September 10, 2008. Shanghai campus -- CEIBS MBA students from the 2007 and 2008 classes had a lot of questions for two private equity/venture capital experts who gave talks today as part of the school's career counselling initiatives.
More than 150 participants attended the lecture which covered the latest industry trends and current market status. In addition to the MBA students, the audience also included staff members from the MBA and CDC departments, as well as CEIBS Associate Dean, Academic Director of MBA Programme and Professor of Marketing Lydia Price; and Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship S. Ramakrishna Velamuri. Prof. Price hosted the discussions.
The session began with a presentation by Neumann Executive Search Partner Mr. Alvaro Arias who took a look at the latest industry developments and what it takes to break into the field. Then, Associate Director of Prax Capital, CEIBS MBA Alumni Ms. Ellen Li shared some of her first-hand experiences by telling the audience about the private equity/initial public offering deals she has handled. She also had valuable advice for the MBA students with an interest in the sector, telling them to start with domestic funds or hedge funds. The formal presentations closed with Thomas Xue, the founding partner of Pinpoint Capital, emphasizing the qualities needed to break into and succeed in the industry.
During the Q&A section, students mainly focused on the growth of the industry and prospects for personal career development. The answers they received demonstrated the experts' profound understanding of the industry and the students were obviously impressed. They also appeared to grasp the idea that survival in this potential-filled but very challenging sector requires: extensive knowledge about the target industries, a strong capability to broaden existing networks and acquire new resources, constant self improvement and continuous learning.
CEIBS career counselling initiatives are offered to ensure that students, through interaction with a wide variety of industry experts, get a better understanding of the sectors that interest them. With this knowledge, they are better equipped to make career planning decisions.