On the afternoon of October 22nd 2011, a signing ceremony between the National School of Development (NSD) at Peking University and Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School (Vlerick) concerning BiMBA (the Beijing International MBA Program) was held in Zhifuxuan at Langrun Garden in Peking University. Present to witness the renewal were a number of VIPs, including Their Royal Highness, TT.RR.HH Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium; Steven Vanackere, Vice-Premier Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; HE Jean-Luc Vanraes, Minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region; Belgian ambassador Mr. and Mrs. Nijs; Dr. Louis Verbeke, Chairman of the Board of Vlerick; Mr. Vlerick, member of the Board of Directors of Vlerick school, and Mrs Vlerick; and the leader of Peking University. Dr. Ho-Mou Wu, Executive Dean of NSD, and Dr. Philippe Haspeslagh, Dean of Vlerick, signed their names jointly on the BiMBA project cooperation agreement and exchanged documents, indicating the continuation and further development of the two business schools in respect of their cooperation regarding the MBA project, which commenced in 2008.
BiMBA was founded in 1998, and in the subsequent decade, through close cooperation with famous American business schools, BiMBA pioneered and established a local Chinese business school with distinct international features. Now, BiMBA has already developed into one of the top international management education programs in China. In 2008, BiMBA has established cooperation with the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School of Belgium, a famous business school in Europe, to accelerate its globalization process. Cooperation with Vlerick enhanced the degree of internationalization of BiMBA on the original basis in various aspects, such as teaching staff, curriculum setup, student composition, and project operation, thereby further enriching the international vision and experience of students and enabling them to successfully compete in the global market.
Successful students of BiMBA receive an MBA degree conferred by the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School. The full-time MBA course of Vlerick was ranked the 10th place in the global ranking conducted by The Economist, an authoritative international newspaper, in 2009. The degree has not only been approved and recognized by the Academic Degree Commission of the State Council, but also received three prestigious international accreditations in the field of business management, namely, AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA.
BiMBA has always been dedicated to the internationalization of its student composition and teaching. Its students are from more than 20 countries and regions all round the world, and the international students of BiMBA have accounted for as high as 40% of the total student body in the last two years. BiMBA pays close attention to the diversification of its student sources, which is shown by such aspects as region, gender, age, personality, education background and occupational experience. Students’ lives and activities are greatly enriched by their various commercial and cultural backgrounds, as well as their experience, which is very beneficial for their MBA learning.
In addition to being committed to internationalization, BiMBA also endeavors to improve development through the teaching of unique courses, such as The West Point Way of Leadership, a Field Study Course on Strategy, and State Management, Most especially, some programs are closely linked with the Chinese economy and institutional environment such as the unique curriculum of the China Macroeconomics course and the seminar on the Governance Environment of Chinese Companies. As a result, BiMBA’s students not only receive an internationalized education but are also giving an understanding of how to adapt to the Chinese economic environment and Chinese enterprise management.
From 2008 to 2011, BiMBA has already nurtured more than 280 MBA graduates through its cooperation with Vlerick, of which, more than one third in the full-time class are foreign students. BiMBA has not only continued its previous sound reputation in domestic MBA education, but has also been leading in the internationalization process.
Of the BiMBA graduates, more than 70% have been employed by multi-national or large-scale Chinese state-owned enterprises in such fields as financial services, medical and health, manufacturing, consumer goods and consulting industries, and more than half have become mid-level managers. With their all-round management ability and outstanding development features, BiMBA graduates have not only gained a sound reputation in relevant enterprises and industries, their own career development has also been considerably enhanced as well.
Liang Liling, a BiMBA graduate in 2010, took a post in CICC, one of the largest investment companies in China. She gained CICC’s recognition and support for her understanding of the macro-economy of China and the financial environment context and has become the Vice President of China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited.
Chen Qiaoqi, a Chinese American and a BiMBA graduate in 2010, joined Standard Chartered Risk Management Team. He indicates that BiMBA's strict academic environment and curriculum setup not only enriched his financial knowledge but also made him experience a multi-cultural atmosphere.
Guan Jian, a BiMBA graduate in 2010, demonstrated excellent performance during his studies. Moreover, he gained considerable improvement in his vision and understanding of management. After graduation, Guan Jian became Assistant to the General Manager of TATA Consultancy Group, a leading global enterprise in the IT outsourcing industry, and gained approval from the President of TATA Group (Chinese Region). At present, Guan Jian has been assigned to the TATA Headquarters, and one year after, will return to China and become a high-management reserve talent to assist the General Manager of TATA Consultancy Group.
Besides those mentioned above, many other BiMBA graduates have also taken important posts in multinational enterprises.
Professor Yang Zhuang, Co-Dean of BiMBA, expressed that it is precisely because of the sound developmental trend of BiMBA in recent years that has enabled the two parties of cooperation, namely National School of Development at Peking University (NSD), and Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School (Vlerick), to decide to continue the cooperation, and carry on further cooperation concerning a number of aspects, such as curriculum, teaching, and career development. He believes that, with continuous deepening of the mutual cooperation and continuous improvement of its internationalization standard, this cooperation will further enlarge the vision of the BiMBA students, expand their space in the economic globalization, and train the first-class management talents for both Chinese and global enterprises.
The Vlerick International Dean to BiMBA, Professor Bruce Stening, stated that the students undertaking the MBA through BiMBA are amongst the best he has taught anywhere in the world. He emphasized that international cooperation of the type that exists between the National School of Development at Peking University and Vlerick was immensely beneficial to both sides, transfer of knowledge flowing in both directions to the mutual benefit of each and, most importantly, for the benefit of BiMBA students.
