January 26, 2019. Shanghai – CEIBS President (European) and Professor of Marketing Dipak Jain met today with members of the CEIBS Alumni International Chapter (CAIC) at our Shanghai Campus for a presentation on CEIBS: The Global Journey Ahead. The session offered a look at the current environment in business management education as well as a glimpse into Prof. Jain’s vision to work with the rest of the school to take CEIBS to even greater heights in the future as it prepares to celebrate its 25^th anniversary. The event also marked the official start of the second council of the CAIC and served to formally welcome Prof. Jain as the CAIC’s Honorary Advisor.

In opening his talk, Prof. Jain walked participants through a broad history of the evolution of business and the impact recent changes have had on business education. In particular, he highlighted the fact that we now live in a world where the major players in business include not just countries and corporations, but also individuals.

“These citizens are not just profit-centric. They have a purpose and they want to make a difference. They’re not only interested in the success, but also have this feeling of, how can I give back?” he said. “That is the real metric. [As a result,] we really need to think about what business schools should be focusing on.”

As the demand for business education has grown, however, the market has become more competitive and increasingly segmented. This, Prof. Jain noted, has led CEIBS (and other schools) to ask the question, how can a business school really differentiate itself? One way, he explained, is to draw on some of its most important relationships.

“Our biggest strength is [our alumni]. [They] are our brand ambassadors. [Their] success and [their] satisfaction is what drives this school,” he told the audience. “I always say, ‘You’re a student for two years, but an alum for the rest of your life.’ And, it is very important for a business school to be invested in that.”

At the same time, Prof. Jain emphasised the importance of the CEIBS Alumni Association in expanding the school’s presence. He also offered a number of suggestions for ways in which alumni can help the school continue to build a stronger community and establish a broader platform for success.

“What I seek from all of [our alumni] is, first, your views and perspectives. [Second], are connections with the corporate community – especially, if you know people who can contribute to CEIBS, please let us know,” he said. “And, third, of course, if you have friends who are interested in our programmes, do suggest to them to come here.”

In wrapping up the discussion, Prof. Jain stated that the time has come for CEIBS to be a school with a reach which extends beyond China. Finally, he challenged participants to form a vision of what is possible for the future as the school looks ahead to the next 25 years.

“If you believe what we can do with the potential, we can really, really take this institution to greater and greater heights,” he said. “One day we will all be proud to see where it is and [our alumni] will be able to say, ‘At one time I was a student at this school.’”

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