By Michael Chiu(GBS, Year 3)
The Global Business Studies (GBS) Program and International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) Program co-organized the first Global Business Forum at Regal Kowloon Hotel on February 22 and 23, 2014. The two-day event was a huge success with over 160 GBS and IBCE local and exchange students, alumni, faculty members and prospective secondary school students taking part.
The key objectives of the forum, according to John Lai, Director of Global Business Programs, are to create opportunities for students to develop professional networks with industry leaders, demonstrate students’ potential and consolidate the skills they mastered to be applied at a variety of firms. Most importantly it is to let our students have fun with alumni in order to reinforce the strong affiliations that already exist within the Global Business Programs family. The two-day event kicked off with the Spring Dinner during which Prof. Joseph Sung, the Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, delivered his opening remarks. The dinner served as a warm up before the subsequent forum. On top of the delectable dishes, there were also music, drama, and dance performances given by students from CUHK, Copenhagen Business School (CBS), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and University of South Carolina (USC) throughout the night. Everyone had great fun and the spirits ran high.
The business forum held the next day was the highlight of the event. Themed “Developing Next- Generation Leaders”, a group of seasoned industry leaders from diverse backgrounds were invited to share their valuable experiences. The speakers and the topics each spoke on are as follow:
Mr. Sherman Chin, Partner, Odgers Berndtson Hong Kong
– Some Thoughts about the World of Work
Ms. Mariko Sanchanta, Asia-Pacific Regional Managing Director, Burson – Marsteller
– Branding and Executive Image
Mr. Michael Fung, CEO and Managing Director, JP Morgan Asia-Pacific Private Banking Division
– The Future of High Finance
Mr. Edwin Wong, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, SSG Capital Management
– Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation
Mr. Joseph Ngai, Managing Partner, McKinsey Hong Kong
– Leadership in Today’s Changing World
Mr. Francis Ngai, Founder and CEO, Social Ventures Hong Kong
– The Possibility of Social Business – A Double Bottomline Approach
Interaction with seasoned leaders from such diverse backgrounds not only helped students uncover serious interests in various industries, it also allowed them to pick up industr y winning capabilities, like skills in personal branding and time management as well as appropriate working attitude, among others. All of these are of utmost importance in order for students to become successful leaders in the future.
