May 21, 2025. Shanghai – CEIBS Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour Mai Ke (Michael) has been named amongst Poets & Quant’s 40 Under 40 MBA Professors for 2025.

The award is presented each year to honour exceptional young faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching, impactful research, and significant contributions to the field of business education around the world.

“I always enjoy seeing students connect theory with practice, challenging conventional thinking, and applying what they’ve learned to solve real-world problems. Their curiosity and drive to make an impact inspire me,” Prof. Mai says in a statement shared with P&Q.

Prof. Mai joined CEIBS in 2024, where he currently teaches Organisational Behaviour on the school’s MBA and EMBA programmes.

Known at the school for the quality of his teaching and his ability to bring complex ideas to life in the classroom, Prof. Mai creates immersive experiences for his students around topics such as leadership, trust, creativity, innovation, and business ethics.

“I like to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment for my students. I always try to bridge the gap between myself and my students, making my classes enjoyable and interactive,” he adds. 

Great teaching does, of course, come with its challenges. “Pushing students to think about the ‘why’ when they’re primarily concerned with ‘how’ is challenging,” he admits. “At the same time, you also need to make the process both enjoyable and inspiring.”

In his research, Prof. Mai is currently exploring how humans and artificial intelligence can collaborate and the impact of AI in workplaces. “AI not only enhances efficiency but also reshapes interpersonal dynamics, requiring organisations to adapt their cultures and redefine roles to maximise the synergy between human intelligence and AI,” he explains.

Prior to joining CEIBS, Prof. Mai served as Assistant Professor of Management at the Graduate School of Business at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul and later the Business School at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in Singapore.

Looking ahead, he envisions that business education in the future will have a much stronger focus on integrating AI and technology into curricula.

 “We need to teach students not only how to embrace new technologies, but also how to critically assess their ethical implications and strategic impact on businesses,” he says.

Founded in 2010, Poets & Quants is widely regarded as one of the world’s top sources for in-depth reports and information on global business schools and MBA education. The 40 Under 40 list is compiled annually from nominations from students, faculty, colleagues, and administrators of business schools around the world.

Past CEIBS recipients of the 40 Under 40 honour include Assistant Professor of Economics Wu Howei, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour Michelle Xue Zheng, Associate Professor of Marketing Hyun Young Park, and Professor of Organisational Behaviour Sebastian Schuh.

For more on Prof. Mai’s teaching and research interests, visit his faculty profile here.