July 11-13, 2019. Singapore – After half a year of elaborate preparations by the CEIBS Alumni Relations Office and CEIBS Alumni Association Singapore Chapter, the 2019 CEIBS Asia Alumni Reunion kicked off in Singapore on July 11. The three-day gathering drew nearly 100 alumni from chapters all over Asia. As part of the CEIBS 25^th Anniversary Celebration, the event aimed to treat alumni to an enjoyable audio-visual feast and an exchange of ideas. The CEIBS Alumni Association Singapore Chapter also held the inauguration ceremony of the 2^nd Council during the reunion and the CEIBS Asia Alumni Union was also established.

Wisdom Sparkles in a Clash of Ideas

On the afternoon of July 11, the CEIBS Asia Alumni Reunion kicked off with a CEIBS Executive Forum. CEIBS Distinguished Professor and former Prime Minister of France Jean-Pierre Raffarin, gave an inspiring keynote address titled, “The Role and Opportunities for Asia in the Global Economic Landscape” to a packed house.

On the morning of July 12, CEIBS President (European) Dipak Jain gave a keynote address titled, “CEIBS’ Future Paths to Globalisation”, in which he argued that business schools worldwide could increase their focus on certain fields or industries by offering more courses in wealth, health, globalisation and technology.

Following Prof. Jain’s keynote address, a panel discussion was moderated by CEIBS Professor of Management Jean Lee. MP of Singapore Mr. Gan Thiam Poh; Mr. Nicholas Ma, CEO of Huawei International; Ms. Cuifeng Lyu (CEIBS EMBA 2008), President of Shanghai Smart Cargo Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Denny Hu (CEIBS EMBA 2015), Senior Finance Manager of Xiaomi India, discussed how Asian companies could stand out in a complicated and ever-changing competitive global landscape.

Sharing Session by Alumni Organisations

The panel discussion was followed by a sharing session by alumni organisations across Asia. Chen Chao (CEIBS EMBA2015), Secretary-General of Singapore Chapter; Chen Meihua (CEIBS EMBA2006), Vice President of Taiwan Chapter; Sam Lee (CEIBS MBA2005), President of South Korea Chapter; Lai Eugene (CEIBS SEPC2011), Vice President of Hong Kong Chapter; Raja Sekhar Upputuri (CEIBS MBA2007), a representative of India Chapter; Cedric Devroye (CEIBS GEMBA2015), President of Shanghai International Alumni Chapter; Tina Walendy (CEIBS EMBA2015), Secretary-General of Shanghai International Alumni Chapter; and Karl Leung (CEIBS MBA2006), President of the Philippines Chapter, introduced the organisational architecture and operations of their respective chapters and brought participants up-to-speed on the economic and cultural development, investment and alumni profile in each of the major Asian countries and regions where CEIBS alumni are chiefly concentrated.

In the evening, the inauguration ceremony of the CEIBS Asia Alumni Union was held in the presence of representatives of seven alumni organisations across Asia. The Union is expected to be increasingly cohesive and influential with the support of CEIBS.

On July 13, the last day of the CEIBS Asia Alumni Reunion, alumni attended lectures on finance and healthcare, played golf, or visited other historical and cultural sites in Singapore. Ultimately, many of the participants said that these events helped them gain a deeper understanding of Singapore and enhanced their interactions with their fellow alumni.