Manchester Business School opens new China Centre in Shanghai

06 Dec 2013

The grand opening ceremony of Manchester Business School‘s new China Centre was held on 12 November in Shanghai

Occupying more than 1,000 square meters, the new office is four times larger than the previous one in order to accommodate the growing student body in Shanghai. It is located in the prestigious Shanghai Centre in the central business district of Shanghai. The Centre's first class facilities include audio-visual systems and free Internet services for visitors and students.

Professor Keith Brown, Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, along with Professor Fiona Devine, Dean of Manchester Business School, and Mr Nigel Banister, Chief Global Officer of Manchester Business School, made the special trip to China to attend the grand opening ceremony. Representatives from MBS partner institutions Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tongji University and senior executives from major multinational companies were also present at the event.

A short film, commissioned for the event, introduced the MBS China Centre and showed the five-year milestones of the MBS China Centre from the “Cube” to the well-equipped centre. Nigel Banister thanked all the participants for supporting MBS and emphasised the importance of developing the China Centre as one of the strategies of the school’s internationalisation.

Keynote speeches were given by Professor Keith Brown on behalf of the University and by Matt Burney, Area Director of the British Council, which represents the British government, social institutions and organizations.

The highlight of the ceremony was the opening of traditional ‘virtual’ Chinese doors by Professor Keith Brown, Professor Fiona Devine, Mr Nigel Banister and Ms Sherry Fu.

Sherry Fu, Regional Director of Manchester Business School, who is also the founding director of the MBS China centre, explained in her address that the new centre was carefully designed by combining western and eastern styles together with the overall style of MBS in the UK. Ms. Fu said MBS China Centre is committed to provide world-class business education opportunities to the Chinese people, continuously making a contribution to society and development of regional education.

Pictured from left to right are: Professor Keith Brown, Professor Fiona Devine, Ms Sherry Fu and Mr Nigel Banister