Meet The China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Class Of 2026 by: Meghan Marrin on January 31, 2025 | 523 Views January 31, 2025 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Members of CEIBS’ MBA Class of 2026 At the same time that China Europe International Business School celebrated its 30th anniversary last fall, it welcomed the MBA Class of 2026, whose members come from all over the world — from Tokyo and Seoul, Berlin and Ghana, Singapore and Bangkok, as well as elsewhere in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. In other words, it’s a class that once again perfectly captures the school’s ethos — blending East and West in business education. CEIBS MBAs – courtesy photo This year’s class brings an array of experiences and interests, from tech, accounting, and finance, business administration, civil engineering, and marketing. Whether it’s through learning Chinese, exploring the latest in AI-driven marketing, studying positive psychology and happiness studies, or any number of other boundary-pushing pursuit, they’re constantly seeking growth and making waves. WHY THEY CHOSE TO PURSUE AN MBA Many MBAs in this year’s class shared their personal growth goals with Poets&Quants: Why they want to become better leaders, bridge cultural gaps, and apply strategic business insights to real-world challenges. “I wanted to make lifelong friends and grow as a manager while learning practical skills to apply in daily management,” Yu Han Lin shares. As CEO of Duo Kuai Hao Sheng Network Technology Co., Lin saw CEIBS as the perfect platform to challenge his ideas and further his leadership skills, while also taking his company’s AI integration strategy to the next level. Having worked for both a family business and in a corporate setting, Sasinipa Laowachara from Bangkok chose CEIBS “to gain a broader view of the business and its strategies, as well as the qualities needed in a leader to effectively guide our business.” For her, now is the time for her to further develop her leadership qualities and to help her succeed in a business related role. As part of her personal growth, Laowachara is also determined to understand more about the Chinese economy and immerse herself in Chinese culture for potential future business opportunities. WHAT WORD SAYS ‘CEIBS’? If this year’s MBAs had to choose one word to describe their business school experience thus far, for Laowachara, it would be “Inclusivity.” CEIBS works hard to cultivate tight-knit relationships among their students, faculty, administration, and professors, and for the students, “There are diverse activities, clubs, and experiences to choose from, allowing us to connect with like-minded individuals and explore our interests. CEIBS always makes me feel welcomed and valued!” Laowachara says. CEIBS courtesy photo Hailing from Japan and holding a degree in economics from Kyoto University, Takahiro Shimada worked as a Business Analyst at McKinsey before starting his MBA journey. When he thinks of CEIBS, the word that comes up for him is “Ranking,” because it captures how CEIBS stands out in the world of MBA schools. Sunjung Lim, a product marketing manager at The Estée Lauder, says she thinks “Acceptance” when she thinks of CEIBS. “This reflects the school’s welcoming environment, where diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and ideas are embraced, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual respect among students and faculty,” she continues. KEY ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM THAT STAND OUT It’s no secret that there are numerous business schools to choose from – so what factors made CEIBS stand out to these MBAs? Lim chose CEIBS because she was attracted to the extensive selection of opportunities the school offered to immerse herself in one of the largest markets in the world – the Chinese market. For her, it’s all in the motto – “China depth, global breadth.” For Kelly Xie from Shanghai, the diverse and talented faculty at CEIBS was the main draw. She appreciated that she would be surrounded by students who all had diverse overseas working experience. “That’s exactly the MBA program I was looking for, which demonstrates a perfect balance between China depth and Global breadth,” she says. CEIBS offers an expansive campus with a multitude of resources, which is part of what drew product manager and Harvey Zhao. Their faculty, TAs, coordinators, and career counselors focus on just over one hundred students. “This level of support contrasts sharply with my undergraduate experience, where I had to book meeting rooms with limited availability, often finding them fully occupied when all teams needed space at once,” he says. MOST ENJOYABLE CLUBS & EXPERIENCES CEIBS has hundreds of clubs, conferences, experiences, and extracurricular activities for students to dabble in during their time in the MBA program. For Zhao, orientation week was one his most memorable experiences so far. “The entire week was fully packed, and I have to commend the team behind it — it was meticulously organized, with every activity being engaging, intellectually stimulating, and keeping us on our toes (which I loved, as I dread boredom).” CEIBS Class of 2026 MBA students – courtesy photo From Berlin, former professional athlete Gero Baltschukat has most enjoyed serving as the Academic & Campus Affairs Chair in the Student Committee. “I enjoy being part of the SC as it gives me even more opportunities to connect with various students but also academic staff at CEIBS.” The Entrepreneurship Club was a standout for Jincai Fan, who says he really has enjoyed engaging with peers who share a passion for building businesses and solving real-world problems. “The club’s activities provide a hands-on opportunity to discuss ideas, collaborate on ventures, and gain mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs,” he says. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOKS & PODCASTS Those looking for good reads related to business and project management, Fan says, should read Measure What Matters, by John Doerr. “The book’s insights into the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework are transformative for anyone looking to align teams and drive measurable outcomes. It has significantly influenced how I manage projects and prioritize goals.” Before coming to CEIBS, Singapore local Ariel Tee read The Shortest History of China by Linda Jaivin. “It’s particularly helpful as a “crash course” into China’s history and how it has evolved into what it is today, as well as providing interesting nuggets about Chinese dynasties and leaders through the years,” she explains. She found learning about China incredibly useful, because it gives her a much deeper overall understanding of their business, economic and political context. Employee well-being advocate Estelle Xu highly recommends the podcast “No Stupid Questions” by Angela Duckworth and Mike Maughan. “I’ve been listening to it for over two years, and it covers a wide range of human-centered topics, from ‘When Do You Become an Adult?’ to ‘Is It Okay to Be an Introvert?’” she shares. Xu says the host brings curiosity and humor to every topic, making complex ideas easy to relate to. For Xu, business isn’t just about the bottom line, but about the people behind it. MOST MEMORABLE LESSONS Of the many things she has learned so far at CEIBS, Xu says in her accounting class she was surprised to learn that much of the crucial information isn’t in the financial statements themselves but in the accompanying notes. “As users of financial statements, we must learn to read beyond the numbers and understand the nuances and choices behind them,” she says. CEIBS campus – courtesy photo On the non-academic side, she wasn’t expecting so many of her classmates to have side jobs or passions beyond their main careers. “They are also entrepreneurs, vloggers, dancers, musicians, artists, or designers,” she says. “This diversity of interests and commitments has been eye-opening and inspiring, showing me the importance of embracing multiple facets of one’s identity,” Xu continues. From Ghana, Kofi Asare-Adjei’s biggest academic takeaway was surrounding the complexity of international trade and its impact on global supply chains. “The case studies have shown me how interconnected global markets are and how businesses must adapt to navigate these complexities,” he says. On a non-academic level, CEIBS has truly opened Asare-Adjei’s eyes to the power of building meaningful connections. “The network here is diverse, and I’m constantly learning from peers with experiences from all over the world,” he says. ADVICE FOR FUTURE MBAs For future MBAs interested in attending CEIBS, Asare-Adjei advises applicants to focus on genuine self-reflection and clarity of their purpose. “Schools want to know not just what you’ve done, but why you’ve done it, and how you will contribute to the program,” he explains. Senior consultant and Yao Wen has a passion for food and travel. She has also demonstrated her capability to lead successful projects under high-pressure conditions. Her advice? Prepare early and aim for good GMAT or GRE scores. “Attend CEIBS events like coffee chats and career workshops, and talk to more alumni about their career goals or challenges,” she says. Wen says this will help applicants better understand why they’re going for their MBA and why they want to attend CEIBS, and it will help the school understand why the applicant would be a great fit for the program. Next page: An interview with Associate Dean and MBA Program Director Lingling Zhang and profiles of 12 CEIBS MBA students. Continue ReadingPage 1 of 2 1 2