October 15, 2021. Shanghai – The CEIBS (Switzerland) Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme, a doctoral programme of applied business research that combines rigorous academic education with extensive business practice, welcomed its latest cohort for an official opening ceremony at our Shanghai campus today.

With an average age of 47.9 years, the 41 senior management talents in the cohort have an average of over 24 years of work and 19 years of management experience respectively. 20% of the students hold dual Master’s degrees or higher, and 75.6% serve as President, CEO, or shareholder of a company.

The latest intake of DBA students is drawn from a highly diverse mix of backgrounds, including biomedicine (17%), information technology (17%), manufacturing (17%), energy and chemical (12%), finance and investment (7%), culture and sport (7%), real estate and construction (5%), education (5%), services (5%), catering (2%), warehouse logistics (2%), and wholesale and retail (2%).

During her opening speech, CEIBS President Wang Hong applauded the strategic mindset of DBA students, who are bold enough to return to campus and strive to excel.

“Internationalisation is embedded in the CEIBS DNA, and innovation is who we are. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of CEIBS. I hope that our DBA students can explore the countless possibilities of business practice with Chinese wisdom and an international mindset,” she added.

CEIBS Vice President and Dean Frank Bournois then took to the stage and emphasised the inextricable relationship between leadership and continuous study.

“Through research and from your DBA, you’re going to be able to create a map of something that you explore naturally, and embrace challenges,” Prof. Bournois said, adding that the DBA programme is not an easy course, and that he hoped that the research of every DBA student could contribute positively to society.

In an online video message, CEIBS Distinguished Professor and Former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin highlighted three important capacities needed for leaders to adapt to today’s changing global landscapes, including flexibility and agility, an understanding of the global market and geopolitical power, and a creative mindset to address complex business issues.

CEIBS Associate Dean (Europe) and DBA Programme Director Katherine Xin also joined the opening ceremony and asserted that everyone present was gathered for the DBA programme with the aim of achieving excellence.

“I hope you will cherish the learning journey with CEIBS, keep your noble qualities, be resilient, and make learning the eternal theme of your life,” she said.

CEIBS Honorary Professor in Accounting and Academic Director of the DBA Programme Hwang Yuh-Chang then stated that there’s no better time than now to pursue study at CEIBS, because CEIBSers are determined to challenge, innovate and take risks.

“DBA is a platform for knowledge co-creation, and systematic learning is not just about knowing what you know, it’s more about learning the reason behind it. I hope you’ll be exposed to a fresh experience during the next four years of study and combine research with practises, which is why we designed the DBA programme” Prof. Hwang continued.

As is traditional, student representatives from the current and incoming class also gave speeches at the opening ceremony.

Alibaba Group Honorary Partner and DBA 2021’s Zhang Yu shared insight from her two-year DBA study at CEIBS.

“Over the past 20 years, I've been testing methodologies with my own experience, but I had no idea if they’re right without rigorous research. After two years study in the DBA programme, I realised that knowledge comes from experience, but more rigorous and universal […]. There’s a great chance that we’ll see more dramatic changes than the internet over the next 5 or 10 years, but now standing in the crossroad between business and academia, we have the responsibility to lead all entrepreneurs to explore the future,” she said.

Representing the new cohort, Zhejiang Wolwo Biotech President and DBA 2023’s Chen Yanni also shared some of her expectations for the journey ahead.

“In a world of profound changes, anti-globalization has posed greater challenges for the technological innovation of Chinese companies. With continuous learning in the coming years, I expect to have a clearer understanding of the future development path of businesses and make as many right business decisions as possible in its development course,” she said.