BeijingMay 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On May 21, 2026, the BUPT-emlyon GEMBA 2026 Degree Conferral Ceremony was grandly inaugurated at the Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing. Professor Mark Jonathon SMITH, Vice President of emlyon business school, Dr. Xin Wenlong, Dean of emlyon business school Asia, and Professor Lu Jun, Academic Director of emlyon business school EMBA, jointly attended the event. The ceremony was hosted by Dr. Zhang Weiwei, Director of the Executive Education (EE) Program at emlyon business school.
Group photo at the degree conferral ceremony of the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications – emlyon business school EMBA (Sino-foreign cooperative education) program
The degree conferral ceremony officially began with the solemn and dignified playing of the national anthems of the French Republic and the People’s Republic of China.
Professor Mark Jonathon SMITH, Vice President of emlyon business school, delivered an opening address, extending warm congratulations to all graduates. He emphasized that this graduation celebration coincided with the milestone of the tenth anniversary of the joint EMBA program between the two schools, noting that all graduates and alumni are the proudest witnesses of this decade of outstanding collaboration. He introduced that emlyon business school, as a top-tier business school with a history of over 150 years, holds three international accreditations, boasts a strong faculty, and has alumni spread across 130 countries worldwide, earning a global reputation for its educational excellence. BUPT, as a leading institution in information technology, has joined forces with emlyon to build a bridge integrating European management perspectives with China’s scientific and technological strengths. Over the past decade, the program has continuously iterated and upgraded, optimizing the curriculum in line with the times by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data into the core of teaching, keeping pace with business changes and trends. It has cultivated over a thousand outstanding high-level management talents, becoming a key force driving the digital and intelligent transformation of industries in China and the world.
Vice President Mark SMITH pointed out that the current global landscape is complex and volatile, with accelerating technological changes bringing both challenges and opportunities. He hopes that all graduates will uphold the values established during their studies, maintain independent and rigorous thinking, seek objective truth, embrace an inclusive and diverse mindset, actively engage in practice, and build a more sustainable future. He stated that BUPT and emlyon will always be home to all students, and the global alumni network will continue to empower everyone. Finally, he pledged that the two schools will deepen their collaboration, jointly cultivating more leading talents who integrate Chinese and Western perspectives and create greater value for global business, and wished all graduates a bright future and successful careers.
Notably, at 9 a.m. on the 21st, the new students of the BUPT-emlyon GEMBA 2026 Spring cohort arrived as scheduled, gathering on the BUPT campus. Fifty-two business elites, each with years of deep expertise in their respective fields, returned to campus carrying substantial industry experience, embarking together on a strategic advanced study journey that blends BUPT’s “digital intelligence foundation” with emlyon’s “global business acumen.” Enrollment for the BUPT-emlyon EMBA 2026 Fall cohort has now officially commenced, recruiting executives and entrepreneurs with extensive management experience nationwide. The program adopts an independent enrollment model, exempting the national unified examination, with instruction in Chinese and part-time study. Classes are held intensively for 4 days each month, balancing work and advanced study. The program spans 2 years, and upon graduation, students receive an EMBA degree from emlyon business school, which can be certified by the Ministry of Education’s Service Center for Scholarly Exchange and is globally recognized. The 2026 Fall cohort will start in October, and the application review and interview phase is currently underway. Eligible elite managers are welcome to apply and join, growing alongside over a thousand alumni, seizing new opportunities in the AI era, and embarking on a new journey.
Graduation ceremony scene
Dr. Xin Wenlong, Dean of emlyon business school Asia, on behalf of the emlyon Asia campus, extended sincere congratulations and best wishes to all graduates of the BUPT-emlyon EMBA program from the 2023 Fall cohort to the 2024 Spring cohort. Coinciding with the significant milestone of the tenth anniversary of the BUPT-emlyon EMBA program, he stated that this decade has been a golden journey of deep integration between Chinese and French education, coordinated development of technology and management, and deep cultivation of industry-leading talents. The graduates themselves are the shining testament to the program’s decade-long achievements.
Dr. Xin Wenlong noted that the current global landscape and technological development are fraught with uncertainty, with rapid iterations in AI technology and intensifying industry changes. The students’ choice to return to campus for study amid such a changing era reflects their courage to innovate and proactively embrace change. During their studies, the students achieved comprehensive growth in knowledge, thinking, vision, and mindset, having already become a core force standing at the forefront of the AI era, driving enterprise transformation, and leading organizational innovation.
Dr. Xin Wenlong introduced that over the past decade, the program has adhered to the “Maker Pioneer” cultivation philosophy, closely aligned with the needs of the times, breaking the boundaries of traditional management courses. It has consistently ranked high on global authoritative lists such as QS and FT, becoming an important platform for understanding the real needs of Chinese entrepreneurs and witnessing their breakthroughs and growth. Finally, he offered a heartfelt message to all graduates: “Don’t let technology define who you are,” hoping that they will uphold their own values and judgment, maintain a clear mind and a warm heart, continue to be those who set out ahead of their time, and embark on a new journey with the program in the next decade, creating further brilliance.
Graduate representative Zhang Hongrui from the GEMBA 2023 Fall cohort delivered an inspiring speech. He mentioned that the two-year EMBA study not only allowed everyone to systematically master professional business theories and thinking methods but also, under the influence of international teaching and the maker spirit, achieved a comprehensive breakthrough in cognitive horizons, deeply understanding the core essence of the unity of knowledge and action. Among these experiences, the Gobi Desert trek was particularly memorable. The long journey across the Gobi tempered everyone’s willpower and character, and also deeply taught them that only through teamwork and long-term perseverance can one go far and steadily.
Leveraging the resilience and collaborative spirit honed in the Gobi, he and his classmates tackled the challenges of a digital signature overseas expansion project, confronting multiple difficulties such as cross-border compliance and market differences. By integrating resources from within and outside the school, they successfully implemented a complete overseas solution, achieving considerable revenue and truly practicing the pragmatic spirit advocated by the school.
Finally, Zhang Hongrui stated that graduation is not the end of learning but a new starting point. In the future, all graduates will embrace a global perspective, delve deep into the digital cross-border field, uphold compliance standards, apply what they have learned, and act pragmatically, showcasing the pragmatism and resilience of Chinese entrepreneurs on the international business stage.
Group photo of alumni graduates and school professors
Graduate representative Zhang Yapan from the GEMBA 2024 Spring cohort fondly recalled this unforgettable academic journey. Looking back at the beginning of their studies, everyone entered the school with a passion for knowledge and expectations for the future. After two years of accumulation, they have become more mature, composed, and confident. During their studies, they drew on BUPT’s profound information technology foundation, known as the “Cradle of Information Technology,” absorbing internet thinking, while also experiencing emlyon’s century-old business heritage, appreciating the rigorous educational philosophy and maker spirit behind French romance. From heated discussions on digital transformation cases in class, to broadening international horizons through overseas study trips, to overcoming difficulties together on the Gobi Desert trek, this integrated Chinese-Western, knowledge-action cultivation model has equipped everyone with the confidence to calmly handle complex business changes.
Zhang Yapan expressed that the most precious gain over the past two years has been the camaraderie and friendship with classmates, who are both teachers and friends, and she sincerely thanked the professors for their generous sharing of knowledge and meticulous cultivation. In the future, everyone will carry the knowledge and growth gained from school, uphold the maker pioneer spirit, return to their respective positions, face industry challenges, persist in pioneering and advancing, and repay the school’s cultivation and the era’s expectations with practical actions and responsibility. Finally, she wished the alma mater even greater development and a brilliant new chapter, wished the professors well-being and peace, and wished all graduates a bright future, shining in their respective fields.
During the degree conferral segment, Professor Mark Jonathon SMITH, Vice President of emlyon business school, Dr. Xin Wenlong, Dean of emlyon business school Asia, and Professor Lu Jun, Academic Director of emlyon business school EMBA, presented degree certificates to all graduates, adjusted their tassels, and took commemorative photos.
A decade of deep cultivation has yielded fruitful results; setting sail on a new journey with dreams. This degree conferral ceremony was not only a perfect conclusion to the academic journey but also an important testament to the decade-long collaborative education between BUPT and emlyon. In the future, both schools will continue to uphold their original aspirations, focus on moving forward, deeply cultivate the fertile ground of international talent cultivation, build higher-level exchange platforms, and continuously cultivate business leaders with international vision, maker spirit, and a sense of responsibility. We also wish every BUPT-emlyon EMBA student, carrying the expectations and entrustment of their alma mater, with passion in their hearts, to forge ahead, ride the waves in the AI era, and write their own brilliant chapters!