We launched our new English-language WeChat account this year with a mix of inspiring interviews, insightful thought pieces and exciting stories. Now that the calendar is coming to a close, we take a look back at some of the most liked, wowed and shared posts from the year that was 2021.

#Using tech to build a better world

We kicked things off on our new WeChat account with a big interview! As part of our CEIBS Executive Lounge series, Professor of Management Juan Fernandez invited Apple’s Vice President and Managing Director of Greater China Isabel Ge Mahe to join him at our Shanghai campus for a chat on a wide range of topics. Isabel also shared some valuable advice for MBA students from her own transition to leadership, including the role Steve Jobs played in helping her to find her mission in life. Read the highlights from the interviewhere.

#Speaking with one voice

With more than 1,500 members, the CEIBS Alumni International Chapter (CAIC) has been working to build a strong global community since its beginning in 2015. 2021 was another big year for the CAIC as it prepared to elect a new core council in August. In the run-up to the election, we sat down with members of the core council to reflect on some of the chapter’s highlights and achievements. In the first part of our special four-part series, we talked with CAIC President Cedric Devroye (Global EMBA 2015) about reaching out to others, dreaming big and the importance of working together to build a stronger community. Read ithere.

#Keeping a foot in both China and Japan

A Japanese national with long-standing ties to China, Shuko Anzai (Global EMBA 2020) has been instrumental in establishing the China branch of SPEEDA, an offshoot of Uzabase. In early June, we caught up with him to find out more about his CEIBS experience, his thoughts on Japan’s evolving business relationship with China, and his growing status as a social media influencer amongst the Japanese expatriate business community. Read more about Shukohere.

#The MBA alum facing retirement

How much time do you spend thinking about retirement? It’s a question we all increasingly face with age. Whereas some individuals put off planning until tomorrow, Clinton Wong is one such rare individual who thinks about it more than most – every day in fact! The CEIBS MBA 2018 alum has carved out a niche career in the senior living sector across China. Earlier this year, we gave Clinton a call to hear (amongst other things) how a meeting with his presidential namesake set him on a path to pursuing a career with purpose. Read about his storyhere.

#Is now a good time to be an entrepreneur?

Although COVID-19 has made things difficult for many businesses around the world – both big and small – it has also created new opportunities. But, are some businesses better suited to capturing these opportunities than others? Do start-ups, for example, have an advantage when it comes to weathering large-scale crises? And, is now really a good time to be an entrepreneur? In June, CEIBS MBA Programme Director and Professor of International Business & Strategy Shameen Prashantham shared some recent insights from founders and investors in Southeast Asia. Find out morehere.

#CEIBS faculty summer reads

Whether you were looking for a few more books to round out your reading list, hoping to find some inspiration while relaxing by the pool, or just looking to escape into the pages of a fantasy adventure during a low-key staycation, CEIBS faculty had us covered during summer 2021 with a great selection of warm-weather reading recommendations. Check out the full listhere.

#Going global with Chinese enterprises

Interested in career opportunities at Chinese companies going global? A few months back, MBA Admissions invited four MBA graduates working for Chinese companies overseas to join a panel discussion and share their reflections on how they landed their current positions, advice on transitioning from China to the international market, and the role CEIBS played in preparing them for their future careers. Read about their experienceshere.

#Foreign companies in China remain confident

One year on from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, how had China-based enterprises faired? In the first half of 2021, CEIBS Professors Ho-Wei Wu, Bin Xu, Dongsheng Zhou and a team of researchers carried out a survey of more than 1,000 executives, which they published in the China Business Survey Report. Read on for the highlightshere.

#Understanding China, in China

Since coming to China, fellow compatriots and Global EMBA alums Onur Turkmen and Ozan Güven have advanced from operational roles to hold senior executive positions with Turkish multinational Arcelik. In October, they shared how their experiences at CEIBS have overlapped in many interesting and meaningful ways. Read their storyhere.

#CEIBS #2 for second straight year in FT’s EMBA ranking

CEIBS’ status as a world-class business school was underlined in October as our Global EMBA programme placed second in theFinancial Times’2021 EMBA ranking. This was the second consecutive year CEIBS was ranked #2 and the fourth consecutive year it has appeared in the top five. The latest release also made CEIBS’ Global EMBA the top-ranked single-school programme in Asia. The school’s full-time MBA programme is currently ranked #7 in the world and #1 in Asia by the business media outlet. Read morehere.

#Live on air: From CEIBS MBA to Bloomberg TV anchor

TV news production is a tightly run ship. Programmes are planned down to the second as everyone works towards the seamless broadcast of the day’s headlines. In the middle of the action sits the news anchor, the personification of calm. But what happens when a ‘red headline’ drops – that is, when a seismic event on the scale of a global pandemic breaks? Bloomberg TV News Anchor and CEIBS MBA 2008 alum David Ingles connected with MBA Admissions this year to talk about ‘flying blind’ in the moment, MBA expectation management, and which CEIBS professor has the biggest potential for a future on the silver screen. Read ithere.

#News never sleeps: Making the leap from CEIBS to the BBC

Irene Asare is the founder and former CEO of CarvinClay People Development, an HR consultancy firm based in Accra, Ghana. Fresh from graduating alongside her Global EMBA 2018 classmates this past September, Irene recently embarked on another personal and professional adventure as HR Director for BBC News – the division of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for gathering and broadcasting news in the UK and around the world. We caught up with her as she was about to make the leap to get her thoughts on taking up this expansive new role, hear about her time at CEIBS and learn about her unforgettable experience building a new business in the middle of a global pandemic! Read ithere.

#Still single? China’s marketers are out to woo you

Eating for one, living for one, touring for one… with the number of singles in China exceeding 200 million and still going up, a gigantic consumption force has emerged, giving rise to new consumption perspectives and modalities. For this growing segment, an endless stream of activities such as fit-keeping, yoga-doing, touring and cat-raising is enough to make life enjoyable (without getting married). But, what are the deep-seated underlying factors behind this ‘singles boom’? What are the characteristics of the ‘singles economy’ and how can we perceive the hidden business opportunities associated with their lifestyles? Just in time for China’s ‘Singles Day’ shopping event this year, CEIBS Associate Professor of Marketing Wang Yajin took an in-depth look at the rising number of singles and opportunities in the singles economy. Read ithere.

#What killed marriage? China’s divorce rate up is 75% in a decade

See You Again, China’s first divorce reality show, recently caused quite a stir on the airwaves. The popular series featured three couples who have already divorced or intend to do so. While shows such as this may make for great ratings, they also point to a bigger question: Is it time to start worrying about the country’s surging divorce rate? Associate Professor of Management Michael Kwan stirred a lot of in-depth discussion in the CEIBS community with a recent look at why more and more Chinese couples seemed destined for splitsville. Read ithere.

Writer| Michael Thede

Editors| Effy He and Cameron Wilson

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