London Business School Cuts Landmark Deal with Chinese State: MBA News

London Business School has reached an agreement with a Chinese sovereign wealth fund, which will see executives from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) take up training at London Business School.

SAFE executives with more than seven years’ experience will be eligible to receive sponsorship from the organization to pursue London Business School’s MBA program as well as its specialized Masters in Finance (MiF).

While large corporations around the world often offer their employees midcareer training at leading business schools, signed memoranda of understanding are relatively rare. This is the first such agreement London Business School has reached with a Chinese organization. 

"Partnering with this global leading business school in all aspects will strengthen our people strategy to continue investing in staff training and development. We are confident that this partnership will also help enhance our global competitiveness, “said Ms. Yuhong Zhong, a deputy executive director at SAFE’s Investment Center in a press release.

Sovereign wealth fund link a great endorsement for London Business School

The link-up with a big sovereign wealth fund in China is a coup for London Business School, in that it cements a tie to an emerging market that is highly sought-after among Western educational institutions. Indeed, the opportunity to train alongside SAFE executives may prove a tantalizing prospect for business students hoping to gain an insight into markets within China and its sphere of influence.  

"To have a financial institution of such critical importance to the global economy as SAFE sponsoring its highly talented employees through our programs is a fantastic endorsement for London Business School”, said Wendy Alexander, associate dean for degree programs and career services at London Business School.

The deal is also a sign of SAFE’s progress in recent years. While the other large Chinese sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corp., attracted criticism for losses made in the lead-up to the financial crisis of 2008 in the US, SAFE is considered to have performed better.

SAFE is an administrative agency which drafts rules and regulations governing foreign exchange market activities, as well as managing the state foreign exchange reserves.

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