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BiMBA MBA 2019 Opening Ceremony - Alumni Speech by Ivy Liu

Aug 27-2019   



Ivy Liu - BiMBA 2001 MBA

 

Honorable Professor Yao Yang,  Professor Yang Zhuang,

Distinguished Professor Dirk Buyens, Professor Alan Parkinson,

Distinguished Dr. Cathy DU, Ms. Lucy Liu,

Dear BIMBA 2019 MBA alumni,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Good afternoon. First of all, on behalf of the alumni of BiMBA, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations and a warm welcome to all the new students of 2019MBA.

 

Eighteen years ago, like all of you today who are young and bright, I, together with my classmates, stepped into our beautiful Langrun Garden and opened an important chapter of our lives. Ever since then, BiMBA and Peking University have become an inseparable part of our lives, just like flesh and blood to our being. I still remember that my first class in the first semester was given by a handsome young professor who wrote on the blackboard throughout the whole class.  It's all about "horrible" Advanced Mathematics, and， in English! When the class was finished, almost the whole class dashed out to the Math. Dept. of Peking University and turned to the most outstanding students for help. We were pretty sure that we would definitely fail this course! Now, that handsome professor Mr. Yao Yang, has become our esteemed Dean of NSD.   As a senior alumni of BIMBA, we have witnessed our progressive growth of each other.

 

Back in the year of SARS, we didn't want to miss any class, so we carried a whiteboard and marched to the open yard for a wonderful lecture and sharing, given by Professor Zhou Qiren and Professor Lin Yifu; and I can still recall the heated discussion with Professor Yang Zhuang in "Organizational Behaviors" class about the loopholes in corporate management and our experiences. The case studies in the course were no longer flat on the paper. They became vivid and real.

 

Countless days and nights of case studying, crazy rushing for courses at weekends, and sweet memories with classmates and teachers as we were like a big family, all those treasurable moments are still vivid in my mind. Having not gone back to Langrun Garden for a while, I would find myself missing it just like a wanderer missing his home.

 

I would like to say thank you to the Dean and our school for giving me the honor and opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas with the new students. With nearly 20 years of the close tie with National School of Development, I am standing here not only as a former MBA student, but also as an HR Head of a multinational company, and a mentor of MBA. I hope to share my experiences of these three different roles with the students today.

 

Peking University, originally founded as "Imperial University of Peking" in 1898, has been standing at the forefront of the times, by upholding the banner of "Promoting Ideological Freedom and incorporating things of diverse nature" as always. This happens to be in alignment with Vlerick's mission -"Be a student, always", and UCL's slogan -"Disruptive Thinking"! As future business leaders, you should carry forward the spirit of Peking University.  Today's changing situation of global politics and economics is calling for your independent thinking and multi-dimensional learning. You should not be bound by your own thoughts, and you should not easily negate others' ideas. Professors of BIMBA are all leaders in their respective fields of study, and they will undoubtedly bring to you abundant knowledge and experiences from academic contents to business practices. Students here are from all walks of life with different backgrounds and experiences. How can one not expect the sparks of thought and idea of innovation from such a fabulous combination?

 

Focusing on HR function of multinationals during the last 20 years, I have read innumerable persons. I am also fortunate and honored to serve as an interviewer of BiMBA MBA applicants. I have witnessed lots of people's momentary triumph in their corporate world but also seen their hesitation when encountering career bottlenecks. I witnessed the glory of excellent leaders, and also have watched the rainbow side by side with them after the storm.  You chose to study here today because you have higher expectations for your career development. Some hope for a step up; others hope that their experiences in BIMBA will bring good luck to the next job. Some students are or about to start their own businesses; others wish to meet high expectations of the family and take over the family business. No matter what your expectations are, I sincerely wish you all the best luck and success! However, I don't wish to see that success is being defined narrowly as a promotion and salary increase only. I don't wish to see you push and trample on each other in crowded teams for climbing up the ladder to the top of the pyramid or even become a shameful "refined egoist" that puts one's own self-interest above that of colleagues, teams, companies, and society.  A true business leader must be a wise person with dreams and constant learning, a brave person with ambitions without fear of failure, and a pioneer of innovations, breakthroughs, and transformations. I believe that through your studies in BIMBA, there will be many such leaders among you!

 

As a mentor, also a student, I have been dedicated to many discussions with my mentees and my own mentor, regarding how to manage up, as well as how to be politically savvy in an organization.  Both are the critical topics for a leader to live with.  However, in the end, you could find out that the behind each topic, there is always a question: what are your values and what will be your epitaph.

 

What is the value?  Take the example of the Healthcare industry I currently serve for, do you put integrity on top of everything, even more, important than your own performance and promotion?  Being confronted with the conflict between quality and business margin, do you deem patients as your beloved family members when you make final decisions?

 

What does epitaph mean?  As Steven Convey, the founder of 7-Habits, said: after finishing the entire life journey, what do I want my family and friends to say about me in my epitaph?  Is it a role model for my next generations, or a crazy profit-seeker loaded with money but a pitiful beggar spiritually?

 

I believe that the key to the answers of these serious questions will be found here in BiMBA, in your continuous learnings and in discussions in your class.

 

You come to BiMBA with a dream of learning at a global top university.  Peking University with its long history, together with NSD, VIerick, and UCL, has built a distinguished culture for BIMBA, shaping BiMBA into a unique leading platform for deep communication and disruptive thinking between the East and the West. Lang Run Garden, would be a peaceful land where you can dive deep into your own reflections and learnings, away from the ever-changing outside world.  It would also be a wonderland to inspire you for innovation!  As a BiMBA student who returns to classroom from the office building, you will soon realize it's too short a period and too precious to waste any second here during your MBA study, whether your course lasts 24 months for part-time student or 12 months for the full-timer.  Therefore, I encourage you to cherish every second, every minute and every day with BIMBA, from today!

 

As for closing, please allow me to quote a short sentence from Steve Jobs:  Stay hungry, Stay foolish!

Let's all remember:

       Promoting Ideological Freedom and incorporating things of diverse nature

       Live your dream and never give up

       Treasure our time at Lang Run, Live a fulfilling and rewarding life

Thank you!

BiMBA MBA 2019 Opening Ceremony - Alumni Speech by Ivy Liu

Aug 27-2019   



Ivy Liu - BiMBA 2001 MBA

 

Honorable Professor Yao Yang,  Professor Yang Zhuang,

Distinguished Professor Dirk Buyens, Professor Alan Parkinson,

Distinguished Dr. Cathy DU, Ms. Lucy Liu,

Dear BIMBA 2019 MBA alumni,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Good afternoon. First of all, on behalf of the alumni of BiMBA, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations and a warm welcome to all the new students of 2019MBA.

 

Eighteen years ago, like all of you today who are young and bright, I, together with my classmates, stepped into our beautiful Langrun Garden and opened an important chapter of our lives. Ever since then, BiMBA and Peking University have become an inseparable part of our lives, just like flesh and blood to our being. I still remember that my first class in the first semester was given by a handsome young professor who wrote on the blackboard throughout the whole class.  It's all about "horrible" Advanced Mathematics, and， in English! When the class was finished, almost the whole class dashed out to the Math. Dept. of Peking University and turned to the most outstanding students for help. We were pretty sure that we would definitely fail this course! Now, that handsome professor Mr. Yao Yang, has become our esteemed Dean of NSD.   As a senior alumni of BIMBA, we have witnessed our progressive growth of each other.

 

Back in the year of SARS, we didn't want to miss any class, so we carried a whiteboard and marched to the open yard for a wonderful lecture and sharing, given by Professor Zhou Qiren and Professor Lin Yifu; and I can still recall the heated discussion with Professor Yang Zhuang in "Organizational Behaviors" class about the loopholes in corporate management and our experiences. The case studies in the course were no longer flat on the paper. They became vivid and real.

 

Countless days and nights of case studying, crazy rushing for courses at weekends, and sweet memories with classmates and teachers as we were like a big family, all those treasurable moments are still vivid in my mind. Having not gone back to Langrun Garden for a while, I would find myself missing it just like a wanderer missing his home.

 

I would like to say thank you to the Dean and our school for giving me the honor and opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas with the new students. With nearly 20 years of the close tie with National School of Development, I am standing here not only as a former MBA student, but also as an HR Head of a multinational company, and a mentor of MBA. I hope to share my experiences of these three different roles with the students today.

 

Peking University, originally founded as "Imperial University of Peking" in 1898, has been standing at the forefront of the times, by upholding the banner of "Promoting Ideological Freedom and incorporating things of diverse nature" as always. This happens to be in alignment with Vlerick's mission -"Be a student, always", and UCL's slogan -"Disruptive Thinking"! As future business leaders, you should carry forward the spirit of Peking University.  Today's changing situation of global politics and economics is calling for your independent thinking and multi-dimensional learning. You should not be bound by your own thoughts, and you should not easily negate others' ideas. Professors of BIMBA are all leaders in their respective fields of study, and they will undoubtedly bring to you abundant knowledge and experiences from academic contents to business practices. Students here are from all walks of life with different backgrounds and experiences. How can one not expect the sparks of thought and idea of innovation from such a fabulous combination?

 

Focusing on HR function of multinationals during the last 20 years, I have read innumerable persons. I am also fortunate and honored to serve as an interviewer of BiMBA MBA applicants. I have witnessed lots of people's momentary triumph in their corporate world but also seen their hesitation when encountering career bottlenecks. I witnessed the glory of excellent leaders, and also have watched the rainbow side by side with them after the storm.  You chose to study here today because you have higher expectations for your career development. Some hope for a step up; others hope that their experiences in BIMBA will bring good luck to the next job. Some students are or about to start their own businesses; others wish to meet high expectations of the family and take over the family business. No matter what your expectations are, I sincerely wish you all the best luck and success! However, I don't wish to see that success is being defined narrowly as a promotion and salary increase only. I don't wish to see you push and trample on each other in crowded teams for climbing up the ladder to the top of the pyramid or even become a shameful "refined egoist" that puts one's own self-interest above that of colleagues, teams, companies, and society.  A true business leader must be a wise person with dreams and constant learning, a brave person with ambitions without fear of failure, and a pioneer of innovations, breakthroughs, and transformations. I believe that through your studies in BIMBA, there will be many such leaders among you!

 

As a mentor, also a student, I have been dedicated to many discussions with my mentees and my own mentor, regarding how to manage up, as well as how to be politically savvy in an organization.  Both are the critical topics for a leader to live with.  However, in the end, you could find out that the behind each topic, there is always a question: what are your values and what will be your epitaph.

 

What is the value?  Take the example of the Healthcare industry I currently serve for, do you put integrity on top of everything, even more, important than your own performance and promotion?  Being confronted with the conflict between quality and business margin, do you deem patients as your beloved family members when you make final decisions?

 

What does epitaph mean?  As Steven Convey, the founder of 7-Habits, said: after finishing the entire life journey, what do I want my family and friends to say about me in my epitaph?  Is it a role model for my next generations, or a crazy profit-seeker loaded with money but a pitiful beggar spiritually?

 

I believe that the key to the answers of these serious questions will be found here in BiMBA, in your continuous learnings and in discussions in your class.

 

You come to BiMBA with a dream of learning at a global top university.  Peking University with its long history, together with NSD, VIerick, and UCL, has built a distinguished culture for BIMBA, shaping BiMBA into a unique leading platform for deep communication and disruptive thinking between the East and the West. Lang Run Garden, would be a peaceful land where you can dive deep into your own reflections and learnings, away from the ever-changing outside world.  It would also be a wonderland to inspire you for innovation!  As a BiMBA student who returns to classroom from the office building, you will soon realize it's too short a period and too precious to waste any second here during your MBA study, whether your course lasts 24 months for part-time student or 12 months for the full-timer.  Therefore, I encourage you to cherish every second, every minute and every day with BIMBA, from today!

 

As for closing, please allow me to quote a short sentence from Steve Jobs:  Stay hungry, Stay foolish!

Let's all remember:

       Promoting Ideological Freedom and incorporating things of diverse nature

       Live your dream and never give up

       Treasure our time at Lang Run, Live a fulfilling and rewarding life

Thank you!