“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday’s logic.”
PETER DRUCKER
Management Consultant and Author
As disruption in higher education and throughout the world continues, now is the time for leaders and staff from all types of master’s degree programs that serve executives and working professionals to come together and exchange ideas that help strengthen all programs.
To serve that end, EMBAC launched a new professional development offering, the Asia Summit, that took place July 9-10 in Shanghai, thanks to our hosting partner CEIBS.
The summit helped fill an important missing piece, providing a place for all program types to both share and better understand the shifting education landscape. As more business schools address rapidly changing circumstances and diversify their portfolios, it becomes even more vital for programs to unite.
Open to participants from member and non-members schools, the summit offered the opportunity for leaders and staff to discuss key issues, to identify best practices and strategies that benefit all master’s programs for executives and working professionals, and to bolster their professional network.
Relevant content
Asia Summit sessions covered topics that impact programs throughout the region. The program also featured ample time for talking with colleagues by including networking discussion breaks in between sessions. Content examples included the following:
- Trends impacting Asia and beyond
- New competencies and learning approaches to meet marketplace changes
- Key opinion consumers and key opinion leaders as disruptors: Unique marketing practices happening in China
- Branding for the future
- AI and the impact of technology on education
- Challenges in higher education
- And more!
Agenda
The Asia Summit featured the following sessions and speakers.
Wednesday, July 9
8:30am – 9:00am
Registration and Networking Coffee/Tea
9:00am – 9:45am
Program Introduction
President Wang's Welcome
Global View of Executive Degree Education: What’s the Data Say
• President Wang, President, Professor of Management, Hengdian Group Chair in Management, CEIBS
• Michael Desiderio, EMBAC Executive Director
9:45am – 10:15am
Trends impacting Asia and Beyond
• Professor Dominique Turpin, CEIBS European President
10:15am – 10:45am
The Chinese View of the MBA/EMBA Education Market
• Professor Xiongwen Lu, Dean, School of Management, Fudan University
10:45am – 11:15am
Networking Discussion Break and Group Photo
11:15am – 12:30pm
PANEL
Employers shifting expectations for working professional degrees
• Anne Cai, VP, HR and Corporate Communications, MHD China
• Serena Wang, Senior Global Operation Director, Trip.com
• Jeff Zhang, General Manager of New Client Development, Talent Solutions, LinkedIn China
• Li Jingqi, People & Culture Region Lead for APJ & China, Siemens Healthineers HR
Moderator: Dr. Bala Ramasamy, Professor of Economics, Associate Dean; Director of GEMBA Program, CEIBS
2:00pm – 3:15pm
Branding for the Future: Navigating Consumer Polarization, Redefining Strategy
• Professor Yajin Wang, CEIBS Professor of Marketing
3:15pm – 3:45pm
Networking Discussion Break
3:45pm – 5:00pm
PANEL
KoL and KoC as Disruptors – Unique marketing practices happening in China
• Remington Ji, Chief Digital Officer, Ogilvy China
• Dr. Linghui Zhao, Digital Marketing & Social Media Expert, Author
• Zhao Yi, Founder and CEO of Yingxiang Network Technology, Former Member of Xiaohongshu’s Founding Team
Moderator: Dr. Ying Zhao, Managing Editor, WhichMBA.net
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Optional offsite dinner; shuttle departs at 6:00pm
Thursday, July 10
8:45am – 9:00am
Recap of Day 1
Key takeaways from yesterday's sessions and discussions
• Michael Desiderio, EMBAC Executive Director
9:00am – 9:30am
The Future of Executive Education
• Dr. Dipak Chand Jain, President Emeritus, Distinguished Professor of Marketing, CEIBS, Co-Director of CEIBS Social Security and Aging Finance Institute, Co-Chair of Academic Council of CEIBS Social Security and Aging Finance Institute
9:30am – 11:00am
PANEL
Rapid external market changes and impact on program design
• Nicole Ni, Assistant Dean of Research Institute at Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) and Director of the SAIF Finance MBA Program
• Dr. Bo Shao (Paul), Head of Executive Education, Fudan School of Management; Managing Director, Wash U – Fudan EMBA; Director, HK City U – Fudan DBA
• Professor Ma Li, Vice Dean, Guanghua School of Management; Director of EMBA Center; Professor of Department of Organization and Strategic Management
• Tracy Zhang, Deputy Director of the MBA Program at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business
Moderator: Nicole Tee, Director, MBA Programs Office, NUS Business School, National University of Singapore
11:00am – 11:15am
Networking Discussion Break
11:15am – 12:45pm
PANEL
Reconstructing Education in the Age of AI – Disruption, Empowerment, and Transcendence
• Victor Zhang, Co-Founder, VIKID
• Susan Ren, Chief Strategy Officer, Tezign; Vice Chair of CEIBS Tezign AI and Business Innovation Initiative
• Zhang Ying, Founder and CEO, Global EduMind AI
• Tang Qi, Founder, Meipian; AI Companion Robot Entrepreneur; Former Senior Executive at Huawei
Moderator: Catherine Xiang, Head of Marketing & Admissions, NUS Business School EMBA Chinese Program
2:00pm – 3:30pm
PANEL
Executive Leadership Panel, Challenges in Higher Education
• Dr. John A. Quelch, Executive Vice Chancellor, Duke Kunshan University
• Dr. Kai-Lung Hui, Acting Dean and Elman Family Professor of Business, HKUST Business School
• Dr. Joe Cherian, CEO & Dean and Distinguished Professor, Asia School of Business
Moderator: Michael Desiderio, EMBAC Executive Director
3:30pm – 3:45pm
Closing thank you comments and adjourn
*Networking discussion break between sessions
Speaker bios
Deans and faculty. Entrepreneurs. Business leaders. Learn more about Asia Summit speakers and moderators.
