City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has joined hands for the first time with two influential financial institutions, in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, to offer a training programme that will nurture senior executives from the mainland’s financial and treasury management sectors to help promote the development of China’s financial industry.

CityU’s College of Business signed an agreement with the Treasury Markets Association (TMA), a Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) supported institution, and the Shenzhen Flink Training Centre (Flink), under the Shenzhen Financial Electronic Settlement Centre, on 16 March to jointly offer a training programme for the mainland’s banking and financial industries. By integrating the partner institutions’ strengths in professional education, treasury management practice and the financial industry network on the mainland, the programme will develop financial professionals to meet the demand of China’s rapid economic growth.

At a ceremony held at the HKMA, the agreement was signed on behalf of the partner institutions by Professor Wei Kwok-kee, Dean of CityU’s College of Business, Mr Stephen Ng, Chief Operations Officer of TMA, and Mr Lin Zhenxiong, Vice General Manager of Flink. Guests at the ceremony included Professor Chan Chi-hou, Acting Provost, CityU; Professor Julia Tao Lai Po-wah, Chief-of-Staff, CityU; Mr Daryl Ho, Head of the Market Development Divison of the Monetary Management Department, HKMA, and Executive Board member of TMA; Mr Wilson Chan, Assistant General Manager, Shanghai Commercial Bank Limited, Mr Tony Wang, Deputy General Manager, Global Markets, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited and Mr Xiao Guangchang, General Manager, Shenzhen Financial Electronic Settlement Centre.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Ng commented on the particular strengths of each of the three collaborating partners. While TMA offers world-class exchange seminars and summits for professionals, CityU’s College of Business is well recognised in international academic circles for its excellence in professional education. It is also the first business school in the Greater

China region to have received accreditation from three major international management education institutions. As for Flink, it has been awarded state-level financial training qualification and is one of the first institutions to provide comprehensive solutions for the banking industry in China.

“The programme aims to enhance the management capabilities of the mainland’s senior financial executives by bringing real life experience to them, forging international collaboration and exchanges, as well as promoting opportunities,” said Mr Ng.

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Mr Lin expressed that state leaders had suggested on a number of occasions the importance of exploring joint education possibilities as a way to deepen Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation and build an international metropolis. This collaboration is in line with this development direction. He hoped the tripartite synergy could contribute to the development of the mainland’s financial industry and financial cooperation across the border.

Professor Wei said the programme is the three institutions’ first collaborative project. It will lay a solid foundation for the institutions to promote professional training for the mainland’s banking and financial industries in the future.

“The collaboration with TMA and Flink not only signifies the internationalisation of CityU’s College of Business in the teaching arena, but also our commitment to the training of business executives of the mainland. We will work together closely as the success of the programme depends on the joint efforts of all three parties,” said Professor Wei.

Dr Hao Gang, coordinator of CityU’s Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programme on the mainland, said the curriculum of the new training programme caters to the internationalisation and modernisation of the mainland’s banking and financial industries. It targets professionals and executives from the banking, investment, securities, insurance, mutual funds and trustee sectors with the objective of nurturing senior executives with leadership qualities, an international mindset and creative thinking, as well as modern management knowledge and skills.

Dr Hao said a unique feature of the programme is that students will attend classes in Hong Kong and take part in a one-week in-depth field study in an international financial corporation. They will also attend business leader summits to exchange ideas on management of international organisations with world-class business leaders.

The duration of the programme is two years. Students will be awarded a Master’s degree after completing the training courses and CityU’s EMBA (International) programme.