IMBA appeals to expat and local executives alike
Print Edition
As an international executive who’s been based in China for a number of years, Pieder Gieriet understands how studying an executive MBA can boost his career opportunities and help keep him competitive in the global jobs market.
Originally from Switzerland but now based in Suzhou, Pieder is studying on the two-year International MBA program for executives at International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU).
Launched in 2014, the part-time program combines rigorous academic modules with a wide range of professional development activities aimed at fostering students’ managerial and leadership capabilities.
Gieriet saw studying on the program as an ideal opportunity to gain a new perspective on his current role as head of finance and controlling at a leading manufacturer of high-performance polymers, as well as to refresh his skills should he look to move on professionally in the future.
“I am deeply involved in my work so I thought I needed to gain some outside views and updated knowledge,” he says. “The IMBA will look good on my CV when it comes the time to move on in my career.”
The program is taught at IBSS and located in the Suzhou Industrial Park, home to more than 130 Fortune 500 companies within a community of some 5,000 Chinese and international enterprises. This makes the city one of the most vibrant centers of business activity worldwide and home to a number of international executives.
For Alex Walschewski, who is originally from Germany but now a manager at global ceramics company CeramTec in Suzhou, studying the part-time program fitted in with his work routine perfectly. Students on the program study part-time in blocks of teaching, usually delivered once a month over a weekend.
“I travel a lot for my job so XJTLU’s location was an important motivating factor for me,” says Walschewski. “The part-time program was also very convenient for me.”
With the support of his employers, Walschewski sees gaining the IMBA as an important step in both his current role and his career more generally.
“Studying this program will be a really huge benefit for my career,” he says. “I came here to China to do something else but then there were some changes in my company and I was given much more responsibility. In order to go to the next step I need the experience from this program.”
“It is important that CeramTec supports our employees in doing international qualifications such as the IMBA as we do not want to loose good young employees like Walschewski,” says Claudia Frank, head of Human Resources Development at CeramTec.
“This international program opens and extends the global thinking of participants. Thanks to Walschewski’s working experience in Suzhou and his participation in this program he will be able to perform further leadership and management activities in any of CeramTec’s worldwide locations. The XJTLU IMBA is a very good program for his further international professional career.”
It’s not just expats based in China who see the benefits of this internationally-focussed program. Chinese executives also see it as an opportunity to broaden their horizons and gain vital international experience.
Current student Mao Jianyuan, a financial controller at a major international company that designs and manufactures high-performance plastic netting, believes the program, combined with Suzhou’s unique environment, is an excellent base for gaining international experience.
“We have many professors from different international backgrounds, which give this university an international view and a unique outlook from a business point of view,” he says.
“The program’s flexibility and diversity make it a perfect fit for managers from international and domestic companies as well as those in the public sector,” says Roberto Donà, professor of practice and director of MBA programs at IBSS. “It is designed for professionals who want to enhance their career and acquire more managerial tools.”
The program is divided into four quarters, with core modules integrating key themes concerning management and leadership in an international context. These modules are accompanied by ongoing career development and leadership activities.
The international focus is an important element of the IMBA and it’s not just students based in China who take advantage of the program’s global opportunities.
General manager Charlie Harte was able to visit XJTLU on a weeklong exchange that allows students from three academic partners, the University of Toronto, Tel-Aviv University and Bocconi University, to visit XJTLU and attend classes. In exchange, XJTLU IMBA students have opportunities to go to these universities for international field trips.
Charlie was the first student from the University of Toronto to visit XJTLU, wanting the chance to experience China and to understand the potential opportunities for his company.
“The (visit to XJTLU) allowed me to expand my network outside of my regular channels,” he says.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
