November 1, 2019. Singapore – With the support of the CEIBS Career Development Center, the very first CEIBS MBA 2021 Market Exploration Trek took place in Singapore from October 29 to November 1. A total of 15 current MBA students and alumni took part in the trek.

A vibrant and multi-cultural city in the heart of fast-growing South-East Asia, Singapore is a centre of global commerce, as well as a major transportation and financial hub. Numerous global and regional companies have their business headquarters in Singapore and this is one of the reasons why CEIBS continues to organise its Market Exploration Trek to Singapore each year. This year, students visited six companies across various industries, including:

• Mondelez, a multinational confectionary and food holding and spin-off from Kraft, which operates its regional headquarters in Singapore;
• Grab, a regional company operating an “every day, everything” app in South-East Asia providing ride hailing, e-payment, food delivery, and hotel booking services;
• Restaurant Brand International, a Canadian international fast food holding which own brands such as Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes;
• CapitaLand, a regional leader and one of Asia’s largest real estate companies;
• Apple, a multinational technology company with its APAC supply chain hub in Singapore; and,
• DHL Consulting, the global logistics company’s consulting arm.

Sharing sessions with each company were very insightful and in many cases host companies made senior management available to meet with students. This opportunity demonstrates the strong brand name that CEIBS has established in South-East Asia, and provided students with a better understanding of the key challenges that different industries are faced with in the region.

The students were impressed with the global mind-set of these companies based in Singapore, and many showed interest in working with them in the future. These companies also stood out due to their global business coverage as well as their diverse talent pools. At the same time, they have expressed plans for expansion in China, making them promising options in terms of future opportunities. Numerous HR staff also met with the students and shared information about potential career opportunities, leadership development programmes and tips and suggestions for application procedures.

The students said that it was particularly helpful to meet CEIBS alumni now working at the companies they visited and alumni from both the MBA and EMBA programmes have been helpful in sharing different opportunities with current CEIBS students.

During an alumni networking event in the evening, the students mingled with more Singapore-based CEIBS alumni. By listening to the stories they shared, MBAs gained critical insights into current market trends as well as valuable advice regarding personal career planning and job applications.

Following the Lion City of Singapore, MBA 2021 Market Exploration Treks will be held in India and Dubai in December, and in Denmark, Seattle and Beijing in March 2020.