CKGSB Honored for “Thought Leadership” at China CSR Awards

CKGSB has been recognized by both the American and British Chambers of Commerce in China for its “thought leadership” role within China’s charity landscape. Following on from last year’s inaugural China CSR Awards, at which CKGSB was honored for its overall contributions to charity, the second iteration of the event was held on May 2 at the Opposite House Hotel in Beijing, with awards handed out across ten categories from a field of more than 80 entries in total.

Yan Wen (center), Manager of Social Responsibility Affairs at CKGSB,

receives her award from Chris Boobier of the British Embassy in China

The Thought Leadership category was designed for companies who think outside the box, and stand apart by doing something atypical for their industry. The judges noted that they had received many great entries in this field, but chose to highlight’s CKGSB Social Innovation Program for the following three reasons:

1. CKGSB is the first business school in China that requires EMBA students to complete 48 hours of philanthropy service as a prerequisite of graduation. Since the program launched in 2009, over 2,500 Executive MBA (EMBA) students – of which 80% are at the Vice President level or above – have completed more than 127,000 hours of service, hosting over 900 events of social innovation in fields of education, healthcare, environment protection, disaster relief etc.
2. CKGSB pioneers the introduction of new business models in managing socially innovative projects. Since 2014, the school’s social innovation module has been compulsory for all EMBA students. Professors introduce management models from business perspectives, and share the concept and practice of public interest at home and abroad, to enhance the knowledge of students and get more of them involved in public welfare activities.
3. CKGSB is the first business school in China to launch a public fund, the CKGSB Philanthropy Fund. By the end of 2016, the Foundation had raised nearly 60 million RMB, helping hundreds of philanthropy projects in education and other areas.

A packed room of more than 200 people attended the second annual China CSR Awards at the Opposite House Hotel in Beijing.

In addition to the responsibility of companies to be good citizens, the organizers stressed how CSR in 2017 is critical for good business, noting how the Chinese government’s agenda has shifted from hardware to software. Under the 12^th Five-Year Plan roads have been built, schools erected and the infrastructure of cities improved, while the 13^th Five-Year plan has shifted the focus to a greener environment, quality of education and the living standards of those less well off.

From left to right: CKGSB’s Liu Bing, Yan Wen and Mark Dreyer pose with Clare Pearson, chair of the British Chamber in China and International Development Director of DLA Piper, and China Daily Zhang Yuchen at the second annual China CSR Awards held on May 2 in Beijing.

Awards were handed out across ten categories, including women’s empowerment, poverty alleviation, healthcare, environment and education, with Walmart, Pepsico, Visa, Citibank, Qualcomm, KPMG, Standard Chartered and Conoco Phillips among those honored on the night. Entries were judged based on a combination of the following criteria: impact, scalability, sustainability, ability to leverage resources and the overall professionalism of the CSR project.