The Alliance of Chinese and European Business Schools (ACE) was officially inaugurated in May 2013. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) , a founding member of the Alliance, hosted the 2014 Deans Forum in Hong Kong on 11 to 12 July. As one of the ACE founding members, College of Business, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (COB SUFE) is invited to the forum. Ms. Chen Xi, Director of COB International MBA Program, attended this forum representing our university.

In his address, Professor Edwin Cheng, Dean of PolyU’s Faculty of Business, said it was a good time for the members to sit together again after ACE’s inaugural meeting a year ago. “This is also an ideal opportunity for us to go over with each other what we have done since we first met, to see if we are going in the right direction, to evaluate our progress, to decide on refinements, and to plan for the future.” He added.

Professor Wei Shen, founding co-chair and convenor of the ACE Alliance and Associate Dean of ESSCA’s School of Management, remarked that it was a perfect occasion for members to move forward, to get more involved and realise concrete projects. He said that commitment and input from each member would be valuable at this stage and encouraged participants to voice their comments, obstacles and limitations.

Professor Christian Delporte, Senior Advisor on Business School Services & Quality Services of EFMD, was pleased to see the establishment of ACE which deepens relationships of the 20 member schools and realisation of the Alliance’s mission – excellence in management education. He also commented on benefits of Alliance activities including joint student exchange programmes, collaborative research initiatives and institutional networking.

ACE focuses on academic excellence and the synergy between research and education to better prepare the next generation of executives for future challenges. Deans at the forum reviewed ongoing activities and explored internal governance, cross-school research collaboration, joint academic program, brand identity and future direction. They also agreed to pursue joint projects and set new priorities. Representing our university, Ms. Chen expressed our eager wishes to cooperate with other European members in various ways, including dual degree program, international exchange, summer program, study tour, EDP, and ACE Week, and so on. Ms. Chen also promised to provide full support to the development of ACE from COB SUFE.

During the two days, great achievements on international communication and cooperation with several European universities are gained through Ms. Chen’s unremitting efforts. We also reached preliminary consensus on multiform international cooperation with Rotterdam School of Management of Dutch Erasmus University, MIP - Politecnico di Milano, University of Ljubljanain Slovenia, and Leeds University Business School. All participating universities spoke highly of COB SUFE’s achievements in international communication and exchange, and held a positive attitude towards a further cooperation with our university.

During this forum, a steering committee was set up. Ms. Xue Liping, Associate Dean of COB SUFE was elected as the Treasurer. In the arena provided by ACE, COB SUFE will play a more and more important role in promoting the communication between China and Europe universities.

ACE members attending the Deans Forum

ACE Steering Committee members

COB SUFE International MBA Director Ms. Chen Xi (third from left, for Professor Xue Liping)

* The newly set up steering committee is made up of:

Chairman – Professor Edwin Cheng, Dean of PolyU’s Faculty of Business

Vice Chairman – Professor Andrea Sianesi, Associate Dean for Internationalisation of MIP - Politecnico di Milano

Elected Member – Professor Dan Yang, Vice-President of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics

Treasurer – Ms Xue Liping, Associate Dean of the College of Business, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

Secretary – Dr Alison E. Lloyd, Associate Dean (External Relations and Development) of PolyU’s Faculty of Business

Founding Co – Chair and Convenor of the ACE Alliance – Professor Wei Shen, Associate Dean of ESSCA’s School of Management

EFMD Representative – Professor Christian Delporte, Senior Advisor on Business School Services & Quality Services of EFMD