On the evening of 19th January 2021, the welcome event for Manchester Global MBA January 2021 intake students was successfully held at the brand new site of the University of Manchester China Centre. 2020 is undoubtedly the perfect interpretation of the VUCA era, what capabilities are required so as to be a qualified future business leader with global perspectives? For sure, these professional elites will find their answers during the study with us.

The students of this intake are from various backgrounds including pharmaceutical, manufacturing, e-commerce, finance, FMCG, oil&gas, construction, information technology, auto, biotechnology, education, consulting and other business areas, with an average working experience of nearly 13 years served in top enterprises, including Unilever, EY, Nestle, Eli Lilly, SAP, Sinochem, UCB, Roche, Pfizer, Leica, WeWork and etc.

These industry leaders are from different countries and regions. These students are based in nearly 10 different cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Kunshan, Shenyang, Dalian and Lanzhou.

Ms. Sherry Fu, Founding Director of the University of Manchester China Centre, delivered a welcome speech. She said that she was very happy to see a new batch of management talents joining Manchester Global MBA programme, and hope that everyone could share knowledge and culture on this platform to further transform into a global business leader of excellence.

Ms. Sherry Fu, Founding Director, The University of Manchester China Centre

Ms Yvonne He, who is responsible for China Center Alumni Communication, gave a brief introduction of the alumni activities and resources. The Manchester Global MBA programme has a wealth of alumni resources and colorful alumni activities. Students and alumni can join industry clubs including pharmaceutical, marketing, law, leadership, etc. according to their own industry and personal preferences during their studies, and work together with like-minded partners to make progress together.

After that, we invited the student representative, Senior Regional Director of EF English First, Mr. Michael Mu from January 2020 intake to share his study experience with the new students. After working in MNCs for more than 10 years, he’s used to working as a team in a multinational environment. It becomes difficult for him to go back to the traditional Chinese classroom however Manchester Global MBA programme opened a door to him to study as groups as well as gaining the experience of simulation project practices. He values the chance to study and work with people from various backgrounds of different personalities; it’s no doubt a good chance to practice problem solving and how to work with different people efficiently.

Not only thinking of what to prepare for the MBA study journey, these working professionals are also ready to reflect their practical management experiences and career development plans with the programme.

Shen Jie Finance Director Omnicom

I am delighted to be enrolled to this Global MBA program which I have followed for a long time.  It is a time of uncertainty for everyone -- with the COVID, the fast moving political economy, the technology innovation that brings to us.  The secret to deal with uncertainty is assertiveness. That’s what I am expecting to get from this program, to gain the cutting-edge and comprehensive knowledge of real world business.  I am also looking forward to learn from my peers from diversified background and extend my focus from finance to a more holistic view of business.

Zhang Lei China HR Director Incadea China

I am highly glad and exciting to join Global MBA programme from University of Manchester. It's a great opportunities for me to learn idea and knowledge via the the programme. I hope it will help me in not only academic studies upgrade but also in career development and business network expand. Besides, I am really looking forward to share the experience and best practice with those top talents across the world.  Let's have a remarkable journey and enjoy it in the next 2 years!

Cao Wen Director of International Section HuZ International School

The inspiration for my Manchester MBA Journey is exactly that - a ‘journey’. I reached a point in my career within educational management where I felt the need to take a more direct path, or journey, to my future. I’d heard from friends about the quality of the Shanghai Centre and the passion of its leaders which made me think I’d love Manchester to guide me on my journey! When I subsequently researched more about the Course I discovered two things - an opportunity to learn alongside a wide spectrum of other students and secondly that team development / collaborative learning is a key criteria. I believe this is what I need - because a journey shouldn’t be embarked upon in isolation - it should be shared. I’m very much looking forward to learning from great academics and alongside other students. I want to be inspired, challenged and developed. Thank you Manchester - for this opportunity to take the next significant steps on my life-journey!

Zhou Shulin Senior Investment Manager Sinochem International

To identify the certainty of the VUCA era and be ready for the fast-changing world, what I can do first is to upgrade myself. After 16-year career experience, I think it’s the right time to trigger a systemic learning. I much appreciate this opportunity to join Manchester Global MBA programme, where I expect to update my knowledge system, meet talented minds from different industries and cultures, widen my networking and broaden my career view. I was deeply impressed by the “learning by doing” method and pragmatic content. Looking forward to such a challenging but productive journey.