January 27, 2018. Zurich – The UK, France, Switzerland, Spain and Germany were just some of the countries represented at the first Alumni Europe Chapter Head meeting which took place on the Zurich campus today. The Shanghai-based CEIBS Alumni International Chapter also joined in via Skype, as did The GAA Club. Swiss chocolate and lake views provided a great atmosphere for a day of sharing best practices, idea generation and strategic planning.

The day began with a networking lunch, followed by a tour of the campus. A video welcome message from CEIBS Vice President and  Dean Prof. Ding Yuan, which focused on CEIBS Internationalisation Strategy 2.0 and the important role alumni in Europe will play in this, set the scene for the discussions and brainstorming that followed. Each chapter had an opportunity to share their status and explain their priorities for the coming year. The overall CEIBS strategy in Europe, including 1+1 events, European Forums, Excellence Exchange Programmes and faculty visits, all of which present opportunities for alumni gatherings and activities in Europe, were also discussed.

Chapter representatives brainstormed ideas about the main tasks of a chapter head, a chapter and the alumni relations office, and developed a matrix of ideas about the roles and responsibilities that can help provide guidance on expectations. The day’s discussions will be summarized in a report which will include priorities for the year and recommendations for new initiatives. 

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From left: Johannes Muffler, Germany; Rolf Kessler, The GAA; Frederik Cornu, France (on behalf of Jeremy Rubel); Hannah Saxby, Alumni Relations Manager for Europe; David Vinagre Solans, The UK (on behalf of Gu Xuebin); Niklaus Mueller, Switzerland; Juan Ferrer, Spain (on behalf of Santiago Fernández Suárez); Urs Casagrande, Switzerland.