The world-leading window

"There are many Chinese and Indian elites in business schools around the world. Some of these professionals will return to their home countries once good schools are set up. They will in turn help these domestic schools become world-leading very quickly," Ding says.

Ding himself is an example of such an individual. Prior to his job at CEIBS, Ding was a tenured professor at Hautes Etudes Commerciales Paris, or HEC Paris, one of the most prestigious business schools in Europe. He started conducting courses at CEIBS as a part-time professor in 2003 before officially joining the full-time staff in 2006. Around that period also marked a turning point for the institute.

"Education demands changed as Chinese businessmen were no longer only interested in the experiences of other countries," Ding recalls. "They also expected our faculty to be able to summarize Chinese business practice and write Chinese cases."

By that time, CEIBS had already put together a core team of professors to create a more China-centric curriculum.

"Currently, our 70-plus professors develop over 100 original cases each year, mainly innovative new Chinese cases, putting CEIBS well ahead of other business schools in case development and case study teaching," Ding says.

Today, in a climate where lessons about China have become an indispensable part of EMBA or MBA programs offered by world-renowned business schools, CEIBS has become the most popular China-based partner for China immersion programs as the institute "is becoming the world's No 1 expert on China", Ding says.