HKU Business School Inaugurates Shanghai Centre and Establishes East China Alumni Association
HKU Business School officially inaugurated its Shanghai Centre (the Centre) and established the East China Alumni Association on 6 December 2025. This significant milestone marks a major step forward in the strategic expansion of HKU Business School into Shanghai and the University’s contribution to China’s national development. It also creates a new platform for deeper academic exchange, industry collaboration, and technological innovation between Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Located at the Bund SOHO in Huangpu District, the HKU Business School Shanghai Centre adopts a “One School, Three Platforms, Dual Engines” development model. The Centre will focus on academic development, industry conversion services, and sci-tech innovation incubation. Driven by the dual engines of digital intelligence and FinTech research, the Centre aims to become an international innovation and commercial cooperation hub that embraces a “Technology × Humanities” mindset.
Professor Max Shen, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU and Chair Professor in the HKU Faculty of Engineering and HKU Business School, delivered congratulatory remarks at the event. He expressed his anticipation that HKU’s advanced academic philosophy and strong technological research capabilities will unlock the vast potential of Shanghai’s dynamic economy.
Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean and Chair of Economics at HKU Business School, stated that the opening of the Shanghai Centre signifies the completion of the School’s preliminary strategic layout in the Chinese Mainland. Following the establishment of the Beijing and Shenzhen Centres, this move represents a crucial step towards the School’s goal of becoming a leading international business school most deeply integrated with the Chinese Mainland economy.
Held concurrently with the opening ceremony was the inaugural “Shanghai–Hong Kong Forum”. Experts and scholars from government, industry, and academia gathered to discuss emerging issues such as the development of “Specialised, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative” enterprises, the strengthening of economic links across China, new trends in Chinese enterprises’ global expansion, and the direction of financial reforms. The Forum is planned as an annual event to promote academic research, technological innovation, and industrial activities between Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The event also marked the official establishment of the HKU Business School East China Alumni Network. This is the School’s third regional alumni association in the Chinese Mainland, following the South China and North China alumni networks.
Leveraging the support of more than 7,000 entrepreneur alumni in the region, the Shanghai Centre will deepen cooperation across four key sectors: government, enterprise, academia, and scientific research. This collaborative approach is designed to foster business innovation and regional economic development throughout Shanghai and East China.
Photo Caption
(From left) Dr. Ertian Su, President of the HKU Business School East China Alumni Association; Professor Haipeng Shen, Associate Dean of HKU Business School; Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean of HKU Business School; Professor Max Shen, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU; Mr. Zhen Zhao, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Mr. Zhi Xu, Member of the Standing Committee of the Huangpu District Committee and Deputy District Mayor; Mr. Zhihui Chen, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Division of the Shanghai Municipal Government Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office; and Ms. Jin Xu, Chairman and Co-CEO of SOHO China, jointly officiated the launch ceremony of the HKU Business School Shanghai Centre.
