In conjunction with the 5th anniversary celebration of International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) Program, the Global Business Forum and Spring Dinner 2015 was held on 1 March in Regal Kowloon Hotel and attended by over 130 guests and students. Quoted from Dr. John Lai, Program Director, “The global marketplace is getting more competitive where innovation has become a buzzword and is reshaping the world of work. The success of an organization will depend on its ability to out-innovate its competitors, increase its market, grow and survive. In preparing our students as global employees, it is of imperative importance to concoct our young talents to be champion of innovation and acquire the ability to solve problems and deal with a wide spectrum of unstructured issues that require unstructured or novel solutions.”
The event kicked off on a bright Sunday morning. Students were all energized and ready for an exchange of intellectual creativity and successful industry leadership under the theme "Innovation in Turbulent Times". Professor Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, and Professor Kalok Chan, Dean of CUHK Business School, welcomed the attending faculty members, alumni, current students, exchange students and prospective students.
The featured keynote speaker was The Honourable John C Tsang, GBM, JP, Financial Secretary, The Government of the Hong Kong SAR. Mr. Tsang shared with us his thoughts on the development of the Hong Kong economy, especially through innovative and creative powers. One key takeaway for our future business leaders? Dare to fail forward, be committed to your own thoughts and passion in moulding your future. "Future is something you make, not something you find." The full speech is available at the CUHK Business School website at http://www.bschool.cuhk.edu.hk/index.php/newsroom/press-release/2291-innovation-in-turbulent-times-discussed-at-cuhk-business-school-s-global-business-forum-2015.
Other distinguishes speakers included senior executives from banking, consulting and other leading businesses. Mrs. Christine Ip, Managing Director and CEO Hong Kong of United Overseas Bank Limited, shared on “Innovation – what has it got to do with your career?”. Mr. David Lee, Partner and Managing Director of The Boston Consulting Group, shared on “Be innovative – you need that in this fast changing world”. Mr. George Hongchoy, Executive Director and CEO of The Link Management Limited, shared on “The Link REIT’s Innovation in Turbulent Times”. Mr. Harry O’Neill, Managing Partner, Head of Financial Services Practice, APAC & Middle East, and Head of CEO & Board Practice, Hong Kong of Heidrick & Struggles, shared on “How Financial Services Companies Stay Competitive amid Turbulence”. With such a wide array of speakers offering many different perspectives on what innovation actually is, attendants were inspired on how it can be used to excel personally and professionally.
We were very honored to have Dr. Richard Vuylsteke, President of The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, being the Keynote Speaker of the Spring Dinner and shared on “Under-rated Creativity”. The subsequent sessions were full of joy and laughter. On top of the palatable meals, there were also music, drama, and dance performances given by local Year 1 IBCE and GBS students, as well as exchange students from Copenhagen Business School (CBS), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and University of South Carolina (USC). Not only do IBCE students work hard, but they play hard too. Exhibiting the energy and enthusiasm that defines them, everyone was having great fun and the spirit was high.