On May 25-26, 2007, more than 460 alumni and business leaders gathered at the brand-new Four Seasons Hong Kong for an intense Global Alumni Forum filled with panels and presentations. The theme of the conference was “Up and Down the Capitalist Road,” exploring the economic transformation of Asia and Greater China from the unique vantage point of Hong Kong.
As Wharton Dean Patrick Harker explained, “This theme represents the experience of not only Hong Kong, but also China, Asia, and the world… there are very few simply local or regional issues. We now understand that we must examine every major challenge in its broadest, global context.”
Kyle Shaw, WG’87, founding partner and managing director of Shaw Kwei & Partners, as well as the president of the Wharton Club of Hong Kong, was chairman of the organizing committee, and Paul M.F. Cheng, WG’61, Chairman of The Link Management Ltd., led the advisory committee.
Together, they recruited notable speakers at the event including BHP Billiton CEO Charles W. Goodyear, WG’83, Hopewell Holdings Chairman Sir Gordon Y.S. Wu, Yum! Brands, Inc. President (China) Sam Su, WG’83, and honorary chairman K.P. Chao, Chairman of the Board, Novel Enterprises Ltd. and a 2004 recipient of the Wharton Dean’s Medal. Topics at the forum varied from alternative investments and the role central banks play in their respective countries, to China’s growth prospects and its growing relationship with the United States. The event closed out with a performance by renowned Mandarin and Cantopop singer/actress Coco Lee.
First International Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists
In conjunction with the Global Alumni Forum, the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists Program held a special one-day session on May 24, 2007, at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. The program, which has been ongoing for nearly four decades and is traditionally held each October at the Wharton School in Philadelphia, aims to give business journalists a better grasp of business and economic issues.
The Hong Kong seminar was comprised of presentations by Wharton professors Marshall Meyer and Richard Herring and an informal luncheon discussion panel with professors Eric Bradlow, Raphael “Raffi” Amit, and Director of MBA Admissions Thomas Caleel. Participating journalists represented many top-tier publications in China, including the Financial Times, Bloomberg News, Hong Kong Economic Times, and the South China Morning Post.
