On August 25，the opening ceremony of Tsinghua-INSEAD EMBA (TIEMBA) Class of 2023 was held at Tsinghua University and INSEAD's Singapore campus in a hybrid mode. A total of 37 participants from 17 countries across Asia Pacific, Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East regions joined either in person or virtually to celebrate the start of the programme together.

Bai Chong-En, Dean of School of Economics and Management (SEM), Tsinghua University, gave a warm opening remark to welcome all the new students online. Amid the age of uncertainty, Bai addressed the challenges ahead of human beings such as the global pandemic, the complex and volatile international situation, and the rapid technological advancement; which also meant more opportunities and social responsibilities.

Bai Chong-En, Dean of Tsinghua SEM, spoke at the opening ceremony.

"TIEMBA is collaborative effort between Tsinghua SEM and INSEAD," Bai urged the TIEMBA students to be alert to the challenges and opportunities in the future and better bear social responsibility.

Ilian Mihov, Dean of INSEAD, reviewed the history of the school in his speech. According to Mihov, INSEAD, established after World War II, aimed to produce qualified entrepreneurs and managers to help Europe deal with the task of recovery and reconstruction. In this vein, Mihov indicated that TIEMBA programme didn't just provide the knowledge, skills and expertise on managing business. More importantly, it cultivated the sense of creating value for society among the TIEMBA students.

Chen Yubo, Senior Associate Dean of Tsinghua SEM spoke at the opening ceremony.

Chen Yubo, Senior Associate Dean of Tsinghua SEM and Urs Peyer, Dean of Degree Programmes of INSEAD, gave speeches on the educational philosophy of TIEMBA. Chen emphasized that through the last two years, great efforts have been paid to upgrade the TIEMBA curriculum, which enabled students not only to master business fundamentals but also to gain the insights into the global mega-trends, the state-of-the-art scientific and technological innovation, as well as humanity and society. Bridging theory and practice was another distinct feature of TIEMBA.

"The programme is established upon three pillars: the academic learning, the ability of leadership and the global alumni network", said Peyer. He believed that through learning about and supporting each other, TIEMB students would bring positive changes to themselves and the society.

Group photo of TIEMBA Class of 2023 via Zoom

On behalf of the new cohort, Wang Yan, the SVP of Cowell Health, said that he fell in love with TIEMBA immediately when he knew this programme for the first time. "TIEMBA's composition, faculty and the global network perfectly met all my expectations of an EMBA program," said Wang. He believed that he would have a more comprehensive understanding of management science and himself in this two-year programme.

Jireh Li, the representative of the alumni of TIEMBA Class of 2019, said TIEMBA was transcending geography and philosophy. "Be open-minded, go beyond your comfort zone and work hard to develop a strong bond, then you will find it a precious experience of your life," said Li.

Ranked as one of the top EMBA programmes in the world by theFinancial Times, TIEMBA is a unique one designed by Tsinghua University and INSEAD. It is also the first EMBA programme to provide a dual degree in the Chinese mainland. The average work experience of participants of TIEMBA 2023 is 14 years and 54% of the class work overseas.

Editors: YE Wenjing, RE Zhongxi