Meet The CEIBS MBA Class Of 2024

AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE ZHU

Poets&Quants asked Michelle Zhu, MBA administration director at CEIBS, to tell us more about the school’s MBA. That conversation follows below.

What are the two most exciting developments at your program in the past year and how will they enrich the MBA experience for current and future MBAs?

Recently we worked closely with our Organizational Behavior department to re-design and re-tool the leadership journey to better equip our graduates to venture, and lead, into a changing world. The experiential elements have been strengthened, and the highlight so far has been our rowing challenge during the induction week. This really puts MBAs’ leadership and team-work abilities under the microscope. After that, we return to the clubhouse to dry off, debrief and reflect on areas for development.

The other exciting development is the return of the student visa after a nearly three-year hiatus. International MBA candidates currently based outside of China can now, once again, apply for a student visa to enter the country and study here at CEIBS. As a school built between China and Europe, this is fantastic news for us and the wider CEIBS community.

If you were giving a campus tour, what is the first place you’d take an MBA applicant? Why is that so important to the MBA experience?

MBA life is busy. There are a lot of early starts and late nights working together on group assignments. As you can imagine, the coffee consumption levels are quite high on campus, so Tim’s Coffee Shop is definitely a popular place. It also has a nice view of our Louvre-inspired CEIBS Pyramid and sits very close to the EMBA and EE classrooms, allowing for lots of informal networking opportunities to take place.

What is the most innovative thing you have introduced into the MBA program in recent years? How has it been a game changer for your program?

The lifeblood of the CEIBS community is our alumni. The connection we share with them is vital for the school to continue to thrive. In order to strengthen these life-long bonds, we have established a series of post-MBA camps. So far, we have a couple scheduled, one exploring win-win partnerships at Anhui’s Yellow Mountain. The other, closer to home in Shanghai, explores digital strategies on the ground at smart companies. Even for our alums who graduated many years ago, these camps offer the opportunity to refresh knowledge, recharge batteries and re-engage with the school.

What have MBAs told you is the most memorable, signature experience they’ve had in your program? Why did it resonate so much with them?

The MBA Student Committee arranges our flagship ‘Shanghai Night’ party each year. Usually, it takes place right after exams so the entire cohort is ready to let their hair down. We dress up in traditional Chinese outfits – think Qipaos and Tang suits – and then take a cruise down the Huangpu River. After dinner and drinks, everyone heads above deck to take selfies together backlit by the lights of the famous bund skyline.

How does the Full-Time MBA program leverage the resources of your local area in particular? How does that create more opportunities for your students?

We are fortunate to have campuses in three of China’s major economic cities, Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen. Location is important as proximity strengthens the links we have with our alumni, hiring companies and mentors. In this sense, the Shanghai campus becomes a hub of activity, strengthening our reputation amongst executives through part-time degree programmes and company sponsored executive education. This in turns makes it easier for us to arrange career treks, job fairs, company-based strategy projects and experiential China modules.

Who is a standout in your faculty or administration – the kind of person who graduates talk about a decade after they leave? How does he or she personify your school culture and the best of your MBA program?

That’s a difficult call, but I would say our Economics Professor Bala Ramasamy. Prof. Bala teaches our core Microeconomics module and really personifies the ‘China Depth & Global Breadth’ flare that our international faculty members have here at CEIBS. Our students and alumni not only remember him for his insights on China and other Asian economies, but also the leadership and moral empowerment camps he runs, and offers as an overseas elective to MBAs, back in his native Malaysia.

What is the most underrated part of your program that you wish students knew more about? How does that make your graduates more valuable to prospective employers?

I would say the leadership journey, just because of how far-reaching and integrated it is into our curriculum. A typical example of this is the mentorship programme. At many schools, you may just see students assigned to one mentor. However, our MBA, students will have access to peer mentors; recent graduates who can share how to make the most of the journey. They also have access to the visiting leader’s programme; whereby students sit down for one-on-one sessions with current and former C-suite mentors. As well as this, students will also have an assigned mentor with them throughout the duration of the programme. Many of these are seasoned alums from our suit of degree programmes.

I haven’t even mentioned the entrepreneurship or faculty mentors yet, but the idea is to give students many opportunities to evaluate and reflect on themselves. Strengthening this is key, not only in building leadership traits, but also in helping students to stand out in the eyes of employers.

Next Page: Profiles of 12 members of the CEIBS MBA Class of 2024