On March 25th, the Signing Ceremony of the Double Master’s Degree Program in Finance (Global Financial Management Track), School of Management, Fudan University (Fudan SoM) - London Business School (LBS) was held at Zhengli Campus, School of Management, Fudan University, marking the third signing ceremony since the collaboration began. The ceremony was attended by Professor Xiongwen Lu, Dean of Fudan SoM; Ms. Ingrid Kwok, Founder of iKwok Fund; Professor Sergei Guriev, Dean of LBS; Ms. Emily Robin, Associate Dean of LBS; Mr. Apurv Bagri, Honorary Chairman of LBS and Director of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited; Mr. Jiang Li, Director-General of the Shanghai Overseas Friendship Association. The signing ceremony was presided over by Mr. Kai Mi, Director of UPEC of Fudan SoM.

Under the joint witness of the guests, as well as the teachers, students and alumni from both sides, Dean Xiongwen Lu and Dean Sergei Guriev signed the cooperation agreement.

The cooperation between Fudan SoM and LBS has spanned a decade, with their joint programs representing a key milestone in educational cooperation between China and the UK. In 2014, the two schools jointly launched the Double Master’s Degree Program in GMiM. In 2020, the program expanded to include Global Financial Management Track (GMIF), which integrated with LBS’s MFA program.

Over the past decade, the cooperation between the two sides has been smoothly proceeding. They have closely coordinated in the enrollment work, continuously optimized the curriculum setting, and enhanced the advantages of employment services. As of 2024, the GMiM program and the GMIF program have altogether enrolled 467 students. The graduates of the programs have gained a good reputation and high recognition in the job market, whose average starting salaries after graduation are at an internationally leading level. These achievements have strengthened the confidence of both sides to continue cooperation.

In 2016, Ms. Ingrid Kwok, Founder of iKwok Fund, established the iKwok Scholarship specifically for the GMiM program to encourage students to dedicate in their studies and aspire to make progress. As of March this year, the scholarship has cumulatively supported 47 students.

Dean Lu stated that today's signing is a highly symbolic milestone. It represents the success of our cooperation over the past decade and marks a new starting point for future collaboration. Through close cooperation with LBS, we will cultivate more globally competitive leaders. The world is currently facing numerous challenges. As business school professors, business leaders, and students, we must always be committed to finding solutions. This is not only an opportunity for us but also our responsibility.

After the signing ceremony, Ms. Ingrid Kwok and Mr. Apurv Bagri had a deep discussion on how to cultivate future leaders and the understanding of business and culture in the context of globalization.

Ms. Ingrid Kwok put forward expectations and encouragement for the younger generation, and particularly emphasized five key words required to become a true leader: Goal, Grind, Good, Great, and Gracious. She believes that “Goal” means clarifying the direction, “Grind” is the inevitable path to achieving the goal, “Good” is about doing the right thing, “Great” means starting from small things and pursuing perfection, and “Gracious” means respecting others and sharing success. She hopes that these key words can help the younger generation make wise and responsible decisions when facing the complex and ever-changing business world.

Mr. Apurv Bagri, from a global perspective, shared his experiences and insights. He emphasized that future leaders need to learn how to address questions, at the same time, sharpen their judgment. The era in which an exact answer could be calculated through teamwork is gone. Nowadays, people can solve mathematical problems, but they cannot make great business decisions relying solely on data and information. Therefore, he encourages students to stay curious, exert their judgment, and make reasonable decisions when faced with data and information.

Dean Sergei Guriev spoke highly of the achievements of the decade-long cooperation with Fudan SoM. He emphasized that business schools bear the heavy responsibility of fostering a new generation of leaders to solve global problems. Business schools are capable of nurturing leaders who possess a global perspective, outstanding capabilities, an innovative spirit, and empathy.

Professor Cheng Zhang, Assistant Dean of Fudan SoM, the director and professor of Department of Information Management and Business Intelligence, and the academic director of the GMiM program, gave a keynote speech on the development of generative artificial intelligence in China. He pointed out that Chinese-native AI technology represented by DeepSeek are gradually narrowing the gap with the international top-level technology and showing remarkable advantages in cost-effectiveness. With the continuous development of AI technology and the reduction of costs, its application scenarios are widely penetrating from the traditional technical fields to the business and daily life, and it is expected to give birth to more innovative business models in the future.

On the evening, the exchange meeting among the faculty, students and alumni between Fudan SoM and LBS, as well as the encounter meeting for the students who won the iKwok Scholarship, was held. In her speech, Ms. Ingrid Kwok praised the excellence and vitality of the young students. She firmly believed that these young students would become future leaders and shoulder the heavy responsibility of promoting social development. She encouraged the young students to be like eagles, bravely spreading their wings and soaring, using their wisdom and courage to explore the unknown and create a brighter future.