Exploring business horizons during the Greater China Business Conference

By Emma (Chuanshu) Shi ’25 Two-Year MBA Program 

As a first year MBA student at Kellogg, I am honored to have served as a director of content and speakers for this year’s Greater China Business Conference. The hard work into preparing for the conference all paid off when seeing speakers and panelists engage in insightful conversations and attendees enjoy the event on the conference day.

The theme for this year’s Greater China Business Conference was “Navigate Beyond Borders: Changes, Opportunities, and Collaborations.” Thanks to the collective efforts of the entire executive team, we were thrilled to welcome over 160 students, professionals and industry experts on Mar. 2, 2024, to engage in discussions surrounding the evolving business landscapes and complexities of both the U.S. and Greater China.

The conference commenced with a warm welcome address from assistant dean of student life Fran Langewisch, who encouraged attendees to “engage deeply, question boldly, and network openly.”  The event kicked off with a keynote delivered by Larry Liu, the CEO of Weee!. Larry shared his personal journey and the origin story of his company, which initially focused on enabling group-buys and later transitioned into the fastest growing ethnic online grocer.

The morning session of conference also featured two panel discussions centered around the themes of cross-border e-commerce in Asia-Pacific (APAC) and the future of electrical vehicle adoption in China and the U.S..  

The afternoon sessions started with a noteworthy highlight from professor John L. Rogers during his panel “Has China Peaked & Why Should the World Care.” The esteemed scholar with nearly 30 years of experience working in Asia eloquently intertwined the historical development, changes and potential growth of China providing attendees with a comprehensive perspective on the nation. After discussing topics of current challenges from demography, property market and deflation, he explained how China is committing to education, research and development and next-generation technology. 

Professor Rogers also addressed the U.S. and China relationship and its shifting perspective from “hatred” to “distrust” about how the U.S. views China. Noting that the status of the relationship is constantly changing, he remains hopeful about its future. 

It was exciting to see how the panel I was responsible for over the past months turned into a reality. The panel was focused on driving growth and shaping the future through entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in both countries. Delivering a warm introduction, professor Tim Calkins set the stage for two panelists from diverse backgrounds: Yanchun Liu, a senior global marketing manager at Mars, who shared her insights and experiences in navigating the rapidly evolving Chinese market; and John Hui, a serial entrepreneur in the healthcare sector, who provided a unique perspective on growth and innovation, shedding light on the complexities of the U.S. healthcare system. 

Rounding out the engaging discussion, Yanchun offered valuable advice to students encouraging them to not be too harsh on themselves and to embrace cultural sharing. Hui underscored the importance of networking stating that “while what you know is important, in the end, it is not about what you know but who you know.”

In the informative and inspiring panel on ”The Shifting Sands of the Global AI Landscape” panelists shared their career progressions, considerations for large tech companies when exploring innovation and how the future of AI will look like in a global perspective. The conference concluded with an engaging networking session. Throughout the day, attendees showed enthusiasm in interacting with panelists, and we received numerous positive feedback on the various activities. 

Collaborating with the incredible team was a rewarding journey to help make the conference come to fruition. I also enjoyed engaging with speakers and panelists and am grateful for the support we received from Kellogg staff during the day of the conference. As a member of the Greater China Club executive team, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to all attendees and contributors for making the conference a resounding success. We eagerly anticipate continued conversations around differences and similarities between U.S. and China including trends and innovations in these two world's largest economies and opportunities for collaboration between the two countries.

Read Next: Faculty Corner: Insights and views on AI and technology