Transform to Lead｜BI-Fudan MBA Class 43 Opening Ceremony

Among the guests attending the ceremony were Mr. Henrik Nykvist, Counsellor for Science and Education at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing; Ms. Frida Kracht Ur, Consul at the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai; Mr. Bård Bjerken, Chair of the Board of the Norwegian Business Association in China; Professor Zhang Fuqiang, Dean and Li Dasan Chair Professor of the School of Management, Fudan University; Professor Mei Yongfeng, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Fudan University; Ms. Wang Ying, Deputy Director of the Office of Global Partnerships, Fudan University; Professor Bendik Samuelsen, Provost of BI Norwegian Business School; Mr. Marius Eriksen, Executive Vice President of BI Norwegian Business School; Mr. Anders Meldalen, Executive Vice President of BI Norwegian Business School; and Professor Lars Olsen, Academic Portfolio Director Executive of BI Norwegian Business School. They were joined by faculty members and student representatives from both schools, and the new students of Class 43. The ceremony was hosted by Dr. Qiu Lijin, Director of the BI-Fudan MBA Program.

In 1996, with the joint support of the governments of China and Norway, Fudan University School of Management and BI Norwegian Business School co-founded the BI-Fudan MBA Program, one of the first Sino-foreign joint master's programs approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council of China. Over the past three decades, guided by the philosophy of “The Best of Both,” the program has combined the European tradition of management education with China's economic and business practices, cultivating more than 3,000 business leaders with a global vision and serving as an important bridge for business, educational and cultural exchange between China and Norway. In the 2026 Financial Times Global EMBA Ranking, the program ranked 31st worldwide, second globally in salary increase, and its international faculty ratio has ranked No. 1 among part-time MBA programs for eight consecutive years.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Dr. Qiu Lijin, Director of the BI-Fudan MBA Program, painted a profile of Class 43 with three keywords. The first is “Local Roots & Global Expansion”: 65% of the students come from domestic companies, while 56% work for companies whose business has expanded beyond the Chinese mainland — a vivid microcosm of Chinese companies' “going global” strategy. The second is “Powered by Science and Technology Innovation”: the students come from a diverse range of industries, with 26% from companies listed or preparing to list on the STAR Market, standing at the forefront of China's wave of technological innovation. The third is “Senior Leadership”: nearly 50% of the students hold positions at Director level or above, and more than one-third are CEOs or General Managers — hands-on leaders who are already steering core business decisions in their organizations.

Dr. Qiu Lijin, Director of the BI-Fudan MBA Program

In her address, Ms. Frida Kracht Ur, Consul at the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Shanghai, shared the Norwegian management model, characterized by a high level of trust, flat organizational structures, and employee autonomy. She encouraged the students: no management culture is inherently superior to another, and the value of this program lies precisely in creating an arena where Chinese and Norwegian experiences can be examined side by side — “Make the most of this diversity: ask questions, challenge assumptions, learn from your professors, and learn from the classmates beside you.”

On behalf of the Norwegian business community, Mr. Bård Bjerken, Chair of the Board of the Norwegian Business Association in China, welcomed the new students of Class 43 into the Norwegian community in China. He pointed out that the challenges Norwegian companies face when entering China — in business models, management culture, localization, and compliance — form a “mirror image” of the obstacles Chinese companies encounter when expanding overseas, and that this mirror holds enormous potential for mutual learning.

Mr. Bård Bjerken, Chair of the Board of the Norwegian Business Association in China

In his address, Professor Zhang Fuqiang, Dean and Li Dasan Chair Professor of the School of Management, Fudan University, reflected that just three weeks earlier he had witnessed the graduation of Class 41 in Oslo, and today he was welcoming the new students of Class 43 in Shanghai. As one class reaches its destination, another sets off — this, he said, is the finest testament to the vitality of this partnership. “When this program celebrates its 60th anniversary, people will look back at your class as the one that opened the next thirty years.”

Prof. Zhang Fuqiang, Dean and Li Dasan Chair Professor of the School of Management, Fudan University

Professor Mei Yongfeng, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Fudan University, extended his congratulations to the new students on behalf of the Graduate School. He noted that over its thirty years, the BI-Fudan MBA Program has become a model of high-quality international graduate education and an important part of Fudan University's graduate education landscape. He encouraged the students to hold themselves to the highest standards, to strike a sound balance among career, family, and study, and to embrace transformation with courage, growing into leaders for an era of change.

Prof. Mei Yongfeng, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Fudan University

In her address, Ms. Wang Ying, Deputy Director of the Office of Global Partnerships Fudan University, recalled that since the establishment of the Nordic Centre at Fudan University in 1995, Fudan's cooperation with Nordic universities has spanned more than three decades, and the partnership with BI Norwegian Business School stands as one of its most successful examples. She shared her message with the students: “Today, as Chinese companies go global and the world undergoes profound change, the demand for leaders with a global vision and cross-cultural competence has never been more pressing. May this program enable your transformation, and may you lead the future with wisdom and responsibility.”

Ms. Wang Ying, Deputy Director of the Office of Global Partnerships, Fudan University

Professor Lars Olsen, Academic Portfolio Director Executive at BI Norwegian Business School, with the humor of a marketing professor, shared the “Viking Row” — the Norwegian football fans' celebration ritual that swept the world this summer — and used it as a metaphor for the two years ahead of Class 43: “The classmates on your left and right are not competitors; they are your teammates in the same boat. When assignments get tough and deadlines loom, you will need to pull together, rowing in rhythm and in the same direction. Thirty years of partnership have taught us this: as long as we choose to row in the same direction, there is no ocean we cannot cross.”

Prof. Lars Olsen, Academic Portfolio Director Executive, BI Norwegian Business School

Following the addresses, Zhao Rui, class representative of Class 42, shared what he had gained after one year in the program. In his view, the program's most precious value lies in the fact that every individual is unique, and every uniqueness is seen and cherished. He quoted the classical Chinese verse “Why must one be an orchid or a chrysanthemum? All living things flourish in their own delight” (何必兰与菊，生意总欣然) to encourage the new students: there is no need to chase preset benchmarks; hold fast to your inner passion and live with exuberant energy, and professional achievement will naturally follow.

Zhao Rui, Class Representative of Class 42

Li Linzi, student representative of Class 43, holds a PhD in biomedicine and transitioned from a technical support team at a multinational company to an innovative biotechnology company listed on the STAR Market. It was her conviction in the philosophy of “The Best of Both” that led her and her company to choose the BI-Fudan MBA Program. She aspires to integrate Chinese business practice with Western management frameworks and Nordic sustainable leadership, and to systematically strengthen her capabilities in cross-cultural communication, strategic decision-making, and global resource integration.

Li Linzi, Student Representative of Class 43

Empowered at thirty, transforming beyond boundaries. From 1996 to 2026, with thirty years of unwavering commitment, the BI-Fudan MBA Program has continuously empowered management education for a globalized era. Now, standing at the new starting point of the program's 30th anniversary, the students of Class 43 are about to embark on their own journey of transformation. May they, on this stage where Eastern and Western wisdom converge, embrace change and expand their boundaries — and with the courage of transformers and the responsibility of leaders, write the opening chapter of the program's next thirty years: Transform to Lead!