More than twenty Hong Kong based-Tsinghua MBA and EMBA alumni gathered at the Landmark in Central, Hong Kong in the evening of November 10, 2012. Those attended the networking event include: Zhai Pu, Deputy Chairman of Tsinghua Alumni Association of Hong Kong and Di Chunya, Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General; Wen Hui (MBA1994F1), deputy Director-General of Tsinghua MBA Alumni Association; Chen Jinsi, Chairman of Tsinghua EMBA Alumni Association Hong Kong/Macau Chapter; and Zheng Jiayi, Vice Secretary-General. Chen Dong (MBA1995E), Director-General of Tsinghua MBA Alumni Association and Chief Executive Officer of China Life Franklin Asset Management Co. Limited, hosted the networking event, which was the first time that Tsinghua’s MBA and EMBA alumni gathered in Hong Kong.

In the opening speech, Ma Jia, Executive Director, International MBA Program of School of Economics and Management (SEM), Tsinghua University introduced the 21-year history and development of the Tsinghua MBA Programs. She used numbers to illustrate the good-to-great transformation of the Tsinghua MBA Programs. Xu Sen (MBA2006P3), Deputy Director, Department of Economic Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong S.A.R. and one of the organizers of this alumni networking event, said that he was delighted to see that the number of Tsinghua alumni (including MBA, EMBA, and the graduate, undergraduate and doctorate students from other disciplines) is growing at a healthy momentum and it is very important for Tsinghua SEM alumni who now work in different industries and fields to mingle and exchange ideas. “Tsinghua people tend to be low-profile. A few days ago, I met with Chen Dong, and we immediately decided to start preparing for this event. This is a good example to demonstrate our Tsinghua people are low-profile and practical. We should make good use of this networking platform to exchange ideas and generate business opportunities for the school, our companies as well as ourselves,” he said.

Wen Hui (MBA1994F1), Deputy Director-General and Executive Vice Secretary-General of Tsinghua MBA Alumni Association as well as the Chairman of Tsinghua MBA Alumni Association Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Society, introduced the activities hosted since the alumni association resumed operation in July 2011. In the past one year and a half, the Tsinghua MBA Alumni Association hosted a few thematic forums and regional alumni networking events that involved alumni from different years, industries, regions and nationalities. These events are carefully planned and designed to be useful to the alumni as well the MBA Programs. These events have successfully leveraged the resources of the Tsinghua University as well as other industries and have provided a perfect platform for alumni to exchange ideas, share resources and seek collaboration opportunities. They are also helpful to current students who are seeking internship and job opportunities and are useful to young alumni who are looking for good career opportunities. After Wen’s introduction, alumni from the MBA and EMBA programs introduced themselves to each other present at the gathering. They all expressed their desire to have more such events to communicate and exchange resources. During the event, Zheng Jiayi, Vice Secretary-General of Tsinghua EMBA Alumni Association Hong Kong/Macau Chapter, sent out the invitation for the MBA alumni to join the EMBA alumni at the Christmas Party in Hong Kong on 8 December 2012. Yang Hao (MBA2001P1), Senior Vice President & Head of China Enterprises at China Construction Bank (Asia) and one of the organizers of this event, offered his sincere service to the alumni. “Please do not hesitate to come to me if you think I would be able to help. I will try my best to help our MBA alumni,” he said.

Deputy Chairman of Tsinghua Alumni Association of Hong Kong, Mr Zhai Pu, flew back to Hong Kong from Singapore to join the event after finishing a long day at work at 1am. He characterized Tsinghua people as being dedicated, having good work ethics and excelling in their own field. He believes that this kind of alumni networking event can help them make up for each other's deficiencies and learn from each other. He said the Tsinghua alumni in Hong Kong were success-driven and were eager to bring honor to the school. In order to better service the school, he said a healthy and happy lifestyle is very important. He invited the Hong Kong-based alumni and their families to join him in the weekend hiking.

In the closing speech, Mr. Chen Dong used four phrases to describe the alumni events for the Hong Kong-based Tsinghua MBAs: well-positioned, well-qualified, well-needed and well-differentiated. He said emotionally during the speech that Tsinghua alumni are more than happy to do whatever they can for Tsinghua University and the SEM because Tsinghua carries a lot of weight to all alumni. He quoted the founding dean of Tsinghua University SEM, Mr Zhu Rongji, who once said “I grew up into a man with knowledge and integrity in the beautiful campus of Tsinghua. I could never forget those years, those life-changing experiences.” He believes this deep feeling is shared by all Tsinghua alumni. “Because we all shared the same experience of studying in Tsinghua, we MBA and EMBA alumni are able to get well connected with each other. That’s why we are able to share such a lovely evening together,” he said. (Office of International Affairs, MBA Programs, Tsinghua SEM)