The School of Business and Management at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (the HKUST Business School) joined hands with the world’s top alliance of university business schools CEMS1 to hold its first corporate benchmarking conference in Asia. The conference is a highly-regarded forum for top international companies to discuss recruitment and staffing procedures in a neutral environment.
The two-day conference held in Hong Kong on 15 and 16 June 2015 provided participating companies, including ABB, Aon Hewitt, EF Education First, Hilti, LinkedIn, Maersk Line, The Ritz-Carlton, United Overseas Bank, among others, with the opportunity to compare and evaluate methods for attracting and retaining high potential graduates as they enter the workforce.
“This is the first corporate event that CEMS has held in the Asia-Pacific region, and that is a reflection of the growing importance of this part of the world,” said CEMS Secretary-General Ms Nicole de Fontaines. “CEMS sets a global standard in terms of business education, and the demand in Asia for such standards is clear and growing strongly.”
“We provide companies with a unique platform to review and improve human resource best practices through these benchmarking sessions, which feature frank interactions and information sharing between our corporate partners,” she said. “This first benchmarking session in Hong Kong initiates this process in the world’s fastest growing region.”
CEMS has more than 70 corporate sponsors including Facebook, Fung Group, Google, L’Oreal, LVMH, McKinsey, and United Overseas Bank. The alliance plays a crucial bridging role between corporate sponsors and business schools. CEMS’s 29-school academic membership is by invitation only, and its selected institutions are among the best in their regions including such top business schools as the London School of Economics and Political Science and HEC Paris in Europe. HKUST is the only academic member in Hong Kong and the fourth school in Asia-Pacific in the CEMS network.
CEMS collaborates with member schools to offer a one-year Master’s degree program in International Management. Its curriculum is consistent across all 29 members, where students typically spend one semester each at two schools in the network, gaining double recognition on graduation.
This year more than 1,200 students are in the CEMS programs worldwide, and of 72 nationalities. And its Asian component is expected to grow strongly in the year to come in terms of students and corporate partners, in which HKUST can offer a unique fusion of East and West and equip students with business knowledge in Asia and China. The HKUST CEMS program is supported by Singapore-headquartered United Overseas Bank Hong Kong (UOBHK), which has taken on students from the CEMS program for business projects, as a way of assessing potential recruits.
“We believe that with its strong global alliance of academic and corporate partners, CEMS can provide our students with a unique blend of international exposure and professional experience,” said Professor Jitendra V. Singh, Dean of the HKUST Business School and Michael Jebsen Professor of Business. “The CEMS network not only helps prepare our students for an international career, but also enables our School to work closely with corporate partners to organize meaningful events like the corporate benchmarking conference, where a lively platform has been created for 50 career professionals and recruiters around the world to exchange best practices in talent management.”
According to Mr George Tung, UOB’s Alternate Chief Executive Director in Hong Kong, “UOBHK joined CEMS in November last year. The tripartite partnership between UOBHK, HKUST and CEMS not only presents an opportunity to create a bridge between the academic and corporate world, but also reflects our continuing dedication to educating and preparing future generations of global business leaders to enter the increasingly multilingual, multicultural and interconnected business world.”
1 CEMS -The Global Alliance in Management Education or CEMS (formerly known as the Community of European Management Schools and International Companies)
Media Enquiry:
HKUST Business School
John Poon
Manager, Communications & External Affairs
Phone: (852) 3469 2090
Email: johnpoon@ust.hk
