Peking University, March 24, 2021: The inaugural Future Business Forum took place in the Guanghua School of Management on March 18. The Forum was co-hosted by Peking University Guanghua School of Management and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. 300+ participants signed up to attend the Forum either in-person or online. The Forum was intended to both provide a platform for global dialogue and learning on the theme “Leadership and Management in the Digital Era” and also marked the start of a collaboration between PKU Guanghua and Michigan Ross.

Associate Dean Zhang Ying of PKU Guanghua officially opened the Forum and welcomed both attendees and speakers.

Zhang Ying

Tim Ringrose, managing director of Michigan Ross Executive Programs in Asia Pacific Region, then shared some introductory remarks on behalf of Michigan Ross Executive Education and talked about Michigan’s (Executive Education) Mission helping organizations generate “Powerful Ideas, Purpose-driven Leaders and provide Positive Impact to the world”. Ringrose also reiterated Zhang’s opening remarks, saying that he hoped the Forum would be an important first step to future collaborations with Peking University Guanghua School of Management and that there would be an opportunity for the two Business Schools to collaborate on more joint events and programs in the near future.

The guest speakers of the forum include Tang Yao, associate professor of Applied Economics in the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, Liu Zhengzheng, digital content director at the Harvard Business Review China (HBRC) and an alumna of Michigan Ross MBA, and M.S. Krishnan, associate dean for Executive Education at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Each of the speakers, drawing on their diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, offered insightful knowledge, experience and new ideas that were highly relevant to today’s international economic environment. The themes covered include trade relations between China and U.S. in the digital era, methods for winning in digital innovation and leadership through digital transformation, as well as China’s New Economy.

The first presentation provided by Associate Professor Tang, focused on some of the current economic uncertainties that have emerged because of the ongoing trade war between China and the U.S. and how this dynamic may change under the Biden Administration. He also touched on the increase in internet commerce and demands for entertainment after COVID-19, noting that as the world becomes more digital, the trade rules need to be updated correspondingly. He also suggested that a new equilibrium between China and the U.S. would emerge when both countries realized that cooperation is essential and necessary.

Liu's presentation focused on winning in digital innovation. Through illustrating the success of HBRC  as a case study, she elaborated on the importance of being an “early bird” among peers, embracing decentralization, empowerment, accountability, and capturing changes that are happening in the world.

The final speaker, Associate Dean Krishnan then delivered a compelling presentation about the impact of technology and digital transformation on leadership and business models and on the structure of the economy. He also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had become the catalyst to rapid technological transformation and digital innovation as organizations and leaders have had to adapt and re-think their business models overnight to succeed and thrive in the post-COVID business landscape.

In his closing remarks, Associate Dean Zhang thanked both the speakers and participants, as well as PKU Guanghua and Michigan Ross staff who were involved in organizing the Forum. He also commented that the Forum had provided valuable new insight to leading digital transformation and innovation and how to succeed in the digital age. Gaining both a western and eastern perspective on some of the critical issues and opportunities facing organizations in the digital era, the participants also had the opportunity to compare and contrast the eastern and western perspective and apply to their own situation and circumstance.

The Forum provided an exciting start to the collaboration between Peking University Guanghua School of Management and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and both Schools are now looking forward to building on this early success with more joint initiatives planned in the near future.