CUHK
News Centre

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School announced today the appointment of Mr Yang Xiangyang, Chairman of Shenzhen Resources Investment & Development Co., Ltd., President of Shenzhen Yuanxing Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and professional angel investor, as Advisory Board Member of its research center, Center for Business Innovation and Globalization (Center BiG) with immediate effect. Mr Yang will contribute his extensive experience and expertise in enterprise investment to promote entrepreneurial spirit in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Having successively founded, participated and invested in more than 10 high-tech companies in industries such as information technology, biopharmaceutical and healthcare, Mr Yang has more than 20 years of entrepreneurial and venture capital experience. He is also a renowned angel investor in the Pearl River Delta Region.

‘Even after 20 or 30 years of rapid development, the Pearl River Delta Region and mainland China are still promising markets with abundant entrepreneurial opportunities. The reason is, during the last decade, our nation has been rapidly building up massive hard and soft power with unprecedented beneficial conditions including extensive technology know-how, more diversified development of a wide range of industries, as well as impressive pools of human resources and capital.’ Mr Yang continued, ‘Looking forward, the sustainable development of the Pearl River Delta Region will depend on the close collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong to continue to intensify and promote entrepreneurial spirit.’

‘In the early days, Chinese venture capital in China mainly focused on high-tech and internet industries, which are now giving way to the fast-developing biotechnology industry in recent years. However, venture capitalists in China should pay continuous attention to emerging and global issues, so that in the shortest time we could bring up China’s own Apple or Google, companies that are well-known for innovation, and actively participate in the global market.’ Mr Yang said, ‘I am very glad to be given this valuable opportunity to share my experience in biotechnology development and venture capital with Shenzhen and Hong Kong by joining the Center BiG of CUHK Business School as an Advisory Board Member.’

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 Mr Yang joining the advisory board of Center BiG. Having served twice as a member of the Shenzhen Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Mr Yang brings to the team his expertise in China venture capital and industrial development, as well as deep understanding of the current development and the opportunities in the Pearl River Delta Region. I am confident that he will provide us with invaluable advice in promoting entrepreneurial spirit in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. In future, I hope that more corporations, government agencies and volunteers in mainland China and Hong Kong will come up to respond to and support our common goal.’

As venture capital is essential to the Pearl River Delta Region, CUHK and the Shenzhen Municipal Government have signed a collaboration agreement for school operation, under which the CUHK Business School will offer relevant curriculum catering to the special needs in the development of the Pearl River Delta Region, in which professional venture capital will be one of the subjects offered in the first batch of courses planned for enrolment in 2014.

Mr Yang holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Applied Mathematics from Tsinghua University. After graduation from Tsinghua University, Mr Yang joined Shenzhen University as a lecturer. Before long, he started his own business, successively founded and invested in more than 10 high-tech companies in biopharmaceutical, healthcare, and information technology industries, including Sibiono, the inventor of world’s first marketable gene therapy new drug; and Hepalink, the largest supplier of Heparin Sodium API in the world.

Mr Yang currently also serves as a member of the Fifth Shenzhen Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Chairman of Tsinghua Entrepreneur & Executive Club, Executive Vice President of Shenzhen Innovation CXO Club, Director of Investment Committee of SBI & TH Venture Capital, and Venture Partner of SAIF Partners.

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 and Prof Liu Yingli, former executive Committee Member and Executive Deputy Mayor of the Shenzhen Government, and President of Shenzhen Innovation CXO Club.

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.

Center BiG will launch a forum titled ‘Proactive Innovation Targeting Key Trends’ on 12 May 2012, hosted by Jiang Zhaohui, Vice President and General Manager for Connected Platform Business Unit in Cisco’s Enterprise Networking Group and CTO for Cisco China. For more information, please visit http://big.baf.cuhk.edu.hk/

About CUHK Business School
CUHK Business School comprises 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 no. 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. Prof TJ Wong is the Dean of CUHK Business School.