On June 22, French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe attended the signing ceremony for upcoming strategic collaboration between SUSTech and HEC Paris in Shenzhen. Attendees included French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation Frédérique Vidal, Dean of HEC Paris Peter Todd, Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Huang Min, and SUSTech President Chen Shiyi. SUSTech Vice President Tang Tao and Associate Dean of HEC Paris François Collin signed the agreement on behalf of their respective institutions.
According to the agreement, SUSTech and HEC Paris will collaborate on academic research, joint education and exchanges of both faculty and students. An innovation platform initiated by the French government will also be set up in Shenzhen to facilitate in-depth technological collaborations between China and France.
Édouard Philippe delivered the opening speech, emphasizing the rich history of Sino-French economic cooperation in Shenzhen. He said he chose Shenzhen as the first stop in China because he was amazed by the city’s massive development in only four decades. Philippe hoped to see more innovative enterprises from both China and France grow in Shenzhen, and he expected a new chapter of Sino-French economic collaboration in the city.
Peter Todd said the strategic collaboration is a vital opportunity for China and France to increase their competitiveness in Asia and Europe respectively, which would also promote the mobility of resources for students, faculty members, start-up businesses and hi-tech companies. Todd praised the achievements SUSTech has made so far, hoping HEC Paris could use the collaboration opportunity to expand its influence in China.
Chen Shiyi acknowledged HEC Paris’ leading status across Europe and at a global level and believed the collaboration would bring considerable benefits to various organizations in Europe, Asia, and China. More specifically, the SUSTech-HEC collaboration could enhance Shenzhen’s leading role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Shenzhen Greater Bay Area by providing a golden opportunity for management personnel to improve their professional skills.
The HEC Paris Delegation also visited the SUSTech campus and attended meetings on in-depth discussions regarding the strategic collaboration.
HEC Paris (French: École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris) is an international business school established in 1881. Among the most selective French grandes écoles, HEC Paris offers its flagship Masters in Management, MBA, and EMBA programs, specialized MSc programs, a Ph.D. program, and executive education offerings. It is the founding member of CEMS – Global Alliance in Management Education and holds the triple accreditation (AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS). According to Financial Times, HEC Paris was Europe’s No.1 business school for eight consecutive years, and its Masters in Finance program was recognized as the world’s best in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. In 2017, Times Higher Education ranked HEC Paris as the world’s third best university for fostering famous CEOS and the 23rd best university for employment upon graduation.
