December 20, 2019. Dubai/Bangalore – With the support from CEIBS Career Development Center (CDC), MBA2021 students recently wrapped up market exploration treks to Dubai, UAE, and Bangalore, India. Both the treks also attracted a number of CEIBS alumni.

Dubai: A Fast Developing Middle East Gateway

The Dubai trek offered participants a first-hand look at an international, open and dynamic market with promising career opportunities. Nearly 90% of the population in Dubai is made up of expatriates from nearly 200 countries around the world, and many Chinese companies have expanded to Dubai, looking to gain a competitive advantage in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. As such, it offers yet another stage for CEIBS students to display their talents and pursue their careers.

During the trek, a contingent of CEIBS MBA students, faculty, staff and alumni visited a range of businesses, including Deliveroo, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Richemont, WeWork, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Roland Berger.

Participants experienced the fast-paced and dynamic start-up culture at Deliveroo, and learned how free-zones in Dubai enabled international exchange of labour and capital in DIFC. They listened to the brand stories of Vacheron Constantin and Cartier at Richemont, and discovered WeWork’s unique business model in UAE. At Thermo Fisher Scientific, they visited the life science lab and at Roland Berger, consultants shared with the visitors their insights into the local market.

There was also an opportunity to mingle with local CEIBS alumni from companies like Huawei, OPPO, ByteDance, and Alibaba at a networking event. On the very last day, a culture exploration tour through the desert marked the end of the trek in Dubai.

Bangalore: The Technology Capital of the Indian Market

In India, nine CEIBS MBA students and alumni paid a visit to Bangalore. During the three-day journey, they visited six different enterprises, including Ather Energy, Flipkart, Infosys, HungerBox, Xiaomi India and Xtep India.

Students and alumni talked with the executives and human resources managers at each of the companies, and learned about business and talent development trends in the Indian market, especially in the high-tech sector. They also gained insights into successful cases of Chinese companies doing business in India.

In addition to company visits, participants also organised a local alumni mixer. During the event, alumni exchanged their viewpoints on industry trends, career planning and work experiences.

Next on the agenda, MBA2021 market exploration treks head to Denmark, Seattle and Beijing in March.