Deans and directors of executive education from more than 50 top universities and business schools around the world gathered at the HKUST Business School today to kick off the 2014 UNICON Directors' Conference. They will engage in discussions about the growing opportunities and challenges for executive education in Asia.
Professor Kalok Chan, Acting Dean of the HKUST Business School, said, "Asia is fast becoming a business education hub, which is reflected by the significant growth of education programs, including executive education. The rise of Asia has created a range of unprecedented opportunities for the industry, and opened windows for collaboration among business schools, not only within the region but also with the rest of the world."
"We are honored to be the host of the UNICON Directors' Conference. We hope our hands-on experience of running a number of successful executive programs in the region can bring new perspectives to the discussion," he added.
UNICON is a global consortium of more than 100 university-based executive education departments worldwide. As a major international conference on executive education, the annual UNICON Directors' Conference provides a unique opportunity for leaders and administrators of its member organizations to gain new knowledge and perspectives to enhance the effectiveness of their operations.
This event hosted in Hong Kong and by the HKUST Business School reinforces the growing importance of the region in executive education. During the three-day conference, the participants will exchange views and the latest studies on the opportunities and challenges, best practices, and future directions of executive education under the theme "Major Shifts in Executive Education: the Asian Momentum".
The annual conference brings together representatives from schools spanning 20 countries on six continents. It will feature plenary sessions and breakout sessions led by Dr Mia de Kuijper of the London School of Economics and Professor Joseph Salvacruz of the HKUST Business School.
In a special session, representatives from company clients of the HKUST Business School, including CITIC Pacific and Sanofi, will share a client's perspective.
Ms Della Wong, one of the 12 UNICON Board Members and Head of the Executive Education Office at the HKUST Business School, said, "While the ascent of Asia presents an exceptional growing opportunity, it also brings a different set of challenges - such as the rapidly-changing requirements and the diverse languages - that all business schools need to address. Our innovation and competencies in developing programs that best fit the needs of our clients in the region will make a meaningful contribution to the conference."
The HKUST Business School strives to groom business leaders in Asia for the world with a range of highly acclaimed program offerings. These include open programs for those who want to expand business acumen and for those who opt for highly recognized global MBA and EMBA programs. Every year, the School also offers more than 50 purpose-designed programs to companies and organizations in Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas.
For media enquiries, please feel free to contact :
HKUST Business School
Communications & External Affairs
Mr John Poon
Tel: (852) 3469 2090
Email: johnpoon@ust.hk
Ms Anna Chan
Tel: (852) 2358 8242
Email: annachan@ust.hk
