This is a feature that appeared on Scotsman.com
Sir Tom Hunter has launched a venture to bring British and Chinese business leaders together at a three-day summit at the Cambridge Judge Business School in the autumn.
The project will involve a collaboration between Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), which is backed by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, and Cambridge’s business school. A group of 75 entrepreneurs will gather in November for an executive education programme designed to enhance their knowledge and business networks.
Already 13 have signed up, including Gilad Tiefenbrun, the chief executive of hi-fi manufacturer Linn, and David Moulsdale, chairman and chief executive of the Optical Express Group.
Hunter said: “No business can afford to ignore China and the opportunities it presents, or underestimate the importance of its business sector to the current and future global economy.
“China’s growth potential is phenomenal and the West needs to learn from China’s economic development, flexibility, adaptability and vision. Strategies that were relevant just a few years ago are now out of date due to a number of socio-demographic and economic reasons.”
Tiefenbrun, who has studied basic Mandarin at Glasgow University, said China was his firm’s “number-one market for growth”.
Professor Peter Williamson, from Cambridge Judge Business School, added: “It’s almost impossible not to be excited by the potential of the Chinese market. But it is also easy to have spirited discussions about strategies that are little more than pipedreams.
“To have the option to actually win in China requires us to be able to build our knowledge and capabilities on the ground in China – and fast.”
