On March 11, the Fudan University EMBA First Lecture of the New Year and 2026 Program Launch Event was held at the Zhengli Campus of School of Management at Fudan University. Facing the changing times and industrial innovation, the Fudan University EMBA Program is comprehensively upgrading its education model. Through program introductions and admissions overview, alumni sharing, and the first lecture of the new year, this event deeply explored entrepreneurship and the essence of business in the AI era, helping entrepreneurs adapt to the development needs of the new era and forge core competitiveness in a rapidly changing environment.

The 2026 Program Fully Upgraded: Humanities X Sci-Tech Innovation X Internationalization

Currently, the international geopolitical landscape is undergoing profound evolution, AI technology has entered an explosive period of commercialization, and the grand blueprint of the national "15th Five-Year Plan is steadily advanced. The growth and development of entrepreneurs face new propositions of the era. Always guided by the needs of the times, the Fudan University EMBA Program will integrate and upgrade its three core pillars: humanities, sci-tech innovation, and internationalization in 2026. This aims to build a newly integrated talent development framework, guiding students to move beyond traditional competitive paradigms to a comprehensive cognitive system integrating humanistic spirit, technological insight, and a global vision, thereby responding to complex business challenges from a multidimensional and integrated perspective.

Professor Ming Zheng, Associate Dean of School of Management at Fudan University and Director of the Fudan University EMBA Program, pointed out: "This upgrade is not a separate enhancement of humanities, sci-tech innovation, and internationalization, but a dimensional elevation of value through multi-dimensional cross-integration."

Relying on Fudan University's profound humanistic heritage, a strong global orientation, and leading sci-tech innovation layout, this comprehensive cultivation system will be implemented through a "five-dimensional learning framework." It vividly interprets the core philosophy of "Humanism in Business, Integration and Mastery" that the Fudan University EMBA Program has adhered to since its inception.

Two Generations of Alumni Talk about Practical Work, Interpreting the Responsibility of Entrepreneurs

The Fudan University EMBA Program always moves forward with the times and aligns with the nation. The practical work of generations of alumni to rejuvenate the country is the best testament to business education's talent cultivation. On the same day, two EMBA alumni deeply engaged in different sectors shared their stories of grasping the opportunities of the times and aligning corporate operations with national strategies.

Qijing Xiao, Secretary of the Party Committee and Overseas Executive Director of Holley Group, and an alumnus of the Fudan University EMBA Program, as a representative of the post-60s entrepreneurs, first shared the imprint of the era on his generation: "'Solid work rejuvenates the nation' is a mission carved in the bones of our generation of entrepreneurs." It was this original aspiration that led him to pioneer overseas expansion more than 20 years ago when most enterprises focused on the domestic market, firmly resolved to "bring Chinese industries to the world."

Facing the current challenges of complex geopolitics and intensified trade barriers, drawing on Holley Group's practical experience of deep cultivation in Southeast Asia, he pointed out that the core direction for enterprises going global lies in "expanding overseas collectively, developing synergistically, and building localized operational capabilities with long-termism." Looking back at his learning experience in the Fudan University EMBA Program, he said that years after graduation, what remains is a profound insight into the essence of business and the strategic resolve of long-termism: "This educational experience at the Fudan University EMBA Program has always been our 'confidence' when facing changing circumstances at different stages."

Minna Wang, a representative of post-80s entrepreneurs, Chairwoman of Hangzhou Chaoteng Energy Technology Co., Ltd., and a student of the Fudan University EMBA Program, has been focusing on the "Dual Carbon" sector. She stated that she grew up in an era of rapid economic development in China, an explosion of sci-tech innovation, and the rise of green concepts. Her mission is precisely to "use the power of sci-tech innovation to address the pain points of the times and practice national strategies."

As one of the "Five Little Phoenixes" of Hangzhou, she frankly admitted that the development of her enterprise is deeply bound to the national green development strategy. The corporate value is continuously enhanced in the process of practicing national strategies, which is the responsibility and commitment of the new generation of sci-tech innovation entrepreneurs. Speaking of her studies at the Fudan University EMBA Program, she said emotionally: "Studying at the Fudan University EMBA Program has been a highly rewarding experience. I not only gained a systematic management knowledge framework but also found like-minded partners. These friendships will become precious wealth for the future development of the enterprise."

The First Lecture of the New Year: Deeply Analyzing the Essence of Business in the AI Era and the Mission of Management Education

In the finale of the event, Dean Xiongwen Lu of School of Management at Fudan University delivered the "First Lecture of the New Year," which lasted for an hour, titled "The Essence of Business in the AI Era: On Entrepreneurship and the Mission of Fudan Management Education."

Dean Xiongwen Lu pointed out that AI is reconstructing the underlying logic and management paradigm of business, but bottlenecks still exist in the large-scale application of enterprises. Management and technology are dual-driven wheels; the core bottleneck in the implementation of sci-tech innovation lies in the limitations in management capabilities. There is a need to abandon technology worship and management nihilism.

He emphasized that management education in the AI era needs to integrate diverse knowledge such as history, culture, and philosophy, cultivating entrepreneurs' systematic thinking and continuous learning capabilities. Corporate development must balance technological research and development with the construction of an operational structure, and more importantly, establish a win-win mechanism and fulfill social responsibilities. Only when the dual engines of sci-tech innovation and management operate concurrently will underpin the sustainable development of China's economy.

Professor Rong Huang, Assistant Dean of School of Management at Fudan University and Instructing Professor of the Fudan University EMBA Program, served as the host of the event.