When John Quelch became dean of the China Europe International Business School last February, China had recently finished celebrating the Chinese New Year, a time of rebirth and new beginnings for the country. It was a fresh start as well for Quelch, an expert on global business strategy, who left Harvard Business School behind to take the helm at CEIBS, one of China’s thriving and well-known business schools.
The deanship is a familiar role for Quelch, who served as dean of London Business School from 1998 to 2001, and more recently at Harvard, as a senior associate dean. But unlike Harvard Business School where he taught since 1979, or the U.K., where Quelch was born and educated, China is relatively new and exciting ground for him.
In 2009, he took a sabbatical from Harvard to serve as a visiting professor at CEIBS, where he got a chance to spend time with faculty and students, and familiarize himself with the school’s three campuses in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzen. During his time there, he worked on a case study that looked at the different strategic options CEIBS could take in the future. His work and ideas so impressed the CEIBS faculty that they invited him back in 2011 to become the school’s next dean.
Bloomberg Businessweek’s Alison Damast recently spoke with Quelch about his new role, his plans to hire more world-class faculty and long-term vision for the school. Here is an edited transcript of their conversation:
You were a visiting professor at CEIBS before you accepted the deanship. What role did that experience play in helping you decide to take on the deanship at CEIBS?
The timing is good in terms of the surging importance of China on the world stage. I wasn’t so interested in leading a business school in Singapore, which in some respects is now no longer the gateway to Asia because frankly, most companies don’t need a gateway anymore. Hong Kong, I think, is China light, so from my point of view the only really interesting opportunity was likely to be in the belly of the beast, if you will, in mainland China.
You’ve been at CEIBS for a little over six months now. What are some of the first things you’ve tackled since you arrived?
Shortly after I arrived, we put in place what was essentially a new position for the school, which we’ve termed “China Depth, Global Breadth.” The rational behind that position is no international school can match us on Chinese depth and no Chinese school can match us on global breadth. As China internationalizes, Chinese companies are going overseas and multinationals are coming inbound. As the trade and investment flow continues to increase, we feel this position represents a sweet spot that competitors can’t match. I would call it a competitive positioning.
Read the full article: Quelch’s Bold Vision for CEIBS