Media

EMBA-Global, the top-ranked partnership programme between Columbia Business School and London Business School, is expanding to Asia. London Business School and Columbia Business School are launching EMBA-Global Asia in partnership with The University of Hong Kong.

EMBA-Global Asia will be the first and only programme to offer learning and networking opportunities across the three cities which most drive global business: New York, London and Hong Kong, as well as in the hub of China's most dynamic city, Shanghai.

The programme has been designed specifically for globally-focused executives and managers, primarily based in Asia, who seek to deepen their understanding of both Western and Eastern business perspectives and who are passionate about the opportunities offered by Asia's rapid economic development.

Specifics of the programme:

• The inaugural class will commence in May 2009 with an expected cohort of approximately 50 students.
• The programme will be a 20 month intensive programme.
• Students will receive, on completion, a joint MBA degree awarded by London Business School, The University of Hong Kong, and Columbia University.
• The rigorous academic curriculum will be taught at premier facilities in Hong Kong/Shanghai, London and New York, with study in other global regions on the International Seminars and Assignments.

Key Benefits of EMBA-Global Asia

• Peer exchange among high-calibre, experienced students will enhance the learning environment and stimulate classroom discussion and group work.
• Students will take their learning back to have an immediate and practicable impact on their organisations, demonstrating their leadership potential and accelerating their careers.
• The programme will provide an unparalleled network, including alumni of the three schools, students from London and Columbia Business Schools' other Executive MBA programmes, and the numerous, well-known business practitioners who will visit the classroom.

"This new program will give students the opportunity to benefit from everything EMBA-Global offers - access to global networks, to world-renowned faculties, exceptional alumni networks and world business capitals - plus the stimulating and profoundly important markets of Hong Kong and Shanghai. It will be a truly unparalleled global business education, "says London Business School Dean Robin Buchanan. "We are delighted to be working with Columbia and HKU on this exciting initiative. London Business School's strategic partnerships re-enforce our already powerful abilities to develop truly outstanding leaders capable of operating across the world."

 "EMBA-Global Asia sets a new global standard of excellence that powerfully unites the premier universities of the world's three top business centres - London, Hong Kong, New York," says Dean Gary C. Biddle, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong.  "Joining the top-ranked EMBA-Global programme of London Business School and Columbia Business School with the prominence and Asian expertise of The University of Hong Kong is a combination that no other Executive MBA programme can match.  EMBA-Global Asia offers participants renowned faculty, cutting-edge East-West insights, and networking with prominent peers, business leaders, policy makers and the "who's who" alumni of the top universities of their regions.  EMBA-Global Asia is world-spanning, world-linking and world-leading."

"With our partners at London Business School, Columbia is proud to bring EMBA-Global's expertise and its unequalled learning experience to the region. The expansion of EMBA-Global to Asia furthers the Columbia Business School mission of bridging academic theory and real-world practice by connecting the world's best business faculty with business leaders and students on a worldwide scale," notes Glenn Hubbard, Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics and Dean of Columbia Business School. "With the rich talent pool of students from Asia, together with our faculty thought leadership and an unparalleled alumni network, EMBA-Global Asia will redefine management education and help shape tomorrow's global marketplace."

Notes for Editors

LONDON

London Business School is situated in the heart of a global financial capital that has more international banks than any other city in the world. It is also one of the most exciting and cosmopolitan cities in the world with more than 300 languages spoken every day. There is no better place to experience the world of business from the European perspective: "the world's best-connected city" is host to 75% of the Fortune 500, and London Business School's central location allows students to engage and foster relationships with executives on all levels in a wide variety of industries.  

London Business School's purpose is to develop break-through insights and successful leaders that have a positive impact on business around the world. Our Vision is to be the pre-eminent global business school, nurturing talent and advancing knowledge in a multi-national, multicultural environment. Founded in 1965, the School graduated over 800 MBAs, Executive MBAs, Masters in Finance, Sloan Fellows and PhDs from over 70 countries last year. The School's executive education department serves over 6,000 executives on its programmes every year. London Business School is based in the most accessible and international city in the world and is one of only two UK business schools to have twice been awarded the highest research rating of five-star (5*), by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), confirming the School as a centre of world-class research in business and management. (For more information, visit:- http://www.london.edu/)

For further information please contact:

Kate Watkins
Media Relations Manager
London Business School
+44 (0)20 7000 7251
mailto:kwatkins@london.edu

Hillary Choularton
PR Officer
London Business School
+44 (0)20 7000 7252
hchoularton@london.edu

HONG KONG

HKU is Hong Kong's first and foremost university, with a history of nearly 100 years and is ranked 18^th among the world's top universities by The Times Higher Education Supplement (2007).  Our alumni are the "who's who" leaders of the region in business, education and government, including 11 of 15 Secretaries of the HKSAR Government. 

HKU's Faculty of Business and Economics offers a full range of eight Bachelors degree programmes and five Masters programmes (including full- and part-time MBA, International MBA, Master of Economics, and Master of Finance), plus PhD degree and non-degree open enrollment and customized Executive Education programmes.

Bachelor's degree programmes attract top students from Hong Kong and the region, with four ranking among HKU's top ten programmes in terms of average JUPAS entry scores (2007-08). More than 30% of HKU's elite students admitted via the "Early Admission Students" (2008) choose the Faculty's programmes. 

The full-time MBA programme, offered in partnership with Columbia Business School and London Business School, is ranked 37^th among the world's top MBA programmes by the Economist Intelligence Unit (2007).  The International MBA offered in collaboration with Fudan University in Shanghai has twice been ranked "best of its kind" in Mainland China by the Academic Degrees Committee of the China State Council.

The research excellence has enabled HKU to assume the position of the most successful university in Hong Kong in terms of securing competitive research funding from the Research Grants Council (RGC). (For more information, visit:- http://www.fbe.hku.hk/)

For further information please contact:

Susan Leung
Director of PR & Marketing
Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong
+852 2219 4466
leungsue@hku.hk

Amy Wong
Assistant Director of PR
Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Hong Kong
+852 2219 4461
amysw.wong@hku.hk

NEW YORK

About Columbia Business School

Led by Dean R. Glenn Hubbard, the Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics, Columbia Business School is at the forefront of management education for a rapidly changing world. The school's innovative program bridges academic theory and practice, equipping students with an entrepreneurial mindset to recognize and capture opportunity in a competitive business environment.

The core curriculum emphasizes business fundamentals while allowing students flexibility in tailoring requirements to their career goals. Master Classes, co-led by faculty and business practitioners, require students to make managerial decisions or recommendations on real-world problems companies need solved. Columbia CaseWorks draws from faculty research and presents students with teaching materials that develop the ability to make decisions from uncertainty. The Program on Social Intelligence, based in psychology and social science research, imparts skills for leading and managing individuals, teams and networks.

Beyond academic rigor and teaching excellence, Columbia Business School's New York City location provides a living laboratory with access to the city's firms and industry leaders, many of whom are alumni. Columbia Business School students are encouraged to leverage the powerful global alumni network of 36,000 in more than 100 countries to access information, mentors, internships and careers paths.

In addition to MBA and Executive MBA (EMBA) degrees, the School offers non-degree Executive Education programs. (For more information, visit:- http://www.gsb.columbia.edu/.)

For further information, please contact:

Keshia Mark
Columbia Business School
+1.212.854.2747
Klm74@columbia.edu