International Forum, Xiamen (IFX)

Venue: Conference Hall, Keli Building, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China

Cambridge University Education Without Borders (CUEWB) will hold International Forum, Xiamen at Xiamen University on Friday, 20 March 2009. Following the success of CUEWB’s International Forum, Beijing, the Forum will provide another opportunity for more than 300 Chinese students and guests to hear five world-class speakers who can give their view of China, and of what it takes for young Chinese people to succeed in today’s globalised world. Furthermore, we are aiming to promote the educational and cultural exchange between China and the UK once again.

Read more for additional information.

"We are indeed very pleased that CUEWB has selected our university as this year's international forum partner after its highly successful forum held in Beijing in 2007. We are expecting the forum to be very well received by our students because of its highly attractive theme, "Success: Vision & Action"... We will be sending more than 300 of our best English-speaking students to the forum as we believe that its speakers would inspire and empower them. Our university will provide the utmost support for this event. We will be conducting massive publicity drives to increase our students' awareness of the programme. Our various departments, including our School of Business and relevant administrative departments, will also be participating actively to ensure its success... We are certain that our students will benefit tremendously from the forum."

- Xiamen University

"They are giving the leaders of tomorrow an opportunity to experience other cultures and to undertake training which will stand them in good stead in their future professional lives."

- Sir Christopher Hum MA, KCMG

The theme of the Forum is "SUCCESS" and consists of two parts:

1. Vision: Creating a powerful vision is one of the most important aspects of success. In this session, our speakers will give the students an overview of China, including its strengths, potential and opportunities, from the speakers’ perspective. They will encourage the students to develop their own vision for their future.
2. Action: A vision is only a dream unless it results in action. This session will encourage students to think big, take active steps, and become successful.

On the day preceding the Forum, CUEWB will organise social activities, local tours, and a dinner for the speakers. In the two days following the Forum, CUEWB will host seminars given by the speakers on technology transfer, business creation, and economic development for specialised audience of around 150 students and invited guests.

1. Prof. Alan Barrell DBA, FRSA (UK)

Prof. Barrell has spent 30 years in senior executive positions in technology-based companies, including chief executive roles at Baxter Healthcare, Domino Printing Sciences and Willett International. Latterly he has spent time at various board positions in early stage companies including chairmanship of the Cambridge Gateway Fund, founder shareholder of Library House Ltd. He is Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Cambridge Entrepreneurship Centre. His work in these areas recently led him to becoming one of the first recipients of The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. Most recently, he has been appointed as International Advisor to Youth Business China (YBC).

2. Prof. Teng-Kee Tan (Singapore)

At the Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Prof. Tan teaches Strategic Marketing, Strategy, and Technology Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the MBA level. He was voted “The Best Marketing Professor of the Year 2001”. His innovative teaching pedagogy has been featured in The Asian Wall Street Journal (October 2001). He is also the founding Director of NTU’s Nanyang Technopreneurship Center, funded by the Economic Development Board of Singapore to promote and nurture technology entrepreneurs. Prof. Tan developed the first Technopreneurship and Innovation Graduate Program (TIP) in the world, a collaboration with the University of Washington, Seattle (UW). He clinched the “Outstanding Teaching Award” in the NTU-UW joint TIP program in 2004 and 2005.

3. Prof. Dingkun Ge (China)

Prof. Ge is Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at CEIBS. Previously he was Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the San Francisco State University. Before his doctoral education, Prof. Ge had gained substantial experience in working for several Fortune 500 U.S. and European multinational companies in China, holding regional and national management positions. He was on the Board of Directors of the Renaissance Center for Entrepreneurship in San Francisco and Chinese Information and Networking Association in Silicon Valley. After returning to China, Prof. Ge serves as the academic advisor to Shanghai Technology Foundation for College Graduates, special advisor to AAMA Angel’s Club and associate director of the CEIBS-Zhanjiang Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

4. Dr. Seena Rejal (Iran, UK)

Dr. Seena Rejal is an analyst and entrepreneur based in London, UK. While at Cambridge University, Seena became intimately involved with entrepreneurship both as an intellectual idea and a way of life. As such, he built on his undergraduate and graduate study in Engineering by helping teach entrepreneurship courses and leading business plan competitions both inside and outside of Cambridge. He was most notably involved with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s $50K competition and was also instrumental in establishing two other competitions in other European countries. Currently, he is putting his study to work by playing key roles in two London-based startup companies. Seena is Chairman of Cambridge Policy Associates, an international technology and industrial policy consultancy.

5. Mr. Rob Valli (USA)

Mr. Valli's professional background and experience dovetails business, higher education, leadership, and service. After two decades of successful investment banking, technology venturing, and entrepreneurial leadership, Mr. Valli joined the Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge. Mr. Valli is President of the Investment Board of Parigi Equity Partners. He has served on the Alumni Board of Directors for The Stanford Graduate School of Business; the CAL, Berkeley, Executive Committee for the HAAS Arena; the Board of Advisors for the Office of Strategic Business Initiatives at the University of Illinois; the Board of Directors for the MIT/Stanford Venture Lab; the Board of Advisors to Taiwan Venture Partners, D & B Venture and Satwik Ventures; as well as, holding a Board seat at AIESEC-US, the largest non-profit international student-run organisation in the world.

The core audience of the Forum will consist of more than 300 students selected from Xiamen University and other universities around Xiamen, China. The audience will also comprise a number of journalists and corporate guests. The student audience of the Forum will be selected with the following criteria, in the order of descending priority:

1. Minimum level of English proficiency: CET Level 6 / IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL PBT-600, CBT-250, or iBT-105
2. Degree level: MBA/PhD/Master/Penultimate or final year undergraduate
3. Work/research experience
4. Leadership in student societies
5. Recognised professional qualifications

The invited guests include:

• Prof. Chongshi Zhu, President of Xiamen University
• Prof. Fangzhao Gu, Vice-President of Xiamen University
• Prof. Yifeng Shen, Dean of School of Management, Xiamen University
• Prof. Xin Zhang, Dean of the School of Economics, Xiamen University
• Prof. Guojin Chen, Assistant Dean of Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics, Xiamen University
• Mr. Binghua Wang, Director of Publicity, Xiamen University
• Mr. Dongwei Lin, Director of Student Affairs, Xiamen University
• Mr. Tongwen Mao, Director of Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Xiamen University
• Mr. Zhonghua Gao, Secretary of Youth League Committee, Xiamen University
• Prof. Xiaofeng Li, Department of Finance, Xiamen University
• Mr. Sani Leino, Project Manager, Helsinki Metropolitan Entrepreneurship Academy, Laurea University of Applied Sciences
• Mr. Valtteri Iivanainen, Operating Chair, Beyond the Dawn of Innovation (BDI) Conference, Laurea University
• Ms. Sophie Guo, Supervisor of International Commerce Department, Long Victory International Convention & Exhibition Co., Ltd.
   

 
For all enquiries regarding the International Forum, Xiamen, please contact us.