April 24, 2009. Hefei, Anhui Province -- The first batch of 48 graduates from the China Europe International Business School’s Business Development Certificate Programme officially received their certificates today, during a ceremony that also marked the beginning of the programme’s second cohort. The second cohort of students is 10 more than the first batch, an indication of the increasing popularity of the programme.
Among the guests at today's historic ceremony were:
- Head of Hefei Personnel Bureau Ms. Guo Sumei,
- Attaché for the European Union, Delegation of the European Commission Mrs. Alexandra Lehmann,
- CEIBS Vice President and Co-Dean Prof. Zhang Weijiong,
- Frankfurt School of Finance and Management Professor of Economics Prof. Horst Loechel, who also serves as Chairman and Vice President of the Shanghai International Banking and Finance Institute (SIBFI),
- CEIBS Associate Professor of Management and Academic Director of the first cohort Dr. Terence Tsai,
- CEIBS Professors Wang Gao, Han Jian, and Zhang Wei,
- SIBFI Professor Wang Yan Ming and
- Deputy Director of CEIBS Case Development Centre & Assistant Director of the CLFC Dr. Gary Liu.
In her address Head of Hefei Personnel Bureau Ms. Guo Sumei emphasized the important role the Business Development Certificate Programme will play in providing "highly qualified entrepreneurs with strong creativity, a sense of social responsibility and the global vision desperately needed by Hefei, rapidly developing city”. She said: "CEIBS is a renowned training base for business leaders. Its programmes, which take full advantage of resources from both Europe and China, provide first-rate and practical-oriented business management training to enhance the business management skills of Chinese SMEs. This programme will be beneficial to both European and Chinese societies, making them a stronger economic base for each other.”
In declaring the first cohort a success, Ms. Guo pledged continued support for the CEIBS Business Development Certificate Programme in Hefei.
Attaché for the European Union, Delegation of the European Commission Mrs. Alexandra Lehmann told the fresh graduates who had completed the six-month course that the EU was proud of their accomplishment. She said: “You have participated in an excellent training programme offered by two world-class providers of management training and co-funded by the European Union. I know from my own experience that it is not easy to do a busy, demanding job and training at the same time... But you have made it and that is also what makes the EU proud of you.”
The EU representative also urged the graduates to apply the skills learned to their everyday business practices, saying: “The training does not offer you a pre-cooked success recipe, but tools. Tools that should contribute to improve your own company’s business, maybe enable you to move up in your professional careers. And, after all, improving your business means ultimately to support the development of your province ? Anhui ? a province that offers great potential for development, and to increase its economic power and to improve the living conditions of its people. This is what the European Union is expecting from you.”
She also had words of advice for the incoming class, noting that they represented experienced entrepreneurs in their respective industries and were crucial players in their companies. She told them: “To devote part of your time to join this EU-China certificate programme has been a very farsighted approach. I assure you with confidence that you've made the right decision and that you will find the experience more than worth your time and effort. You will make a considerable return on these investments very soon.”
CEIBS Vice President and Co-Dean Prof. Zhang Weijiong, who also extended his congratulations to the graduating class and welcomed the new participants, urged them to make the most of the lessons learned and the skills acquired from the programme. He stressed the need for China to move up the production chain to provide value added services, and the role that Hefei can play in this development. He said: “If Hefei entrepreneurs want to have a position in the value chain, they need to have their own strategy. To do this, they need to learn. I know you’re successful entrepreneurs but if you want to be globally successful this programme can be a useful platform for you.”
He urged the graduates to take full advantage of CEIBS’ 7,000-plus alumni network, and told the new participants to learn from the experiences of their fellow classmates.
Prof. Zhang also thanked the Hefei government, the EU and the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management for their continued support of the programme.
In his address, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management Professor of Economics Prof. Horst Loechel spoke of the importance of business education in times of financial crisis. Education, he said, was the key to developing individuals, companies and countries. He said: “The world and the world of business are constantly changing in regards to technique and management; so in order to be successful, you have to constantly keep learning. I am happy that we are contributing to this programme, in Hefei and in other cities in China, because it will help Chinese companies develop even more, become more innovative and hone the management skills of Chinese employees.” Prof. Loechel, who added his congratulations to the graduates and welcomed the new batch of participants, also thanked the Hefei government, the EU and CEIBS for their support in making the programme a success.
After the handing out of certificates to the new alumni, General Manager of Hefei Bowei Security Electronic Technology Co. Ltd. Mr. Luan Ligang gave a speech on behalf of the graduating class. The programme had already had a positive impact on his career, he said, as he explained that by using the lessons learned from professors and classmates he had started his own company. General Manager of Hefei High-Tech Start-up Business Incubation Co. Ltd. Ms. Wu Haixiao gave a commitment on behalf of the incoming group of participants to work diligently to absorb all the lessons offered during the programme. With the official ceremony over, the 58 new participants began their first day of class.
Part of the wider Business Management Training (BMT) project, the Business Development Certificate Programme is designed to bring world-class business education to China's less-developed regions. It began in Hefei on September 5, 2008 and will expand to Kunming and Harbin later this year. Consisting of a total of nine cohorts, the four-year programme will educate some 500 Chinese managers.
The BMT Project, which runs from 2008 to 2012, centres on transferring high level, practically-oriented business knowledge from the EU to China. In addition to the Business Development Certificate Programme, the BMT Project will also provide educational opportunities for disadvantaged individuals, groups and regions in China (especially Western provinces), as well as for women; it will also include the launch of a pilot PhD programme.
For more information please contact:
Charmaine N. CLARKE
China Europe International Business School
Marketing & Communications
Tel: (86-21) 2890-5509
Email: ccharmaine@ceibs.edu
Website: www.ceibs.edu
