The New Spring Will Give Back What Winter Took from You
A new year begins. Throughout the seasons, the Presidents’ quarterly letter has brought us together. Of all the letters, the annual New Year’s message is undoubtedly the most anticipated. It looks back on our journey over the past year and contains the Presidents’ high hopes and best wishes. This year, in addition to a letter, the Presidents have also shared a special video message from Shanghai and Chicago. Let us once again revisit the most memorable moments from 2020 and set out for 2021 with gratitude and joy!
Dear CEIBS Community,
Happy New Year!
According to the law of nature, the four seasons follow their courses. Waking up to the first rays of morning sunshine in the New Year, we bid farewell to 2020 and usher in 2021. For CEIBS, 2020 was a year of bitter-sweet memories, challenges and extraordinary achievements. Amidst tremendous change, the CEIBS community lived up to its responsibility to chart its course with creativity and courage, and wrote another magnificent chapter in the history of the school.
As COVID-19 spread across China, CEIBS alumni stepped up to fight the epidemic. For its heroic efforts, the CEIBS Alumni Association received the Xiang Guang Organizing Committee Award at the 2020 China Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Forum. We are proud of the efforts of our alumni which have benefitted society as a whole.
As the Chinese economy struggled through the pandemic, CEIBS faculty weighed in with a stream of valuable insights to help stimulate economic recovery, and helped enterprises learn from the pandemic. In 2020, CEIBS held more than 500 online learning initiatives in such areas as macroeconomics, cash flow, enterprise risk management, leadership, and new retail, attracting a wide audience.
When global collaboration was urgently needed to revive the world economy, CEIBS made full use of its strengths to host the Europe Forum series online for the first time, attracting over 3,000 participants from all over the world. The series highlighted CEIBS’ expertise in advancing economic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe to help kick-start economic recovery around the world.
CEIBS hosted the Europe Forum series online for the first time
At the same time, we can only marvel at the outpouring of creativity from CEIBS faculty and staff. When face-to-face classes were suspended due to the impact of COVID-19, faculty and staff in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Zurich and Accra campuses pulled together and came up with innovative solutions to ensure students’ learning continued. Notably, 2020 saw the twin-city opening of the MBA2022 programme at our Shanghai and Zurich campuses.
The opening of the MBA2022 programme
What fills us with the greatest pride are several hard-won accolades in 2020. CEIBS was ranked #2 on the FT’s list of top global EMBA programmes and #5 in the world in its list of top MBA programmes. CEIBS faculty topped the Elsevier’s “Most Cited Chinese Researchers” list for the sixth consecutive year in the category of “Business, Management and Accounting”. Three CEIBS alumni appeared on China’s list of top 40 innovators, entrepreneurs and role models during the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, and two alumni won the 2020 National Poverty Alleviation Award. These accolades have given us the confidence to know that whatever adversities and challenges lay in store, as long as we continue to uphold a collective culture and the spirit of “Conscientiousness, Innovation and Excellence”, we will continue to lift CEIBS to new heights.
CEIBS was ranked #2 globally on the FT’s list of top EMBA programmes
Everything which happened at CEIBS in 2020 continues to flash across our minds as if we were watching a slide show. We feel moved, delighted and heartened. We are keenly aware that it was through the concerted efforts of the CEIBS community that we weathered the storm and made huge strides. Though we cannot individually thank everyone for their contributions, we can feel your passion, aspiration for excellence, and sense of solidarity. This spirit spurs us on to forge ahead.
As the world undergoes profound changes unseen in generations, we are formulating a strategic plan for CEIBS in line with China's 14th Five-Year Plan. After many rounds of in-depth discussions with faculty, staff and alumni, CEIBS will shape itself into a leader and pioneer in global management education with a spirit of reform and innovation to maintain its position among top-tier performers worldwide; proactively serve the national strategy and regional development by facilitating the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; harness its resources to build CEIBS into a platform for economic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe; and integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability concepts into its teaching, research and operations in order to evolve into a world-class, widely-respected business school.
Specifically, we will make continuous efforts in the following eight areas:
First, we will break new ground in teaching methods and content to ensure our flagship programmes stay in the top tier of international rankings.
Second, we will build a world-class faculty team and cultivate more globally influential academic leaders.
Third, we will create signature research areas, carry out interdisciplinary research to promote the integration of industries, universities and research institutions, step up the development of a China-themed case library and build a first-class think tank.
Fourth, we will optimize our curriculum to cultivate more internationally-minded talent versed in “China Depth, Global Breadth”.
Fifth, we will commit ourselves to building a platform for communication between China, Europe and the world at large.
Sixth, we will align CEIBS with China's national strategies for the Yangtze River Delta region, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area through the campuses in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen.
Seventh, we will strive to exemplify CSR education by integrating social responsibility and sustainability concepts into our teaching, research and operations.
And, eighth, we will empower our alumni by establishing a win-win alumni ecosystem.
In short, the coming period will mark a critical strategic time for CEIBS to scale new heights through continuous innovation. We will earnestly carry out the measures as stipulated in the CEIBS Strategic Plan so that the school can make further progress and a greater contribution.
The New Year marks the beginning of the new CEIBS Strategic Plan. Keeping in mind our fundamental task and mission, we will continue to nurture more top talent for business development, and provide more impetus for social progress.
As the German poet Christian Johann Heinrich Heine once wrote, “The new spring will give back what winter took from you.” What was gained in 2020 is now a thing of the past. May you have no regrets, and show more courage and strength; and may your hopes and dreams come true in the future! As we head into 2021, let us venture forward together to embrace a bright spring!
CEIBS President CEIBS President (European)
Prof. Wang Hong Prof. Dipak C. Jain
CEIBS Milestones in 2020
CEIBS Insights 6th Europe Forum Series Successfully Concluded
On December 4, the CEIBS Insights 6th Europe Forum series came to a successful end. More than 3,000 people attended the virtual events, which were held online for the first time in the forum’s history in Switzerland, Germany, France and UK.
CEIBS Alumni Association Awarded Xiang Guang Prize
In October, the 2020 CEIBS Corporate Social Responsibility White Paper was awarded the Xiang Guang Prize at the China Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Forum and the CEIBS Alumni Association was awarded the Xiang Guang Organizing Committee Prize.
CEIBS Ranked #2 in the Financial Times’ Global EMBA Ranking
On October 26, the CEIBS Global EMBA programme soared to #2 in the Financial Times’ 2020 ranking of the world’s top 100 EMBA programmes. This was the third consecutive year CEIBS’ Global EMBA appeared in the top five, and marked the highest-ever ranking for a stand-alone EMBA programme in Asia.
CEIBS MBA2020 Career Report Officially Released
On October 20, the CEIBS MBA2020 Career Report was officially released. Despite a challenging global job market due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 92.8% of CEIBS MBA 2020 graduates received at least one job offer within three months following graduation. In addition, the job offer acceptance rate hit 91.4%.
CEIBS Alumni Honoured in Shenzhen
On October 11, the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and Shenzhen Municipal Government held a ceremony to recognize Innovative Entrepreneurs and Pioneer Models for the 40th Anniversary of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. CEIBS alumni Chen Zhilie (EMBA2004), Gao Yunfeng (CEO2010) and Zhao Huizhou (EMBA2009) were among the recipients.
CEIBS Alumni Receive Poverty Alleviation Accolade
On October 16, two CEIBS alumni, Lou Jing (EMBA 2005) and Yao Xiaoqing (CEO Leadership 2013), were awarded the 2020 Special Contribution Prize for National Poverty Alleviation by the State Council Leadership Group for Poverty Alleviation and Development.
CEIBS Team Wins 2020 Gobi Desert Challenge
The fifteenth Gobi Desert Challenge for business schools took place from October 1 to 4. CEIBS EMBA Team A won the event for the first time in eight years, making it the first business school team to have won the challenge five times.
Prof. Wang Hong Appointed as CEIBS President
On September 3, a special faculty and staff meeting was held at CEIBS Shanghai campus. Following a comprehensive process of consideration and selection by the Shanghai Municipal Government, Prof. Wang Hong was officially appointed as new CEIBS President, having been unanimously endorsed for the position by all the members of the school’s Board of Directors.
CEIBS Team Tops Category in EFMD Case Competition
On June 3, 2020, a case developed by Prof. Daniel Han Ming Chng, Dr. Pi Xin and Dr. Zhao Liman won the top prize in the category of Responsible Business in the 2019 EFMD Case Writing Competition.
CEIBS Establishes New Learning Lab
On May 1, the school officially established the CEIBS Service Excellence & Leadership Learning Lab. The centre will integrate research, teaching and best practices to form a thought leadership base in this area, so as to help develop China’s service leadership and to support the future growth of the Chinese economy.
CEIBS Holds Series of Cloud Sharing Activities
Beginning in February, CEIBS launched a series of online events, including the Cloud Sharings, Chief Cloud Forums, VC Seminars, FMBA Professor Speaks, Hé Talks and TEDxCEIBS. Faculty, together with alumni and guests from across a spectrum of industries, shared their insights into trending economic and business topics, offering guidance on business operations amidst the epidemic.
CEIBS Alumni on Forbes China List
On February 12, 12 female CEIBS alumni made the latest list of Forbes China 100 Top Businesswomen.
CEIBS MBA again in the Top 5 in the Financial Times’ MBA Ranking
On January 27, CEIBS retained its #5 spot in the world and #1 spot in Asia in the FT’s 2020 ranking of the world’s top 100 full-time MBA programmes.
A new year, a new life. At this moment of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, CEIBSers all around the world would like to convey good wishes for the new year. Watch the video below to enjoy more warm wishes for the coming year.
