Executive Forum: Lessons from Microsoft on Partnering with Startups
Please join us for our upcoming CEIBS Executive Forum on December 16, 2021, with Dr. HOU Yang, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft GCR and Prof. Shameen Prashantham, Professor of International Business and Strategy, Associate Dean and MBA Director at CEIBS, who will give a lecture on Lessons from Microsoft on Partnering with Startups.
During this event, drawing on over a decade of international research, Prof. Prashantham will talk with Dr. HOU Yang, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft GCR, who will be joining virtually, about the “why,” “how,” and “where” of corporate-startup partnering.
As for the why, their discussion will cover the rationale for corporations to be increasingly open to engaging with external startups – as well as why the very thing that attracts large corporations to startups (their significant differences) also makes it difficult to work together.
In terms of the how, the event will explore the three pillars of synergy, interface, and exemplar to achieve outstanding results in partnerships.
And with regards to the where, their dialogue will draw attention to examples from China and elsewhere that highlight the importance of locational nuances.
Ultimately, this forum seeks to provide useful insights to business leaders seeking strategic guidance on partnering and collaborating with startups.
About the speakers
Dr. HOU Yang
Chairman and CEO, Microsoft GCR
Dr. HOU Yang is a proven transformational leader with strong technology industry ecosystem development capabilities as well as local insights into enabling customers. He is experienced across operations, product optimisation and sales leadership with a strong track record in partner and customer engagement. A combination of strategic thinking and execution discipline has helped him deliver outsized growth throughout his career.
Dr. HOU joined Microsoft in March 2021, where he is the Chairman and CEO of Microsoft GCR, responsible for the strategic leadership of sales, marketing, services and operations across the three subsidiaries that make up one of Microsoft’s most dynamic and innovative growth regions.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Dr. HOU worked at Qualcomm for more than eight years in the US and China. His most recent role was as Senior Vice President of Qualcomm’s semiconductor business in China. During his tenure, the business experienced tremendous growth and more than tripled its revenue. He led a team which collaborated with telecom and mobile internet partners to migrate wireless technologies, deepened partnerships with leading Chinese corporations across industries from mobile to industrial to automotive and drove technology innovation together with a broad array of ecosystem partners in China. Prior to Qualcomm, he spent five years at McKinsey as a leader in their tech practice, based in the US.
Dr. HOU grew up in Shenyang, China, and received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Peking University and a PhD. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He lives in Beijing with his wife, son and daughter. He loves running marathons, hiking, and fishing.
Dr. Shameen Prashantham
Professor of International Business and Strategy, Associate Dean and MBA Director, CEIBS
Author of Gorillas Can Dance: Lessons from Microsoft and Other Corporations on Partnering with Startups
Dr. Shameen Prashantham is a Professor of International Business and Strategy at CEIBS. Prior to joining CEIBS, he worked at Nottingham University Business School China from 2011 to 2015 as an Associate Professor in International Business & Strategy. Before joining NUBS China, Dr. Prashantham spent a decade in Scotland, as a doctoral and post-doctoral researcher at Strathclyde University and then as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in International Business & Strategy at Glasgow University.
His research and teaching interests relate to international entrepreneurship and strategy. His research focuses on new venture internationalisation – in particular, how start-ups “dance with gorillas” (i.e. partner with large multinationals as a means to improve their prospects of innovation and international expansion). He also has interests in strategy-as-practice. His work, undertaken in China, India, the UK and US, has been published in the California Management Review, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies and Organization Studies, amongst other outlets. His is also the author of Born Globals, Networks and the Large Multinational Enterprise: Insights from Bangalore and Beyond (London, Routledge, 2015).
Date: December 16, 2021
Time: 18:30-20:00
Language: English
Venue: Offline (AC2-104) and online (livestreamed via Zoom)
Note: Limited offline seating is open for CEIBS alumni and current students. Please select ‘offline participation’ in the registration link below if you qualify.
Agenda:
18:30-18:45 Keynote speech by Dr. Shameen Prashantham, Professor of International Business and Strategy, Associate Dean and MBA Director at CEIBS - Offline
18:45-19:30 Panel dialogue between Dr. Shameen Prashantham and Dr. HOU Yang, Chairman and CEO, Greater China Region at Microsoft - Joining virtually
19:30-20:00 Q&A session
Contact: Please RSVP via the link below or contact Ms. Joey JIN at jjoey@ceibs.edu or +86-21-2890-5441.
