1996-2016中外合作办学20年

BI-Fudan MBA Class 31 Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony for BI-Fudan MBA Class 31 was successfully held on November 23rd at Fudan University School of Management. A variety of guests attended the ceremony, including officials from the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai, management leaders and professors from BI Norwegian Business School and Fudan University, and the Class 30 student representative of the program.

 

Prof. Xu Huizhong, Executive Director of the BI - Fudan MBA program in Shanghai, opened the ceremony by introducing the MBA Class 31 profile. Class 31 consists of a record with 68 outstanding professionals. They represent both local and international companies, operating in a wide range of industries. Starting with this ceremony, they will complete a two-year journey of learning at the historic campus of Fudan, soon to join the 2,300 BI-Fudan alumni network and elevate their career path to the next level.

Guest speaker was Mr. Peter Li, who is the former GM of the GE Renewable Energy, OnShore Greater China, currently working with the Career Development Office at School of Management, Fudan University as a Senior Consultant. Peter is also the alumni of BI-Fudan CMP 5. He gave an interesting lecture about the importance of business ethics and integrity, emphasizing on the essentials for career advancement: energy, intelligence and integrity. Discussing examples from current events, they actively engaged in his lecture, contributing with ideas regarding the respective subject, giving them a taste of what is to come.

Mr. Peter Li concluded his lecture with quoting Warren Buffet “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if you don’t have the first one, the other two will kill you”.

Welcoming all valuable guests, members of the faculty, and students, Mr. Jacky Hao, Head of BI Liaison Office, China Representative, BI Norwegian Business School started the ceremony by introducing the welcoming speeches. Addressing that the program has a strong belief in helping students to create a meaningful experience for themselves, and it is only a true success if they make an impact and difference in the life of others.

As a previous BI student herself, Consul General of the Royal Norwegian General Consulate in Shanghai, Ms. Kristin Iglum greeted the attendants and congratulated the new students of Class 31. Stating that the academic field has developed into one of the most solid areas of cooperation between Norway and China, she believes the BI-Fudan collaboration is one of the most comprehensive.

“Having the privilege to be able to get to know another culture than your own will give you the opportunity to pick the best of both”, Ms. Kristin Iglum mentioned, referring to the BI-Fudan best of both slogan.

Wishing the students the best of luck, she gives a final advice for their future study, “Talk a lot, so that others can learn from you. Listen, and you will learn from others. Challenge your lecturers and work well with each other.

Prof. Yin Zhiwen, Associate Dean, School of Management, Fudan University, opened his speech by welcoming the new students to the BI-Fudan MBA Program family. He highlights an important event happening 22 years ago, when the BI-Fudan MBA Program was one of the very first joint programs approved by the government, stating that for this reason, the program is of high importance to both the Fudan University and China.

He is proud of representing a high quality program to professional managers. The program placed No.29 in worldwide EMBA ranking by Financial Times and as as No. 3 among global part-time MBA programs.

“You are all qualified to join this program, meaning you have a rich and broad experience in your own area. This program will provide you with both practical analysis and in-depth study of management issues, to improve your strategic thinking capability, and of course cross-culture management ability and also leadership skills.”

Preparing the students for two tough coming years, he encourages the students to challenge professors but not to forget that the professors will also challenge them, reminding them that the MBA is also about connection and learning from each other to become more prepared for the future.

 

Prof. Heidi Wiig, Associate Dean, BI-Fudan MBA, uses a metaphor of climbing a mountain to describe the students path for the next two years. The beginning might seem overwhelming, but the higher you climb this metaphoric mountain of knowledge, the more you will see and the more you will understand. Ensuring that the students has made a smart choice, Prof. Heidi Wiig highlights that the choice of MBA Program with the BI-Fudan collaboration is one of the most important decisions of their life and will affect their future life and career forever.

Student representative of MBA Class 30, Jasmine Yu, shared her experiences and recommendations with the new students. As a student herself she expressed the tough parts of being an MBA student and stressed the importance of being positive and proactive. She encouraged the new students to cooperate with classmates, share knowledge and learn from each other.

Ivana Zhou, student representative of MBA Class 31, spoke to her fellow classmates about embracing changes in life, and make the best out of yourselves. She wishes for all the students to make a commitment to themselves and to each other to achieve another goal in life, completing the MBA Program and embrace new opportunities.

The ceremony ended with Fudan University’s anthem. The new students were asked to take a group photo with all attendants. In the afternoon, Prof. Miha Skerlavaj introduced the famous “Everest Simulation” which was conducted for the students. This is a classic Harvard case that evaluates how teams succeed in reaching Mount Everest in extreme environments. Through the simulation, the students were able to quickly break the ice and get familiar with the MBA program’s teaching method. After a full day of the opening ceremony, Class 31 students proceeded to a 2-day orientation trip in Taicang.

The BI-Fudan MBA Program was set up in 1996 as one of the first joint programs officially approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education. With resource inputs from both Fudan University and BI Norwegian Business School, the mission of the program is to combine “the Best of Both” – the Chinese customer centric adaptability and pragmatism and the Nordic egalitarianism to foster innovation – so students can explore compatibility and capitalize on opportunities. With its quality and influence in education, the program has ranked at No.29 in the EMBA ranking in 2018 by Financial Times.