Asian Century Forum 2025: Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Global
The Asian Century Forum 2025: Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Global (ACF) is the annual signature initiative of the CUHK MBA Programme, co-organised with MBA China. It serves as a platform for fostering meaningful dialogue among top business schools in Asia and distinguished corporate partners.
The CUHK MBA has been renowned for its annual CSR & Sustainability Conference, one of Asia’s largest student-led conferences, since 2007. The ACF is an extension of the “CSR & Sustainability Conference,” focusing on the broader scope of the E-Pillar (Entrepreneurship-Sustainability-Global) within CUHK MBA’s LEAP Programme. LEAP Programme is one of the three strategic hallmarks of the CUHK MBA Programme.
Building on the remarkable success of last year’s forum, co-organised with MBAChina, which brought together over 60 education leaders from prestigious institutions, alongside prominent industry leaders, ACF will embrace a renewed vision focused on three key pillars: Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Global Impact.
Through a dynamic lineup of keynote speeches and thought-provoking panel discussions, the forum will explore the evolving landscape of business and entrepreneurial transformation. By drawing on the insights of academic scholars, business practitioners, and community experts from across Asia, ACF aims to inspire innovative strategies and collaborative efforts that shape the future of business education and practice in the region.
Asian Century Forum: Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Global – Event Features:
14:30-14:35 | Welcome Remarks by CUHK Business School
- Professor Zhou Lin | Dean of CUHK Business School and Choh-Ming Li Professor of Economics
Professor Zhou Lin is the Dean of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School and Choh-Ming Li Professor of Economics. He has a distinguished academic career of more than 30 years. He was an assistant and associate professor at Yale from 1989 to 1996, a tenured associate professor at Duke from 1996 to 2001, a WP Carey professor at Arizona State University (ASU) from 2001 to 2008, and a university chair professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) from 2008 to 2019. During his years at SJTU, he first participated in the founding of Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (2009-2010), and then led the development of Antai College of Economics and Management as dean for two consecutive terms (2010-2018).
Professor Zhou’s research interests cover some fundamental areas of micro-economic theory, including game theory, mechanism design, social choice and welfare. Much of his original work was published in leading economics journals, including Econometrica, Review of Economic Studies, Journal of Economic Theory, Games and Economic Behaviour, etc. In 1993, he was awarded the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship in economics. In 2009 he became the first Econometric Society Fellow elected from the Greater China region.
At ASU, Professor Zhou was the co-director of PhD programme in economics. After he joined SJTU, he became more involved in administrative affairs, leading the modernisation of the business education at SJTU. He was the Dean of Antai College of Economics and Management for two terms from April 2010 to July 2018. Under his leadership, Antai has transformed from a domestic player into a global player in business education. When he completed his terms as dean, SJTU was ranked by QS among the world top 50 in business and management, accounting and finance, and statistics and operations. Antai’s MBA, EMBA, Masters in Management, and Exec Ed programmes were also ranked highly by the Financial Times.
Professor Zhou is passionate about management education and he has been active in the community of business educators. He was a member of the Board of AACSB from 2015 to 2019 and chaired its Asia-Pacific Advisory Council from 2015 to 2018. He is currently on its task force on the revision of the accreditation standards. He has also been a member of the EQUIS Accreditation Board of EFMD since 2014. He has chaired or joined the peer review teams of AACSB and EQUIS at various business schools around the world more than a dozen times. Owing to his experience and knowledge, Professor Zhou serves on the international advisory boards for several business schools in Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, and Portugal.
In his early years as a professor, Professor Zhou travelled to many institutions around the world. He visited several universities in Australia, Belgium, China, Japan, and Spain for one month or longer. He also spent half a year at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 1995 and two years at the City University of Hong Kong from 1999 to 2001.
Professor Zhou grew up in Shanghai and obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Fudan in 1982. He went to Princeton in 1985 to study economics after placing first on a national examination jointly administered by the Chinese MOE and American Economic Association. He stayed in US after receiving his PhD degree from Princeton until 2008, when he returned to Shanghai and joined SJTU, the alma mater of his parents and his maternal grandfather.
14:35-14:45 | Welcome Remarks by MBAChina
- Mr Zhang Shihua | Founder and President of MBAChina
Mr Zhang Shihua is the founder of MBAChina and an EMBA graduate from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Mr Zhang is an expert in MBA and EMBA education in China, and possesses profound insight into the developmental trends of business administration. Additionally, he established Doxue Network, an online platform that integrates internet-driven thinking into the traditional cultural and educational sectors, thereby spearheading the continuous innovation and advancement of online education in China.
14:45-15:00 | CUHK MBA Programmes Introduction
15:00-15:30 | Keynote I: Hong Kong as the Super-Connector in a Tech-Driven Economy
- Guest Keynote Speaker: Mr Peter Yan King-shun, JP (BBA 1985) | Director-General, Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, HKSAR Government
Mr Peter Yan is an industry leader with 40 years of experience in the technology industry. As the Director-General of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), Mr Yan leads OASES in attracting strategic enterprises to Hong Kong, thereby fostering the city’s innovation and technology industry development as well as its industry diversification, economic upgrading and transformation. Prior to his tenure at OASES, Mr Yan was CEO of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, and had held chief executive positions in various publicly listed technology companies.
Mr Yan had served as Council or Board members in various Advisory or Statutory Bodies, including the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, etc. He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Hong Kong Computer Society and an Adjunct Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Mr Yan holds a BBA Degree from CUHK and was conferred the Honoree of the Year by the CUHK Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma in 2020. He also received Executive Education from the Harvard Business School.
15:30-16:00 | Keynote II: Resolving the Sustainable Development Uncertainty: Digitisation, Innovation, and Entrepreneurs
- Guest Keynote Speaker: Professor Huang Zhuo | Associate Dean, The National School of Development at Peking University
Professor Huang Zhuo is a distinguished Professor of Economics and Fa-Shu Endowed Scholar. Serving as the Deputy Dean of the National School of Development, Deputy Dean of the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development, Dean of the BiMBA Business School at the National School of Development, and Deputy Director of the Institute of Digital Finance at Peking University, he is a prominent figure in academia. Professor Huang obtained his Doctor of Economics degree from Stanford University in 2011, where he was honoured with the “Best Doctoral Candidate Thesis Award.” His groundbreaking research, featured in esteemed international journals like “Journal of Econometrics” and “Journal of Applied Econometrics,” has garnered global recognition. Notable accolades include the “Richard Stone Best Paper Award” and the “ICBC Excellent Economist Award.” A recipient of funding from prestigious institutions like the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Professor Zhuo also holds key roles in various influential research initiatives. His commitment to excellence was further acknowledged through accolades such as the “Outstanding Communist Party Member” title at Peking University. With a remarkable track record in academia and research, Professor Huang continues to make significant contributions to the fields of economics and finance.
16:00-16:30 | Keynote III: The Development of A Global Business School in the Tech Era
- Guest Keynote Speaker: Professor Ye Qiang | Executive Dean, Faculty of Business for Science & Technology; Executive Dean, The School of Management; Dean, International Institute of Finance, University of Science and Technology of China
Professor Ye Qiang is a Doctoral Supervisor and the recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. He serves as the Principal Investigator of the National Innovation Group Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and has been recognised as a Highly Cited Chinese Scholar by Elsevier (2015 – 2022). Currently, he holds positions as the Executive Dean of the School of Management, the Dean of the International Institute of Finance, and the Executive Dean of the School of Technology and Business at the University of Science and Technology of China.
16:45-18:00 | CUHK MBA Programme Industry Master Scheme and LEAP Adviser Scheme Inauguration Ceremony 2025
#Kindly note that the current agenda is subject to change depending on the availability of speakers.
Fee: Free of charge
Co-organiser*: The CUHK MBA Programmes and MBAChina
*The partnership with MBAChina is exclusively for the forum in the afternoon of 28 April. CUHK MBA is neither involved in nor a collaborator for any activities or events before or after this forum.
The Inauguration Ceremony of Industry Master Scheme 2025 and LEAP Adviser Scheme 2025
*Please note that the Schemes and the corresponding ceremony are hosted by the CUHK MBA Programmes and do not incur any charges, fully sponsored by the CUHK MBA Programmes.
The LEAP Programme is enriched and empowered by the “Learn, Connect, and Grow” ecosystem (“Ecosystem”), which is shaped by the mindsets, insights, experiences, resources and opportunities provided by four key types of stakeholders, as listed below, collectively referred to as the “BEAM Stakeholders” of the CUHK MBA.
- Esteemed Advisory Board members
- Elite mentors
- Advisers in personal, career, and regional development
- Industry Masters
By seamlessly integrating the holistic learning experience of the “LEAP Programme” with the “BEAM Stakeholders,” the CUHK MBA establish the “Learn, Connect, and Grow” ecosystem—referred to as “LEAP with BEAM” — for CUHK MBA students and graduates. This ecosystem provides unparalleled access to three key components: (1) real-world skill sets, mindsets and expertise; (2) valuable opportunities and resources; and (3) personalised coaching and strategic guidance from BEAM stakeholders, who aim to empower CUHK MBA’s students and alumni in advancing their personal and professional life-long journeys effectively.
Event Features:
16:45-17:00 | Opening Remarks
17:00-17:10 | Kick-off Ceremony: Awards for LEAP Advisers and Industry Masters 2025–26
17:20-18:00 | LEAP Adviser and Industry Master Representative Sharing
- Mr Adrian Chan (MBA 2020) | Managing Director of Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets, Hong Kong Yun Express Logistics Limited; CUHK MBA’s LEAP Adviser, LEAP Adviser Scheme, the Office of CUHK MBA Programmes, CUHK Business School
Adrian is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the e-commerce logistics industry. Skilled in People Management, Strategic Planning, Business Development, Corporate Strategy, and Sales Management. Focus on entrepreneurship and managing innovation & technology. He has served at DHL for over a decade and is now the Managing Director of Asia Pacific Region in YunExpress, which is a unicorn startup in Shenzhen, China. During the MBA study, Adrian has taken a break in his career and exchanged in The University of Michigan. Finally, he graduated as Top 3 in MBA programme (part time module) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong – CUHK Business School in 2020 and was also awarded Dean’s List.
- Mr Ben Wong (MBA 2015) | Chief Executive Officer, Riverchain; CUHK MBA’s Global Industry Master, Industry Master Scheme, the Office of CUHK MBA Programmes, CUHK Business School
Ben is the Chief Executive Officer of Riverchain, bringing 16 years of extensive experience in business development and product management across diverse industries. A CUHK MBA alumnus with a focus on China Business and Entrepreneurship, Ben has built an impressive career as a serial intrapreneur, previously serving as General Manager of Technology Innovation at New World Development and Co-Founder of Impact Kommons. His entrepreneurial journey includes key leadership roles in startup venture building, supply chain financing, and B2B marketplace development, notably as Head of Online Strategy and Product Development at Global Sources. During his MBA journey, Ben demonstrated his leadership capabilities as VP of Development for a signature student-led CSR conference, reflecting his early commitment to impactful business initiatives.
- Mr Vincent Cheng (EMBA 2022) | Chief Executive Officer, Ocean Science HK Limited; CUHK MBA’s Mainland Industry Master, Industry Master Scheme, the Office of CUHK MBA Programmes, CUHK Business School
Vincent is an innovative entrepreneur with global experience, focused on driving impactful change and fostering business growth. Besides trading business, He has also been involved in the investment and incubation of startups across biomedical, AI, and new materials sectors, contributing to their success in the Greater Bay Area.
Registration and Inquiries:
For inquiries and registration, please contact the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Team, CUHK MBA Programmes.
- Email: mba-cse@cuhk.edu.hk
Don’t miss your chance to be part of this historic event. Register now and join the thought leaders, industry experts, and visionaries at the ACF.