Haas Newsroom
December 19, 2008
Inaugural Singapore Conference Increases Haas School Footprint in Asia
More than 300 people attended Haas' Asia Business Center inaugural conference, "2008: Managing Family Business in a Global Marketplace," in December at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. ABC Director Teck-Hua Ho called the conference a "high-impact success" that served to launch a series of plans to increase Haas' visibility and to energize the school's alumni in Asia.
"It was a huge success to gain exposure for the UC Berkeley/Haas
brand. We received positive energy and established a momentum. Now we must
sustain that momentum," said Ho.
The Asia Business Center is engaging Asian partners and universities to join
Haas in developing world-class management training programs. Meeting face-to-face
with Asian executives and academics also helped the center position itself
as the authority in providing executive training programs in the Asia region.
The conference welcomed S. Iswaran, Singapore's Sr. Minister of State
for Trade and Industry. The event also provided a rich, comprehensive forum
of topics such as Professor David Vogel's session, Managing Growth in
a Global Economy.
Increasing the school's "global footprint," especially in
Asia, is one of Dean Rich Lyons' strategic priorities. Lyons presented
the conference's opening and closing remarks. "Asia is a natural
area of competitive advantage for the Haas School, and has been for a long
time," explains Lyons. "We aim to leverage that advantage
even more going forward, particularly given that such a large share of the
world's economic growth will come from the region over the coming decades."
The conference focused on family ownership, an integral and powerful foundation
of business in Asia. Panelists discussed the challenges of managing
family wealth during uncertain economic times and succession planning and conflict
resolution in family business. About one-third of the attendees were Haas
alumni.
The Singapore conference was followed by a gala in Singapore for alumni that
marked the initiation of the Haas School of Business' Global Campaign
in Asia. Both events were generously hosted by one of Haas' own, Kwee
Liong Seen (BS 74). Alumni also came together for receptions in Hong
Kong and in Shanghai.
"The Singapore Gala attracted alumni from all over Asia -- Vietnam,
Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and Korea," said
Alumni Relations Executive Director Tenny Frost. "The Haas
Alumni Network in Asia is thriving, and alumni are supporting one another in
all stages of their careers and lives."
In Shanghai, the Haas Alumni Network hosted a reception for the American visitors.
Chapter president Ann Hsu (MBA 98) said, "China is poised to become
more of an influential force in the global economy and we look forward to working
with the dean and Professor Ho to leverage the Berkeley/Haas brand."
The Asia outreach is also valuable to Haas students. Several Asian business
owners and alumni expressed their interest in recruiting Haas."Haas
has many dimensions and our outreach will help students interested in working
in Asia," Ho explains. “The conference gave our Asian friends
a sense of what Berkeley can do, our prominence, and the level of professionals
we have to offer."
The Haas delegation and conference attracted attention from numerous Asian media outlets including:
SINGAPORE
- Bloomberg News television interviewed Dean Rich Lyons about the challenges of managing a business in this economic climate.
- The Straits Times, an English-language daily, covered the conference.
- Channel NewsAsia's "Singapore Business Tonight" television news program, covered the conference.
- Lianhe Zaobao, the flagship Chinese daily, covered the conference and featured Professor Teck-Hua Ho in a full-page article.
- The Peak, a monthly magazine, interviewed David Vogel about managing a global business.
- News Radio 93.8, Singapore's all-news radio broadcast, covered the conference.
- The Edge Singapore, a business weekly, interviewed Dean
Lyons about the challenges of managing a business in this economic climate.
HONG KONG
- The Standard, an English-language newspaper in Hong Kong, interviewed Dean Lyons about the challenges of managing a business in this economic climate.
- Oriental Daily News, Chinese newspaper based in Hong Kong,
interviewed Dean Lyons about the challenges of managing a business in this
economic climate.
SHANGHAI
- China Business News television interviewed Dean Lyons in Shanghai.
- Global Entrepreneur magazine interviewed Dean Lyons in Shanghai.
More on the Asia Business Center: http://asiabusiness.haas.berkeley.edu/
