Wang Shihao, senior executive vice president of Bank of Shanghai, welcomes Wharton alumni to the reunion party.
CLUB SPOTLIGHT: SHANGHAI
Strengthened with reunion, new office, and new staff for Shanghai Club
On December 1, 2005, the Wharton Club of Shanghai held a reunion for all alumni in China to announce the establishment of a Shanghai Representative Office. The event attracted almost 300 alumni from the undergraduate, MBA, doctoral, and executive programs. Wharton has a long history in China, and this event was proof — the oldest attendee, Albert Chang (Zhang Zhen), earned his doctorate from Wharton in 1945!
Shanghai office to establish new programs
The Office will support faculty research on China, the development of the Chinese language edition of Knowledge@Wharton, new executive education initiatives in China, and other China-related programs. In attendance were over 300 guests representing all of the School’s divisions, and distinguished guests including Ding Xue-xiang, Director General of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Personnel. The office will be led by Phillip Y. Wu, WG’95, who will serve as managing director. Phillip is president of the Wharton Club of Shanghai.
The Wharton Shanghai Representative Office will take a lead role in the marketing, design and support of short-term executive education programs in China. Other initiatives have included the Shanghai Municipal Government Program, to prepare Shanghai government officials to broaden their global view and build their business knowledge and leadership capabilities, and a partnership with Dazhong Transportation (Group) Co., Ltd., to help this company’s executives learn about U.S. trends and best practices.
Reunion event for a club with a long successful history
The reunion event was organized by the Wharton Club of Shanghai, and was sponsored by UBS China and its Chairman, David Li, WG’92; and the Bank of Shanghai and its Chairman, Fu Jian Hua. The Club and its ties to the business community in Shanghai go back almost 20 years. The Club was established in 1987 by 14 alumni to build a channel for the exchange between/among the school, the alumni in Shanghai and alumni from other regions. Over the years the Club has held many events and hosted numerous leaders from government, business, and academia. The Club has hosted faculty and administration on an ongoing partnership to build Wharton’s presence in this thriving city.
For more information about events and joining the Wharton Club of Shanghai visit www.wharton china.org/
Gerardo Quiroga, WG’96, and Luis Katz, WG’95, browse Wharton School Publishing titles at a Wharton Club of Mexico City event.
CLUB SPOTLIGHT: MEXICO CITY
The Wharton Spirit in Mexico: The Alumni Club of Mexico City
After a period of relative quietude, the Wharton Club of Mexico City has experienced a resurgence since June 2004 when Julio de Quesada, WG’76, led the Wharton Latin American Global Alumni Forum in Mexico City. In 2005, the Club organized a flurry of activities, including hosting a guest speaker, Ricardo Salinas Pliego, who spoke about his success in television and communications. Other programs included an event welcoming the Class of 2007 Lauder students in the MBA/MA program and a breakfast with Senator Demetrio Sodi, a candidate for mayor of Mexico City. The Club has also participated in several worldwide events arranged by the School, including the May 2005 Alumni Leadership conference in Philadelphia, attended by Gerald J. Hamilton, WG’80, and the MBA World Tour and Information Session for MBA candidates. Perhaps the highlight of the year was a visit from Professor David Reibstein, who spoke to the Club about Marketing Metrics.
Remembering a successful year
Each November, the Wharton Club of Mexico City holds an event where it honors the contributions of its members. At the 2005 event, Julio de Quesada, who won the 2004 Outstanding Alumni Award, presented the 2005 award to Mario San Miguel, WG’71. The Club announced a donation to an Education Fund in Mexico City that works with underprivileged children, and presented Monty Harris of Wharton’s Alumni Affairs office with a donation to the Wharton Fund.
For more information about events and joining the Wharton Club of Mexico City please visit www.clubwharton.com.mx.
CLUB SPOTLIGHT: WHARTON HEDGE FUND NETWORK OF THE WHARTON CLUB OF NEW YORK
Networking in a hot industry
Given the risks that today’s businesses and investors face — fluctuating commodity markets, social and political developments around the globe, and damages caused by natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina — there is great demand for hedge funds to preserve and grow assets despite adverse events. So in early 2005, the Wharton Hedge Fund Network (WHFN) was founded as an Affinity Group of the Wharton Club of New York. Joëlle “Jewel” Huijnen, WG’03, of ABP Investments, Frank Frecentese, WG’01, of Morgan Stanley and Jason Breemen, WG’02, of UBS run the WHFN.
WHFN is open to Wharton alumni in any location currently working in any of the three categories of the hedge fund community: traditional hedge fund managers who seek out investments in various types of securities; allocators, who build “funds of hedge funds” to diversify across the various hedge fund strategies; and the firms who provide services to fund managers and allocators (including attorneys, accountants, prime brokers and other service providers). Though the Affinity Group is considering holding events for those seeking to learn more about employment opportunities in the hedge fund space, WHFN’s focus is firmly on providing advanced knowledge to those with experience in hedge funds.
Learning from industry leaders
WHFN has had a highly successful first year, and has benefited greatly from the fact that many of our own Wharton alumni are leading players in the hedge fund space. The Group has held seven events to date, and has attracted several well-renowned speakers, including Dan Zwirn, W’93, Barry Rosenstein, WG’84, and Cliff Asness, W’88. Zwirn, Rosenstein, and Asness all founded and manage multi billion -dollar hedge funds (D.B. Zwirn & Co, JANA Partners, and AQR Capital, respectively) and have built impressive track records in the hedge fund arena. WHFN has also held events with panels of speakers on cutting-edge industry topics, including its most recent, “Approaching the New Frontier — Where Reinsurance and Hedge Funds Meet.”
If you’d like more information about the WHFN and its activities, email <whfn@whartonny.com> or visit the Wharton Club of New York’s site at <www.whartonny.com>, and click on “Special Interest Groups” and “Affinity Groups
