The Stephen M. Ross School of Business of University of Michigan (UM) and UM-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UM-SJTU JI) of SJTU have jointly launched the Automotive Executive Development Program (EDP). The kickoff ceremony held in Shanghai on April 28 was attended by leaders of the two institutes, invited guests and the first batch of EDP students.
Six keynote speakers attended the opening ceremony, including Min Xu, Director of SJTU Institute of Automotive Engineering, Feng Shen, President of Volvo Car China R&D, Thomas Stanley, Partner, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Knowledge Officer of KPMG China, William Liu, Associate Professor of Tsinghua Automotive Strategy Research Institute, Freeman Shen, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of WM Motor, and John Wu, Founder and Chairman of F&H Fund Management. They were joined by other dignitaries including Ning Shao, Chief Executive of the Michigan China Center, Peter Ping Hua, Managing Partner of Softbank China Venture Capital, Liming Yu, Chairman of Zhejiang Liming Engine Parts Co., Ltd., Tom Tan, Vice President of BorgWarner Inc. & President of BorgWarner China.
Peisen Huang, Dean of JI, extended a warm welcome to the guests and program students. He pointed out that a thorough understanding of the auto industry’s technology and new trends, strong global management capabilities and competitive marketing strategies are the keys for senior managers to succeed in the industry. He believed that this first collaboration with the UM Ross Business School would help program participants expand their horizons and forge upgrades of the automotive industry.
Through video conference, M.S. Krishnan, Associate Dean of the Ross School of Business congratulated on the landmark event. He briefed on the background and development of the program and expressed his hope that through the two weeks of learning, students would be able to put forward new ideas and strategies to tackle the challenges of the automotive industry.
Guests and representatives celebrating the kickoff of the program
Min Xu, Feng Shen, Thomas Stanley, William Liu, Freeman Shen and John Wu delivered keynote speeches on industry trends of the automotive industry, including technological innovation, future traffic development, industry remodeling and strategic opportunities, global economy, finance, and capital investment. The speeches received warm responses from the program participants who expressed high remarks on the speakers’ forward-looking thinking, insightful points and rich experiences.
A panel discussion was held as the last part of the ceremony, bringing William Liu, Liming Yu, John Wu, Tom Tan and Tina Zhou, CEO of GASGOO International to the stage. Hot topics such as the future development and restructuring of the automotive industry, including autonomous driving, new energy and the Shanghai auto show were discussed.
Following the kickoff event, the EDP program participants will start a two-week immersive learning journey in the United States, featuring high-level course study and visits to large-scale automotive companies and government offices. The program delving into disruptive changes that are dramatically reshaping the auto industry, is expected to help participants master the strategies coping with these changes and bring them to higher levels of global success.
