SHANGHAI, Sept. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Crystal Zhao's job is about to get a lot more challenging. Joyson, the company where she works as HR Director, is on a major globalisation push and it will be her job to balance the needs of staff in China, Europe, the US and Mexico while creating synergies through the company's overseas mergers and acquisitions. Meanwhile, Dante Bustos, Marketing Director for Benelli Motorcycle, has to craft a communications plan that will resonate across the 83 countries in which his company does business. Both are looking forward to tapping into the wealth of knowledge possessed by their classmates in the China Europe International Business School's (CEIBS) Global EMBA programme (GEMBA). The latest Shanghai class, which began on September 4, has 59 participants from 16 different countries and they have, on average, 16 years of work experience.
"When we're discussing a case study in class, we can get 16 different views," says Zhao, a Chinese national who opted for the English language taught GEMBA instead of the Chinese language EMBA. "You can get a lot from this kind of study environment, so for me it's a great opportunity!"
Bustos agrees. As a marketing professional, the Argentinian sees his classmates as a gateway to 16 new locations where he can increase awareness of the Benelli brand. He is also looking forward to learning from them. "The CEIBS GEMBA will help me to increase my knowledge about different cultures, to learn how other executives do business in different countries. This is the most interesting aspect of the GEMBA. I came here to learn from both my classmates and the CEIBS professors," he says.
Nearly 20% of the class are entrepreneurs or business owners, a historical high for the programme and evidence of CEIBS' commitment to cultivating innovative and entrepreneurial leaders. This class has also seen a pronounced increase in the ratio of participants working for Chinese private companies.
For years the CEIBS GEMBA has helped foreigners working in China understand the local market and also honed the skills of Chinese working for locally-based multinationals. Now, with its strengthened focus on how business is done globally and electives in major cities around the world, the programme has a lot more to offer busy executives. For Bustos, the GEMBA offers insight into China plus the rest of the world. Meanwhile, Chinese companies that are doing business abroad, or plan to expand their global footprint, see the GEMBA as a vital part of getting their employees ready. As Zhao explains, "Our company is now in the process of internationalization so the staff, including me, needs to have a global mindset." Sharing a 20-month long class where 31% of the senior business executives are foreign nationals should certainly help with that.
About CEIBS Global EMBA
CEIBS Global Executive MBA is a part-time 20-month programme for high-potential upper-level entrepreneurs and executives who are eager to advance their careers by deeply enriching and developing their leadership skills and analytical ability. There is a strong focus on managerial issues, coupled with leadership development and coaching sessions. For the last six years, the Financial Times has ranked the CEIBS GEMBA among the world's best Top 20 programmes. As of 2016, the CEIBS GEMBA also offers a second cohort from the school's Europe Campus in Zurich.
About CEIBS
Headquartered at its largest campus in Shanghai, China Europe International Business School is mainland China's leading business school, with three programmes globally ranked by the Financial Times. CEIBS offers MBA, Finance MBA, Executive MBA, Executive Education and PhD programmes. Established in 1994 as a non-profit joint venture between the Chinese and European governments, CEIBS also has campuses in China's political capital, Beijing, and Zurich in the heart of Europe. CEIBS also offers programmes from its facilities in Shenzhen to China's south and Accra in Ghana.
