Beijing, September 11, 2013 – Yesterday, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), together with China CITIC Press and Thinker Future Media, co-hosted an event with Chief Operating Officer of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg to discuss women in leadership, how women can realize their professional and personal goals and the impact they can have on businesses both in China and globally. Sandberg also promoted the Chinese release of her best-selling book, “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead” at the event.
Founding Dean Confirms School’s Commitment to Female Equality in Business
Beijing, September 11, 2013 – Yesterday, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), together with China CITIC Press and Thinker Future Media, co-hosted an event with Chief Operating Officer of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg to discuss women in leadership, how women can realize their professional and personal goals and the impact they can have on businesses both in China and globally. Sandberg also promoted the Chinese release of her best-selling book, “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead” at the event.
As a leading advocate for empowering more women to take leadership roles both in business and in their personal lives, Sandberg used the platform to call upon society to address gender stereotypes in order to improve relationships, acknowledge female leadership initiatives and benefit the overall economy. She called on women to take action by believing in their ability, speaking up at meetings, not sitting on the sidelines when decisions are made and actively voicing their opinions and concerns. She also called on men to encourage women to speak up and be more accepting of women in leadership roles. She explained that if both men and women make this combined effort, gender stereotypes will no longer negatively affect society.
“We are very pleased to have this opportunity to join Ms. Sandberg in raising awareness about the need for more women leaders,” said Xiang Bing, Founding Dean of CKGSB. “As China’s only business school with full-time, resident world-class faculty and the educator of top Chinese executives – many of whom are highly successful women – we understand and respect the importance of female leadership in business. We encourage discussions on the challenges and successes faced by women as they pursue leadership roles around the world. We also look forward to the opportunity to welcome more women business executives to CKGSB’s programs through scholarships and other means.”
CKGSB Founding Dean Xiang Bing and Sheryl Sandberg
Following opening remarks by Dean Xiang and Xu Yang, General Manager of CITIC Press Thinker Future Media Business Division, Sandberg addressed the audience of more than 600 business leaders, VIP guests, and CKGSB alumni and students on her inspiration behind the “Lean In” movement. Sandberg’s talk was followed by a panel discussion on how to encourage women to pursue their careers more bravely, to be more engaged in competition in the workplace and to be more proactively involved in decision-making. The panel discussion was joined by Teng Bingsheng, Associate Dean and Professor of Strategic Management at CKGSB, as well as two CKGSB alumni, Belinda Xin Wang, Joint President and Chief Operating Officer of Sohu, and Jean Qing Liu, Managing Director Principal Investment Area, Goldman Sachs (Asia). Other panel participants included Catherine Qin Zhang, CEO of AutoNavi, and Angela Chang Liu, Chairman of New Hope Liuhe, Co., Ltd.
“I am honored to join such an impressive group of business leaders in this important discussion about women in leadership,” said Professor Teng. “In today’s evolving global business environment, it is vital to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions. As the world’s fastest-growing economy, China has an opportunity to take the lead in a global push for more women business leaders. Not only does this help society, but it is also a smart strategic management decision for businesses.”
CKGSB is committed to helping its female students seize opportunities for leadership through the school’s world-class research and unparalleled network of business leaders in China and around the world. The school actively promotes discussion about many important business issues by regularly convening high-level events.
About Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business
Established in Beijing in November 2002 with generous support from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, CKGSB is the first independent and non-profit business school in China. The school’s mission is to generate world-class insights on management theory and practice, and to develop business leaders for a new era of global business in China and beyond. CKGSB offers innovative MBA, Finance MBA, Executive MBA and Executive Education programs.
The school has developed in under 10 years into a prominent business school with over 40 world-class professors, whose per capita publications in top journals of management was ranked 6th globally during the period of 2006 to 2011. CKGSB’s alumni include more than 4,200 Chinese business leaders at the CEO and Chairman level, whose companies together generated more than USD 1 trillion in revenue in 2012. For more information, please visit www.ckgsb.edu.cn.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ira Zaka
CKGSB Beijing
Phone: 010 8518 8858 ext. 3315
Email: irazaka@ckgsb.edu.cn
Ryan Fenwick
Burson-Marsteller
Phone: 010 5816 2625
Email: ryan.fenwick@bm.com
