Yale Cooperates With TEDA to Help Enhance Management Skills of Chinese Government Officials and Corporate Competitiveness

TIANJIN, China, May 19 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The management committee of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (also called "TEDA") partnered with School of Management, Yale University, the US, to host the "TEDA-Yale Leadership Training Program," in order to further improve the management skills of executives and senior government officials in TEDA, expand their awareness of international affairs, strengthen their abilities in strategy development and planning against the backdrop of industry chain globalization, and enhance the competitiveness of enterprises in TEDA in the global market. The opening ceremony for the program was held in TEDA on May 17th.

Zhou Wenzhong, a member of the 11th CPPCC National Committee, former vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Chinese Embassy to the United States and current secretary-general of the Boao Forum for Asia; Cui Jindu, deputy mayor and member of the Standing Committee of the Tianjin Municipal Committee; He Shushan, a member of the Standing Committee of Tianjin Binhai New Area, party secretary and director of the TEDA Administrative Commission; Zhang Ruigang, deputy director and member of the Standing Committee of Tianjin Binhai New Area; Ni Xiangyu, vice director of the TEDA Administrative Commission; James Levinsohn, director of the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University; Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Senior Associate Dean and Founder of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute at Yale School of Management; and Viktor Sekmakas, global vice president and Asia-Pacific president of PPG, among others, were present and delivered speeches at the ceremony.

Cui Jindu said that the TEDA-Yale Leadership Training Program provides government departments and enterprises in Binhai New Area with an opportunity to learn from and exchange with each other. The program is of great importance to further broaden government officials' and corporate executives' awareness of international affairs, strengthen their leadership and decision-making skills, drive regional economic development and enhance the international competitiveness of enterprises. The cooperation between two parties will help advance each student's management skills and abilities and help students keep up to date with the world's advanced theories and thoughts. The two parties are expected to discuss more cooperative issues in more fields in the future.

According to He Shushan, this cooperation, which represents a powerful partnership endowed with a promising future between the world's leading business school and one of China's top export-oriented development areas, will create win-win benefits for Yale and TEDA. It will help improve TEDA's overall management level and capabilities, continuously enhancing both the parties' growth. Yale has made comprehensive plans and arrangements, from selecting professors to designing courses, so the elite team of Yale professors will bring TEDA the most modern concepts, as well as hands-on experience and skills. In addition, students participating in the training will share the most cutting-edge academic perspectives in business development and leadership with world-class teachers, which will help strengthen students' management level and capabilities as well as broaden their visions.

All the participating members of the TEDA-Yale Leadership Training Program are senior corporate executives and government officials in the district. Cathy Yan, Program Strategic Partner and General Manager, Government Affairs and Business Development, PPG Asia/Pacific, said: "The Yale leadership training course will bring the latest and most forward-thinking ideas to the Binhai New Area government and businesses. Executives and officials' significant improvement in know-how and skills are required for the fast development of Binhai New Area. This leadership course will bring lots of new ideas to the area. A number of entrepreneurs and officials have showed strong interest in the course, and I am one of the students. I hope that enterprises will gain stronger footprints in Binhai New Area through the course."

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Senior Associate Dean and Founder of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute at Yale School of Management, recognized the growth speed and quality of Binhai New Area. He said, "This is my first trip to Tianjin and the visit has left me an astonishing impression. Many of our team members at the trip are experts in industrial planning, they are also very surprised to witness the rapid development again they had seen in Pudong 12 or 13 years ago, which they thought could not be reproduced in the future. Moreover, we have seen the establishment of many factories and the sustainable development of the city, including water utility and transportation management; all have been well planned."

The TEDA-Yale Leadership Training Program mainly includes research on leadership and strategy development, analysis of domestic and international macro-economic situations and environmental issues, green action, and sustainable development. Yale University will arrange well-known professors from various fields to give lectures. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld said he hopes the training program will positively contribute to the sound and fast development of Binhai New Area. "We will focus on five aspects in the course, one of which is how the government works with enterprises. We are also concerned about how to achieve sustainable development and environmental protection while focusing on what kind of leadership can successfully manage their businesses in China as well as overseas markets. The results of this training will be significant," Jeffrey Sonnenfeld said.

The TEDA-Yale Leadership Training Program is sponsored by the government of TEDA and Yale University, in collaboration with PPG Industries. The program is a four-day training in TEDA for 50 corporate executives and senior government officials in TEDA. Yale University will send distinguished professors in various fields to give lectures, including Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Senior Associate Dean of Yale School of Management, who was named one of Business Week's Ten Most Influential Business School Professors, and Professor Daniel C. Esty, who was named to the transition team of President-elect Barack Obama as an adviser on environment and energy. Courses will mainly cover research on leadership and strategy development, analysis on domestic and international macro-economic situations and environmental issues, theories about and cases of public relations and collaboration, analysis on human resources and business environment, green action and sustainable development.

SOURCE Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area