CUHK EMBA Ranks 31st in Financial Times Global Executive MBA Ranking 2015

• No. 1 independent EMBA in Greater China again (English-instructed)
• Highest alumni salary among all independent EMBA Programmes in Greater China (English-instructed)

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School Executive MBA has been ranked 31st in the Financial Times Global Executive MBA Ranking 2015. A total of 129 schools took part in this year’s EMBA ranking, which features 100 top business schools. CUHK EMBA has been ranked the top independent English-instructed programme in the Greater China region again this year and has been the highest ranked independent programme in Asia for more than 10 years in previous years.

Among the alumni of all English-instructed independent EMBA programmes in Greater China, CUHK EMBA’s alumni have achieved the highest level of average salary three years after graduation, with an average annual salary of more than HK$2.05 million. The programme’s alumni also achieved a high salary increase rate of 52 percent. Among all independent EMBA programmes in Asia Pacific, CUHK EMBA has achieved the highest score in research publications, international diversity in advisory board and women percentage in student body and advisory board. The programme has also scored high in areas such as students’ pre-EMBA work experience, international diversity in students and faculty.

“We are very pleased to see the good ranking results,” says Prof. Andrew C. F. Chan, Executive MBA Programme Director at CUHK Business School. “We were the first EMBA Programme in Hong Kong, and it is a truly Made-in-Hong Kong product. As always, ranking is not our foremost pursuit. What is important is to maintain our ability of nurturing top-notch management talents to meet the needs of Hong Kong, the mainland and the world. We follow CUHK’s global vision and mission – ‘to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West.’ We have established the ‘six pillars’* (Theories, Practices, Internal Network, External Network, Strategic Perspectives and Social Contribution) as our programme’s core value to enhance the well-being of the business community and society. We’ll keep on being innovative to keep pace with the dynamics of the marketplace.”

CUHK EMBA continues to introduce new course content and bring new learning experiences to the students. To enhance relevancy and practicality for quality teaching, the programme, in collaboration with the business community and Business School faculty members, has developed two case studies entitled “TSL Jewellery: An Innovator Across Generations” and “Hung Fook Tong’s Chinese Herbal Beverage and Food: From Hong Kong to China.” The TSL Jewellery case was eventually published by Ivey Publishing and is also currently available at Harvard Business Publishing website. Annie Yau Tse, Chairman and CEO of Tse Sui Luen, and Ricky Szeto, General Manager of the Hung Fook Tong Group, were also respectively invited to the classroom to share their insights and discuss the real business case of the companies with the students.

Working together with the Institute of Design Knowledge (IDK), a division of Hong Kong Design Centre, the CUHK EMBA programme continues to offer an innovative elective course entitled “Design and Innovation Management” this year. The course aims to offer the opportunity for CUHK EMBA students to appreciate the value of design and innovation in management. It is designed as a platform for students to learn how to be innovative in decision making and to effectively communicate with the stakeholders. A group of designers practitioners arranged by IDK will attend the course so that students can mingle with them and develop possible cooperation with them in future.

CUHK EMBA is also concerned with Greater China and international affairs. It organises regular “EMBA Insights” forums to discuss these issues. Past topics include sky-rocketing oil prices, the global financial tsunami and the Euro Zone challenges. Since 2002, the program has been running the “Talking to CEOs” and “New Thinking in Management” TV/radio programs as well as the “EMBA Forum” series. Distinguished leaders, academics and government officials were invited to these programmes to share their experience and insights with the alumni and students. These programmes have been conducted for more than 700 times over the years. Recently, John R. Slosar, Chairman of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Ltd., talked about the application of creativity in planning strategically. Tony Tai, General Manager of IBM China/Hong Kong Ltd., shared his wisdom on the importance of Big Data analytics and its impact to our society. Francis Lui, Vice Chairman of Galaxy Entertainment Group, shared his insights on the development of the Gaming Industry in Macao. Y. K. Pang, Chief Executive of Hongkong Land Holdings Ltd., delivered a speech on work-life balance as the key factor to success.

To help students develop a global perspective and interact with senior executives in different parts of the world, CUHK EMBA frequently organises overseas study trips. This past summer, CUHK EMBA students visited large corporations such as Volvo Cars, Ericsson, Electrolux and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in Sweden and gained invaluable insights into the Swedish culture with a better understanding of the Swedish mindset: from design thinking to breakthrough innovation. In August 2015, the program’s students completed a five-day intensive program on “Leadership in the 21st Century” in the University of Oxford in the UK.

In 2011, CUHK EMBA for the first time partnered with the EMBA Programmes of Peking University and the National Taiwan University to organise the “Greater China EMBA Elite Study Week.” The partnership programme was the first of its kind in the world. The three universities are taking turns to host a study week in their home regions. This year in June, the programme hosted the study week in Hong Kong, with the theme of “The Value & Contribution of Global Financial Centre: The HK Experience”. Participants visited the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx). The Chairman of HKEx, C. K. Chow, delivered an insightful speech and interacted with participants on a wide range of financial and management topics. CUHK EMBA strategically provided a platform for the three groups of EMBA students in Greater China to interact and develop friendships.

As for the class schedule, Prof. Chan said: “Executives nowadays have to travel frequently to the mainland and overseas or stay abroad for a long period. In order to suit their traveling schedules, our classes are offered on Saturdays and Sundays (two consecutive days) so that students only need to attend class normally once every two to three weeks.”

Read the full Financial Times Global EMBA Ranking 2015 results at: http://goo.gl/FczN6F or click here to download a pdf copy.

More information about the CUHK EMBA programme is available at: www.cuhk.edu.hk/emba or follow the program on Facebook for the latest update: www.facebook.com/CUHK.EMBA.

For Chinese version, please click here.

*Note on the six pillars:

1. Theories which explain and predict phenomena. New courses such as Leadership and Entrepreneurship are offered to nurture top-notch business leaders.
2. Practices as actions for applying theories in different cultures, societies, industries, organisations, teams and individuals.
3. Internal Network among current EMBA participants and alumni through sharing and exchange in courses, group projects, case studies, conferences and social activities.
4. External Network with CEOs, community leaders and executives through different activities including EMBA Insights, forums, seminars, global trips and radio and TV programmes.
5. Ability to identify different strategic perspectives to determine possibilities and priorities before one makes an important decision.
6. Recognition of the importance of social contribution and the devotion of one’s time and energy to creating a better world. The EMBA alumni formed the charitable organisation “Run To Your Home” to help and care for the needy by raising funds through an action of “running to your home.”