Date: 29 April, 2024 (Monday)
Time: 10am-1pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
City: Melbourne, Australia
Event hosts: Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, City of Melbourne
Supporting Organizations: CHIN Communications, BMYG Financial, Laurel International
Format: By invitation only
This in-person, invitation-only seminar to be held in Melbourne, Australia, on April 29, will convene renowned government officials, business leaders and academics for a talk by CKGSB Founding Dean Xiang Bing on the topic of ‘Economic Disruption and the Next Generation of Unicorns.’ The event will also feature remarks from Melbourne’s Deputy Lord Mayer Nicholas Reece and other notable figures in Australia.
Together, our seasoned speakers will shed light on the landscape and importance of unicorn companies, and what constitutes the next generation of unicorns; the outlook of globalization and economic development; and growth opportunities through cross-border collaboration.
CKGSB’s Global Unicorns Programs have established partnerships across various countries with renowned universities like Stanford, Columbia and UC San Diego. Committed to fostering a global ecosystem for emerging unicorn companies, this series of programs aims to facilitate exchange and learning opportunities between soon-to-be unicorn companies, investors and governments worldwide.
*Speakers are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Founder of Laurel International Group
Alumni of the 35th EMBA intake of CKGSB
Dr. Xiang Bing is the Founding Dean and Dean’s Distinguished Chair Professor of China Business and Globalization at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB). Under his leadership, CKGSB has evolved from a fledgling school to one of the most influential business schools in China with a global reputation since its establishment in November 2002.
Renowned as a foremost authority on China’s business and economy, Dr. Xiang has delivered keynote speeches at prestigious forums/ conferences including: Harvard College China Forum as closing keynote (2017), the first opening keynote (2018, 2023), opening keynote (2019), and the first closing keynote (2024); Penn Wharton China Summit as the first opening keynote (2023), the first closing keynote (2024), and the only closing keynote (2025); Columbia China Forum as the only closing keynote (2024); Indonesia Economic Summit as one of the four keynotes in the opening ceremony (2025); SCMP China Conference on US-China Relations in New York City as the only closing keynote (2019). In 2018, he was a lunch keynote speaker for the Foreign Policy Association’s Board of Trustees (FPA) in New York City and presented a lunch keynote at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.. Dr. Xiang was invited to attend the Ditchley Foundation Annual Forum in 2010, 2012, 2018 and 2021 and served as the First Co-Chairman in 2018. Dr. Xiang was also invited to participate in the Rome Roundtable during 2017 – 2020, in 2022 and in 2024.
Dr. Xiang has served as an independent board member to several listed companies, including four Fortune Global 500 companies. He was a member of the Global Board of Trustees for United Way Worldwide (US) during 2011-2017. He is now a member of the Advisory Board for Asia House in London and a Counselor for One Young World Summit in Dublin. He is also serving as a member of the Advisory Board for multiple scholarly societies, including Fundação Dom Cabral (FDC) in Brazil, Yonsei School of Business in Korea, the Royal Academy of Management (RAM) in Oman, the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Macau, the Business School of SciTech of University of Science and Technology of China, and the Business School of Southern University of Science and Technology in China, etc.
Dr. Xiang’s research interests include economic disruption, business in China, global implications of China’s economic transformation, China’s development models, innovation and globalization by Chinese companies, reform of SOEs, Chin-U.S. Relations, and global trade and investment systems and global governance, etc.
Prof. Charle QIN OAM, Co-Founder and Managing Director of CHIN Communications
Mr. Nicholas REECE, Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Mrs. Caroline HARTNETT, Acting Director of International Education & Study Melbourne of Victorian Government
Prof. and Dr. Bing XIANG, Founding Dean and Distinguished Chair Professor of China Business and Globalization, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB)
Mrs. Katherine CHEN, Founder of Laurel International Group, CKGSB EMBA Alumni
The Hon. Bruce ATKINSON, Former Member of Victorian Parliament
Australian Eastern Standard Time*
In partnership with Columbia Engineering
This program is a transformative initiative designed to empower civil leaders and businesses in smart city development, fintech, alternative energy, and new energy sectors.
In partnership with The University of Sydney
The Global Unicorn Program in Disruption of Traditional Industries – presented jointly by CKGSB and University of Sydney – will emphasize Australia’s distinctive contributions.
In partnership with Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
The 2025 Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Driven Healthcare Innovation Program stands at the forefront of addressing the critical need for innovative healthcare solutions powered by artificial intelligence.
In partnership with Stanford Engineering Center for Global & Online Education
This CKGSB program equips entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and key stakeholders with the tools, insights, and skills necessary to lead a new generation of unicorn companies.
