Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) and the University of Sydney Business School announced a strategic partnership on 13 August 2024 in Sydney to jointly foster next-generation unicorns with a focus on new energy, digitalization and disruption to traditional industries in Australia and the Asia Pacific nations that are part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Bing Xiang, Founding Dean and Dean’s Distinguished Chair Professor of China Business and Globalization at CKGSB, and Leisa Sargent, Dean of the University of Sydney Business School, signed the agreement on behalf of both schools.
“Unicorn companies play a key role in generating economic disruption, which is central to economic development and social advancement for both developed nations like Australia and developing economies,” said Dean Xiang.
“This is particularly important in promoting upward social mobility, especially among young people.” Dean Xiang went on to explain that, precisely for this reason, CKGSB is the first business school, since 2015, to offer programs specifically designed for unicorn and soon-to-be-unicorn founders.
“CKGSB has spent years working with leading schools and institutions to build a global ecosystem for the next generation of unicorn and soon-to-be-unicorn companies, with a renewed and enhanced emphasis on global responsibility, social purpose and long-term perspective,” emphasized Dean Xiang. “We are delighted and honored to partner with the University of Sydney to offer a program that can help future unicorn leaders to sustainably grow in Australia and the broader RCEP region.”
Unicorns are privately owned startup companies valued at over US$1 billion. The University of Sydney has a proud history supporting the formation of successful start-ups, including skin repair innovator Elastagen and therapeutics developer Kinoxis.
The Global Unicorn Program on New Energy and Disruption of Traditional Industries in Sydney combines CKGSB’s attested strengths in educating established and future unicorn leaders with the University of Sydney Business School’s research into the dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems throughout Australia and Asia.
This compact program aims to develop growth-stage entrepreneurs, investors and government officials, especially those engaged in new energy and green economy sectors, to upskill their digitalization capabilities, incorporate ESG into their business operations and policymaking processes, and explore growth opportunities in Australian and Asia-Pacific markets.
The program is now open for application and will take place on 11-14 February 2025 in Sydney. For more information about the program, please visit: New Energy and the Disruption of Traditional Industries – CKGSB
Established in Beijing in November 2002, CKGSB is China’s first privately-funded and research-driven business school. The school aims to cultivate transformative business leaders with a global vision, sense of social responsibility, innovative mindset, and ability to lead with empathy and compassion. Today, CKGSB stands apart for its full-time, world-class faculty, research excellence, China insights and unparalleled alumni network. More than half of its 55 faculty members previously held tenure or senior professorships at top business schools, such as MIT, Wharton, and Yale. CKGSB is also the preferred choice for management education among China’s established business leaders and a new generation of disruptors. More than half of its 22,000 alumni are at the CEO or Chairman level and, collectively, they lead one fifth of China’s 100 most valuable brands. CKGSB is the first business school, since 2015, to offer programs specifically designed for unicorn and unicorn-to-be-unicorn founders through its global ecosystem. To date, more than 1,200 founders and co-founders of companies with at least Series A funding have studied at CKGSB, including those of 151 unicorn companies in total among which 41 are listed on CB Insights (2017-2022).
Founded in 1920, the first of its kind in Australia, the University of Sydney Business School offers teaching and research across a range of disciplines and is also home to the Institute of Transport and Logistic Studies.
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