kohler said, “I want to praise China and the effort of its entire population which I have gotten to know as immensely creative and eager to learn,” he said, adding, “But China’s rise was also facilitated by the openness of the west and by its inclusion in the world economy and international organisations – thus the history of China’s rise is living proof that integration and not isolation […] pave the way to prosperity and, I believe, peace.”

Sheng Songcheng, Counsellor to the Shanghai Municipal Government and Executive Deputy Director of the CEIBS Lujiazui Institute of International Finance, had earlier opened the symposium. Professor Sheng said that having 17 Central and Eastern European partners signed up for China's Belt and Road initiative was a very important and beneficial component of China-Europe relations in general. With this in mind, he explained, political, business and academic leaders in China and overseas should work together to explore further co-operation, as the Belt and Road is of great significance to Central and Eastern Europe's economic prospects.

At the event, the Central and Eastern European Economic Research Report 2018-2019 was officially released. The paper comprehensively analyses the macroeconomic environment of Central and Eastern European countries in 2017-2019, national economic development strategies, major economic policy changes, important political events, and the latest developments in China’s economic and trade relations with Central and Eastern Europe.

Li Mingjun, CEIBS President and CEIBS Lujiazui Institute of International Finance President, revealed CIEBS and the SINO-CEE Fund had established the Economic Research Institute of Central and Eastern Europe. “We hope that by studying the relevant countries’ economies, finance, real estate, investment and trade sectors, as well as relevant cultural and social spheres, we can provide close support and intelligence on the Central and Eastern European market for Chinese enterprises, increase economic co-operation and help realise the aims of the Belt and Road Initiative,” said President Li.

Huo Yuzhen, Special Representative for China-CEEC Co-operation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, also spoke at the event. The former Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic and Romania, gave a speech outlining economic connections between Central and Eastern Europe and China, pointing out that the two had much in common, having developed quickly during the last few decades. Ms. Huo spoke of both sides’ determination to respect each other’s viewpoints on major issues and to jointly lay down rules for fruitful co-operation to ensure mutual benefit.

Chen Jin, CEO of SINO-CEEF Europe and Deputy Director of the Economic Research Institute of Central and Eastern Europe, hosted a second roundtable on “How to Create New Growth Points for China-CEE Co-operation”. The discussion featured speakers Xu Bin, Professor of Economics and Finance, Wu Jinglian Chair in Economics and Associate Dean (Research) at CEIBS; Chen Liming, Vice President, Jin Jiang International Group; Elie Younes, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer, Radisson Hospitality AB; and Zita Zoltay-Paprika, Dean of Corvinus Business School, Corvinus University of Budapest.

The panel discussed how China and Central and Eastern Europe could deepen their economic co-operation and find new opportunities, and concluded that the scope of co-operation needed to move beyond traditional models to a more wide and all-encompassing range of areas for partnership, such as in tourism and consumer service.