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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) announced today the appointment of Prof Liu Yingli, former executive Committee Member and Executive Deputy Mayor of the Shenzhen Government, and President of Shenzhen Innovation CXO Club, as Advisory Board Member of its research center, Center for Business Innovation and Globalization (Center BiG) with immediate effect. Professor Liu will provide Center BiG with valuable advice on technology innovation in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and mainland China, as well as globalization and future development. 

“I am very pleased to witness the rapid advancement of technology industry in Shenzhen, where the government has laid a solid foundation for the innovation and development of the IT industry. Now being an important strategic location sought by major domestic and international players in the high-tech industry, Shenzhen was hailed as the most innovative city in China by the Forbes China in 2010,” said Professor Liu. 

“Factors such as the RMB exchange rate risk and the substantial growth in labor costs have brought challenges to the technology industry in Shenzhen, which have led some people to question the future of Shenzhen. My answer is ‘Innovation’. Innovation in strategy, marketing efforts and product development is the only way out for the high-tech industry of Shenzhen and mainland China.” He continued, “I am honoured to be appointed the advisory board member of the Center BiG to contribute to the innovation of the high-tech industry in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and mainland China.”     

Prof Robert Lee, Professor in Entrepreneurship Practice, Associate Director of CUHK MBA Programs and the Executive Director of the Center BiG, said, “It is our honor to have Professor Liu joining the advisory board of Center BiG. We believe his esteemed knowledge and experiences in Shenzhen and its high-tech industry will prove to be an invaluable asset for the innovation and globalization developments in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen.”

Prof Liu Yingli earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Computational Mechanics from Jilin University of Technology before he started his career by joining the ACDS Software Company in Ottawa, Canada, where he focused on GIS software research and development. He maintains close ties with the academic world and has been appointed as a part-time professor in a number of prestigious universities in mainland China and Hong Kong, including CUHK. He served as President of China Academy of Science and Technology Development, Director of Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, Director of PKU-HKUST Shenzhen-HongKong Institution, and Director of Shenzhen Int’l Technical Innovation Research Institute.  

Professor Liu has also played an instrumental role in the development of high-tech industry in Shenzhen. In 1992, he started serving in the Shenzhen Municipal Government where he played key roles in research and management in the high-tech industry. In 1996, he oversaw the building of the Shenzhen Hi-Tech Industrial Park and served as Director, paving the path for the rapid development of Shenzhen high-tech industry.

He was a member of the Shenzhen Government Executive Committee and Executive Vice-Mayor of the Shenzhen Government from 2005-2008, and has gained a thorough understanding of the municipal operations and development of Shenzhen.

During his service with the Shenzhen Government, Professor Liu steered a number of Hong Kong-Shenzhen collaboration projects and took up the posts of Director of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cross Border Large Scale Construction Project Coordination Committee, Director of the Shenzhen Committee for Attracting Large Scale Hi-tech Projects, Director and Commander in Chief of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor Construction Project, and the Chairman of the Shenzhen side at a joint meeting of the Shenzhen/Hong Kong Innovation Circle.

He now serves as the Vice Chairman of the China National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Association, President of Shenzhen Enterprise Confederation, President of Shenzhen Entrepreneur Association, and President of Shenzhen Innovation CXO Club.

He has been active in public service, with appointments as China’s only representative and council member of the Asia Pacific Region on the Council of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP), and Member of the Hong Kong SAR-Mainland Collaboration Committee.

Professor Liu has received a number of honours in mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas.  In 2002, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC granted Professor Liu the “National high technology development zone outstanding award” and honoured him as “the trailblazer”. In 2006, he was honoured by the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) with an award for “Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Science and Technology in Asia and for Assisting the IASP in Promoting the Development of Knowledge-based Economy”. In 2007, he received from the HKSAR Chief Executive Mr Donald Tsang a Certificate of Commendation to honour the Commander in Chief of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Western Corridor.

Center BiG was established in late 2011. Members of the  Advisory board include Dr Jack Gao, Senior Vice President of News Corporation and CEO of News Corporation China Investments; Mr Lawrence Yee, Partner and Managing Director of Value Creation Center and Adviser, Greater China, Dun & Bradstreet (HK) Ltd.   Dr Gao delivered a speech titled “The Digital Divide is Re-shaping the World – Tremendous New Opportunities and Challenges for Businesses Today and Tomorrow” in a forum organized by the CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute (SZRI) and Center BiG on 17 March, attracting over 300 attendees.

Center BiG focuses on the building of an international platform for innovation and globalization, in order to enable exchange of visions and communications among potential entrepreneurial students and experienced Chinese business leaders and investors, creating a cooperative and value added environment in this competitive global market. Looking forward, Center Big will commit to:

• Organize a series of forums and conferences to facilitate knowledge transfer and communications among students, the business communities and venture capital firms;
• Provide CUHK MBA students with first-hand exposure to business innovation and globalization through business practicum and internship programs in China with emphasis on the PRD region, and ultimately launching a part-time MBA program in Shenzhen with a focus on business innovation and globalization;
• Prepare case teaching materials featuring the latest cases related to business innovation for the CUHK Business School, providing real-world examples for China and multinational corporations to build innovative business models;
• Offer executive education programs for entrepreneurs and top executives of companies in China, particularly for firms in the PRD region, and assist them in business innovation and globalization;
• Conduct research and studies focusing on business innovation and globalization strategies in the region.

For more information, please visit http://big.baf.cuhk.edu.hk/.

About CUHK Business School

CUHK Business Schoolc omprises two schools – Accountancy and Hotel & Tourism Management – and four departments – Finance, Decision Sciences & Managerial Economics, Management, Marketing. It was Hong Kong’s first business school offering MBA and EMBA courses. Today, the school offers 10 undergraduate programs and 31 graduate programs (10 MBA/EMBA; 15 Master, MSc and MPhil; 6 PhD)

In the Financial Times‘ 2012 global MBA rankings, CUHK’s MBA program is ranked no. 28. In the Financial Times’ 2011 global EMBA rankings, CUHK’s EMBA program is at no.14 and the number 1 independent EMBA program in Asia Pacific and its OneMBA program is ranked no. 26 in the world. CUHK has the largest number of business alumni (21,000+) in Hong Kong – many of whom are key business leaders. The faculty currently has more than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Professor TJ Wong is the Dean of CUHK Business School.