Meet The CEIBS MBA Class of 2017

HIGH PLACEMENT FROM BIG TIME BRANDS SHOULD MAKE 2017 CLASS OPTIMISTIC

8% of the class is composed of entrepreneurs? That was no surprise to Professor Shimin Chen, the MBA Dean. “Not only do our students come from different industries and backgrounds, but they are also becoming more and more entrepreneurial, with a good number having started or wishing to start their own business after graduation.”  In fact,  two of CEIBS’ emerging strengths come in entrepreneurship and sustainability. For example, CEIBS holds an entrepreneurial bootcamp, along with an annual conference devoted to startups. This spring, the school launched an incubator, which is expected to complement the school’s two venture funds, worth a combined $100 million dollars. During the program, students are also required to complete a Responsible Leadership Project, where students balance the ethical, legal, and feasible to establish a values-driven model for making decisions. In addition, the school sponsors an international Being Global Responsible Conference to tackle issues involving social responsibility.

Such events have garnered the program international acclaim, As a result, many students and alumni view a CEIBS MBA as an appreciating asset. Look no further than the 2016 Forbes Business School rankings, where the school ranked fourth among non-U.S. MBA two-year programs. In fact, CEIBS graduates have become especially popular with recruiters, with 92.5% of 2015 graduates accepting offers within three months of graduation. And it’s not just mainland companies doing the hiring, as this year’s consumers of CEIBS talent included household names like Bain & Company, Apple, Microsoft, and McKinsey (with Amazon snagging over five members of the class). And these employers are paying too, with the graduating class enjoying a 128% increase over their pre-MBA earnings. In fact, Forbes’ research shows that 2010 graduates gained $72,000 in pay over five years, with the class’ earning topping out at $129,000 on average last year. And those numbers are only going to increase – a further boon for the Class of 2017.

Obviously, being a two year program – where students can complete an internship over the summer – helps with placement. Not to mention, CEIBS has built an increasingly robust 16,000 member alumni network that resides in 66 countries. Truth be told, the program has a knack for keeping students nearby – even international students. For example, 48.6% of 2015 overseas grads landed jobs in mainland China – with another 37.1% finding work in the Asia-Pacific region. And such a dynamic appealed to Han Jiang, a first year who grew up in the Shandong province, birthplace of Confucius. “For me,” Jiang writes, I wanted to pursue a career in China after graduation and wanted to build my local network with classmates coming from a great variety of industries and functions and know people with a down-to-earth and can-do attitude.”

However, Samwel Odundo, an aspiring entrepreneur from Nairobi, plans to use his experiences to build closer ties between his native land and China. “My interest in CEIBS MBA program was due to the China-Africa connection that the school offers. I foresaw stronger business ties between China and Africa and the need for global trained talent to manage Sino-Africa business relations. I therefore saw CEIBS as a good fit to immerse myself in Chinese culture while embracing a global program.”

A TIME FOR PREPARE FOR COMBAT…OR COLLABORATION?

So what does the Class of 2017 hope to achieve over the next two years? Ekaterina Mishustina, a logistics manager from Moscow, brings a very ambitious agenda. “I want to learn Chinese, expand my network, learn useful information, explore successful leadership ways and grow as leader, get out of my comfort zone every day to be successful, and find happiness at the end of this journey. “

With a similar spirit, Tejung Mudgett is sharpening his elbows to take on all comers. “My ultimate goal is transformation—not only professionally but personally as well. In the crucible of an intensive MBA program you are faced with a tumultuous experience of insane workloads and never ending close-quarters combat with all of your classmates. My aim—and no doubt my school’s as well—is to emerge with a confidence backed by a comprehensive arsenal of skills and friends who are ready to help China take on the world. “

And Jun Yan, already President of the school’s Entrepreneurship Club, comes with the most archetypal of b-school ambitions. “I would like to find business partners and start a venture together.”

To read profiles of incoming CEIBS students – along with their advice on tackling GMAT, applications, and interviews – click on the student links below.

Filipe Castro / Porto, Portugal

Arie Fasman / Tel Aviv, Israel

Leela Greenberg / Boulder, Colorado (USA)

Han Jiang / Qingdao, Shandong

Arpit Mishra / Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Ekaterina Mishustina / Moscow, Russia

Samwel Odundo / Nairobi, Kenya

Oojin Tejung Mudgett / Bronx, New York (USA)

Jun Yan / Huzhou, Zhejiang

Demi Zhao / Shanghai, China