September 16, 2018. Shanghai – CEIBS MBA students recently received advice from eight executives in seven different fields as part of the MBA Department Career Development Centre’s (CDC) efforts to prepare them for life after graduation. The event was held on the CEIBS Shanghai Campus. The topics covered included:

Management consultancy

Managing Director of Accenture Greater China John Shen shared his rich experience in management consultancy. He pointed out that strategy is about “focus” and how to maximise a company’s value with limited resources. He emphasised that the basic skills of a consultant are facts-based analysis, logical thinking, strategic thinking, communication, motivating people, and negotiation skills.

Pharmaceutical industry

President of Allergan China White Wang shared his experience from the pharmaceutical industry, having held leadership positions across various multinational pharmaceutical companies. He highlighted the importance of product innovation and customer needs analytics as well as challenges as a result of government regulatory policies.

Investment banking and buyout funds

CEIBS Visiting Professor of Finance, former Managing Director and Head of China Investment Banking at HSBC Bob Yang, together with Liming Huang, a partner at Hillhouse Capital Group, shared their understanding of the investment banking and private equity industries. Yang introduced the historical development of investment banking, including different functions, business units, and talent needs. He pointed out that the essence of investment banking business is service, in which communication is crucial in connecting corporate needs with market demand. Huang then introduced venture capital, growth funds, private equity, initial public offerings (IPOs), and buyout funds. He highlighted some of the talent requirements and job hunting strategies employed by the above-mentioned investment and financing business types at various stages of development.

Internet industry

MBA 2009 alumnus and Deputy General Manager of Tencent Social Advertisement Billy Zhang shared his views on the shifting structure of the internet industry, changes in consumer culture, and the new-era economy. He introduced cloud computing, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, block chain, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), their applications in real life and how to leverage these trends to pursue careers in the internet industry.

B2B marketing

Senior Director of Global Strategy, Innovation & Growth at Honeywell Technology Solutions Doris Du introduced the various different roles available within B2B marketing sectors. She stressed the thinking frameworks and customer needs analysis skills that are important for B2B marketers. Du also shared how upstream and downstream companies interact in the industrial sector and how MBAs should remain mindful of these interactions when applying to marketing positions in the industrial sector.

Security investment

Managing Partner and Founder of Neo-Criterion Capital James Liu introduced the development of foreign-invested funds in China and their corresponding investment strategies. He shared the main customer groups (including pension funds, university foundations, insurance companies, etc.) of foreign-invested funds and their investment needs. Liu also provided suggestions for hard and soft skills for MBA students who want to work for foreign-invested funds.

Private equity investment

Partner of Delta Capital Greg Ye introduced the development of the private equity industry as well as the various types of private equity funds. He shared some recent transactions in the private equity sector, highlighting their impact not only on industry, but also on professionals. He shared his understanding of the inter-dependent relationship between the investor and the investee and pointed out that professionals in the private equity sector should have a proactive attitude and a long-term vision.

The recruitment season for the MBA class of 2019 kicked off in early September. In the following months, the CDC will continue to arrange on-campus activities to facilitate career opportunities for MBAs. Recruiters are welcome to contact the CDC to inquire about recruiting opportunities and collaborations by calling + (86) 21 2890 5142 or by emailing cdc@ceibs.edu.

If you are interested in applying for our MBA programme, please contact us at + (86) 21 2890 5555 or email admissions@ceibs.edu.