Yesterday night I was invited to to the Hong Kong Four Seasons Hotel, and talk on the future of the Chinese Auto Industry. This was for the information session of EMBA Global Asia. It is a joined Executive MBA Programme of London Business School, Columbia Business School, and The University of Hong Kong School of Business. Back in 2008, when I was the Programme's Dean in Hong Kong, I already believed that we are creating something exceptional in Business Education: truly global, academically rigorous and a life changing experience far beyond the classroom. And when I met yesterday some of the alumni and prospect students, I was literally blown away. Under the restless effort of many people after my time involved, this has developed into one of the world's strongest Executive MBA-Progammes. It will be interesting where it will be in the rankings, once the time has come. The mother programme, EMBA Global, which is run unitedly by London Business School and Columbia University Business School, has been ranking world's number one in the Financial Times, just when EMBA Global Asia was launched. At that time, we always comforted ourselves that the ranking of the Asia stream will be still years ahead. But soon this time has come. And I am very confident, that the quality will be recognized also in the rankings.
Teaching my MBA Elective at HKU is great fun. It is a very nice class of smart and engaged students. Even the course covers the whole Saturday and is quite intense, a critical mass stays switched on all day. Given that some of them have a full time job aside, I really respect this level of energy. The Friday before, we had an excellent dinner with Maurice Tse, Sachin Tipnis and Josephine Chan. Under the leadership Dean Eric Chan, their team has built up the MBA Programme of the University of Hong Kong to the level that it was recently ranked Best Programme in Asia by The Economist. Given the intense competition in the region, this is really an outstanding achievement. I know this from my own previous experience with launching the EMBA Global Asia here in Hong Kong University. It is tough. So congratulations. Even rankings are not the only thing to look at, they do reflect the quality of delivery and design of educational programs, and last but not least the standard of students. And this time they are really good. Nice to be back to the classroom.
Getting ready for the next lecture on Sunday
Yesterday was their day. The first 14 students of the Tongji-Mannheim EMBA graduated, and proudly received their degrees handed over by the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany and high ranking faculty of Tongi and Mannheim University. Now our young programme has the first alumni. And this core is going to grow quickly. I have been with this programme from its moment of birth until the first Commencement now and it became an initiative close to my heart, but empowered by the brain. We are getting quite some recognition now, not just on a University level, but also by major corporations. As a very unique alternative to "American Style" EMBAs we have even been covered on a channel of the Chinese Central Television yesterday. It is a diverse and academically rigorous English taught programme made and delivered in Germany and China. It was often described yesterday as a bridge connecting the two economic epicenters in Asia and Europe. But it is of course not about Nations, but about minds and people coming together. My congratulations to the graduates, all the best to the current students, welcome to the newly enrolled participants and thanks to all those who made this happen and support it. I am personally looking forward to contribute on the academic and management side, as much as my schedule allows it. Our "alumni management system", might be simple so far, but it is effective: for example you can just give me a call.
When I left the Blacks College Guesthouse today, this was not only a farewell to this peaceful habitat for visiting academics. It was also not only the end of my summer lectures in Hong Kong. It was the end of being a Professor for five years - a time in which I have taught over 3000 students, executives, government officials and managers. Yes, I taught a lot. But I learned even more. This was a time in which I had the freedom to choose any perspective on any topic and explore it. Education is a lifestyle and I had the privilege to have a five year break from the corporate world, generously supported by the Volkswagen AG, which I will join again in December.
The list of people I want to thank is long. But it clearly starts with those who made it possible at all, that this experiment could be done at all. It was Professor KC Chan, the former Dean of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School and now Treasurer of The Government of Hong Kong, who replied by e-mail on his Blackberry and invited me over. It were Professor Steve DeKrey, the Senior Associate Dean, and Chris Tsang, the Diector of the MBA Programme, who pushed for practitioners in Business Education. Professor Gary Biddle, the former Dean of The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Business and Economics, who entrusted me the launch of EMBA Global Asia with London Business School and Columbia University Business School. Professor Chris Chan, the former Dean and Director of the HKU MBA Programme and now Dean of the Cornell University Hospitality School in Singapore, helped with advise and shared his experience how to run a programme during this time. Sachin Tipnis, the current Executive Director of the HKU MBA, I wish all the best for running and contiunue building the programme. Thanks also for the support of Dean Eric Cheung and Professor Amy Lau, the Director of the School of Business, and Professor Mervyn Peart, the former Head of the Geography Department. Thanks also to my colleagues for sharing whit and wisdom, the aministative staff for making possible things first impossible and then possible again. Last but not least, I thank the students for not choosing the easy way and for making my experience in and beyond the classroom a very memorable one.
Sometimes I am asked whether it was "worth it". Well, when I leave now, I do it with a better understanding of the world we live in. I have seen countries, people and ideas which I would not have seen otherwise. I built friendship with people I would have never met. Whether this is worth it, everybody has to answer for himself. For me it was and always will be.
