CEIBS Insights | The 3rd US Forum - Boston

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

CEIBS Insights | The 3rd US Forum - Boston

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Digital Innovation: Establishing New Frontiers for the Global Economy

The digital economy is boosting productivity and propelling change in retail worldwide. The ‘New Retail’ model promises to offer a ‘one-stop lifestyle community’ that integrates various products and services to meet diverse consumer needs. To remain competitive, US and Chinese online businesses must rely on a process of constant micro-innovation to upgrade their infrastructure and identify and fix user ‘pain points.’

At the same time, the digital revolution is dramatically reshaping the fintech sector, including the emergence of mobile payment, a key ingredient in the ‘New Retail’ model. By opening up new, innovative retail possibilities, mobile payment has given traditional retail a new lease of life. Meanwhile, a rising tide of fintech products, such as internet finance, online crowdfunding, and robo-advisors, now faces stiff competition as the traditional financial industry undergoes a much-needed reshuffle.

So, how can retail and fintech firms improve products to enhance our lives? How can US and Chinese businesses capitalise on domestic retail and fintech trends to reap the rewards of technological progress? These questions and more will be up for discussion on May 15 at the CEIBS Insights Forum in Boston co-hosted by CEIBS and Z-Park Innovation Centre at Boston. The event will bring together scholars and entrepreneurs from China and the US to share industry best practices and promote ‘coopetition,’ enabling companies to break new ground in the digital economy era.

PROGRAMME

ORGANISERS

VENUE

REGISTRATION

13:00-14:00	Registration
14:00-14:05	Welcome Address Prof. Dipak Jain President (European) and Professor of Marketing, CEIBS Mr. Ming Qiao CEO, Z-Park Innovation Centre at Boston Host: Dr. Snow Zhou Assistant President, CEIBS
14:05-14:45	Keynote Speech I Prof. Max Tegmark Professor of Physics, MIT; President, Future of Life Institute
Panel Discussion I: Creating a New Space in the e-Commerce Market
The world is currently undergoing a fourth industrial revolution. With the rapid advance of new technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, US e-commerce giants such as Amazon will continue to expand vertically, while their Chinese counterparts such as Alibaba and Suning — whose models are driven by mobile payments, big data, and smart logistics — will continue to spread out laterally through their ‘New Retail’ model, reaching into every facet of our lives. With the launch of 5G technology, what could be the next big technological breakthrough from US tech giants? What might be the next foray for Chinese e-commerce companies? How does the focus on user experience in the US intersect with Chinese firms’ focus on retail? These are just a few of the questions that will be explored during this session.
14:45-15:00	Background Introduction Prof. Xiande Zhao Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management, JD.COM Chair in Operations and Supply Chain Management, and Director of CEIBS-GLP Centre of Innovations in Supply Chains and Services, CEIBS
15:00-16:00	Panel Discussion I Moderator: Prof. Xiande Zhao Panelists: Mr. Aravind Cherukuri, Vice President, Ocean Spray International Inc. Mr. James Lin, CEO, UNIS Mr. Jie Tang, General Manager, Suning USA Mr. Rob Weisberg, CEO, Invaluable Mr. Anders Zhang, Co-founder & CEO, Starluxe; Student, CEIBS Entrepreneurial Leadership Camp
16:00-16:20	Coffee Break
16:20-16:50	Keynote Speech II Prof. Kristian J. Hammond Bill and Cathy Osborn Professor of Computer Science, Director of CS Plus X Initiative, and Director of Masters of Science in Artificial Intelligence, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University
Panel Discussion II: Reshaping the Future of Finance Through Innovation
Today, the US still maintains an edge over China when it comes to fintech innovation. US fintech firms draw their strength from low-level innovation, a sound legal framework, and a mature credit rating system. In addition, American users are used to paying for goods and services online, which gives US-based ‘unicorns’ an advantage over their Chinese counterparts. Chinese fintech companies, by contrast, excel at harnessing web technologies to overcome pain points in traditional financial products, and by adapting business models to their local market. Over the past decade, what have US fintech firms done to overhaul traditional financial products? What can we learn from Chinese fintech companies that have tried to use technology to reshape the financial industry? Should fintech companies prudently stick to financial services, or should they shift their focus to new technologies and an improved user experience? These questions and more will be explored during this session.
16:50-17:05	Background Introduction Mr. David A. Coulter Special Limited Partner, Warburg Pincus
17:05-18:05	Panel Discussion II Moderator: Prof. Yan Gong Programme Director of CEIBS Entrepreneurial Leadership Camp, Programme Co-Director of CEIBS Venture Capital Camp, and Professor of Entrepreneurial Management Practice, CEIBS Panelists: Mr. David Fragale, Chief Operating Officer, Arwen Mr. EO Hao, Founder, FutureMoney; Student, CEIBS Entrepreneurial Leadership Camp Mr. Jack Klinck, Managing Partner, Hyperplane Venture Capital Mr. Leo Zhao, Co-founder & Chairman, Mintech; Student, CEIBS Entrepreneurial Leadership Camp
18:05-18:10	Closing Address Prof. Weijiong Zhang Vice President and Co-Dean, CEIBS
18:10-19:30	Networking Cocktail

China Europe International Business School

China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), a joint-venture for management education, was co-founded by the Chinese government and European Union (EU) in 1994, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the EFMD serving as its executive partners. CEIBS has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Accra in Ghana, and Zurich in Switzerland.

As China’s only business school to originate from government-level collaboration, CEIBS is committed to educating responsible leaders versed in “China Depth, Global Breadth” in line with its motto of “Conscientiousness, Innovation and Excellence”. Leaders from the Chinese central government and the EU have respectively lauded CEIBS as “a cradle of excellent executives” and “a role model of EU-China cooperation”.

CEIBS offers MBA, Finance MBA, EMBA, Global EMBA, Hospitality EMBA, Executive Education and PhD programmes. Renowned for its academic rigour, CEIBS is the first business school on the Chinese mainland to have been accredited by both EQUIS and AACSB and the only business school in Asia to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times’ top 5 list of MBA and EMBA programmes.

Z-Park

Z-Park is a professional platform dedicated to providing global acceleration services to local.

innovation and entrepreneurial communities while providing clients with integrated solutions for cross-border development.

Z-Park has established two innovation centres in North America, one in Silicon Valley, CA, and the other in Cambridge, MA. These large comprehensive innovation centres are hubs for technology and business exchanges for enterprises, investors, and entrepreneurs. Aiming to bridge top-tiered resources in the US and China, Z-Park provides dedicated workspace, acceleration, and consulting services to help local companies in the US to engage the Chinese market, as well as help Chinese companies to expand their overseas business in compliance with local laws and regulations.