October 14, 2023. Shanghai – Amid a shifting landscape of international exchange and cooperation, China is entering a new stage of development that carries with it the potential to shape a promising future. In this context, how can Chinese companies venture into new arenas to foster growth engines? How can multinational companies gain a firm foothold and thrive in the Chinese market?

As a warmup for the 35th International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai (IBLAC) forum, a pre-IBLAC meeting was held at the CEIBS Shanghai Campus which brought together 16 top-level representatives of leading multinational corporations and Chinese emerging industry companies for in-depth discussions on China’s economic engagement with the outside world and global business innovation.

During her welcome speech, CEIBS President Wang Hong noted that as a vital bridge for facilitating economic and cultural exchange between China and Europe, CEIBS was honoured to host the event. Amid global challenges and uncertainty, it is natural and inevitable that we seek to deepen international cooperation while remaining open-minded.

“2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of CEIBS. I hope that today’s forum will renew friendship and facilitate dialogue and cooperation between Chinese and international businesses to jointly promote global prosperity and development,” she added.

The welcome addresses were followed by an engaging round-table discussion led by CEIBS Professor of Entrepreneurial Management Practice Gong Yan, featuring Chairman of the Board of Directors of Roche Group Severin Schwan, Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer, DBS Group CEO Piyush Gupta, United Imaging Group Chairman Xue Min, CanSino Biologic Co-founder, Chairman and CEO Yu Xuefeng, and SenseTime Technology Co-founder Xu Bing.

Together they shared their views on global industry trends, new opportunities in the Chinese market, and new prospects for international cooperation. The panellists also expounded on the topics of globalisation, talent strategies, and corporate governance.

Aside from the plenary session, three breakout sessions were also held on the sidelines of the forum, with panellists sharing their insights on new industrial development, business models, and technological breakthroughs.

Speakers included Kuehne+Nagel CEO Stefan Paul, ZF Group CEO Holger Klein, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Schneider Electric Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman of the Board at ENGIE Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Bekaert Jürgen Tinggren, GCL Energy Technology Executive Director and Co-CEO Lan Tianshi,  Blue Focus CEO Pan Fei, Guazi Founder and CEO and Hike Capital Co-founder Mark Yang, Shanghai Huihe Healthcare Technology CEO and Founder Lin Lin, and Shanghai Quicktron Intelligent Technology Founder Yang Wei.

The event itself highlighted the fact that, over the past 35 years, Shanghai has developed into one of the most dynamic and influential cities in the world, as well as a magnet for talent and organisations from around the globe.

Co-founded by the Chinese government and European Union (EU) in 1994, CEIBS is lauded as “a cradle of excellent executives” and “a role model of EU-China co-operation”. With five campuses across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Zurich in Switzerland, and Accra in Ghana, CEIBS strives to establish itself as not only a leading global business school in China, but also as a vital bridge for facilitating economic and cultural exchange between China and Europe.