The event commenced with a series of Exclusive Company Visits, offering College of Business (CB) alumni a unique opportunity to gain behind-the-scenes insights into three of Hangzhou’s leading technology enterprises: BrainCo, LianLian DigiTech, and Dahua Technology.
Against the backdrop of a futuristic airship in the AI-generated opening video, distinguished guests engaged in a dynamic “battle” using AI tools, symbolising an intensive exchange of ideas and debate on the future of information technology. The AI tools then merged into a humanoid robot that brought the contest to a close.
Exploring the Future at the CB Business Leaders Forum
The company visits were followed by the flagship CB Business Leaders Forum, which brought together distinguished speakers to discuss the transformative impact of AI on business and society.
Echoing the Forum’s theme of disruptive innovation and the application of artificial intelligence, the opening video was entirely AI-generated. The video featured a virtual representation of Professor Chun-Sing Lee, Acting President of CityUHK, extending an invitation from Hong Kong and welcoming participants to gather in Hangzhou. Against the backdrop of a futuristic airship, distinguished guests engaged in a dynamic “battle” using AI tools, symbolising an intensive exchange of ideas and debate on the future of information technology. As the narrative unfolded, the AI tools merged into a humanoid robot that brought the contest to a close and guided the guests to Professor Shum Wan-hang, Dean of the CB, culminating in the official unveiling of the Forum.
The Forum commenced with welcome remarks delivered by an innovative duo of emcees: Mr Andy Wu, a CB alumnus, and Xiuxiu, an AI-generated virtual character created by CB alumni. Together, they served as co-hosts, seamlessly guiding participants through the Forum and exemplifying the fusion of human creativity and artificial intelligence.
The innovative duo of emcees: Mr Andy Wu, a CB alumnus, and Xiuxiu, an AI-generated virtual character created by CB alumni, served as co-hosts for the Forum.
In his opening address, Professor Chun-Sing Lee, Acting President of CityUHK, welcomes alumni and guests to a forum that combines high-level academia-industry dialogue with meaningful alumni engagement
In his opening address, Professor Chun-Sing Lee, Acting President of CityUHK, welcomed alumni and guests to a forum that combines high-level academia-industry dialogue with meaningful alumni engagement. Reflecting on the theme “Lead What’s Next,” Professor Lee highlighted the importance of harnessing insight and knowledge to drive innovation while taking decisive action to create new opportunities. He noted that the theme aligns closely with Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Development Plan, which positions innovation and technology, global talent development, and artificial intelligence as key strategic priorities.
Professor Lee also reaffirmed the CB’s commitment to serving as a bridge between academia and industry by nurturing globally minded talent, advancing industry-academia collaboration, and strengthening connections with the Greater Bay Area and Belt and Road regions.
Keynote Speech: “New Leadership in the AI Era”
The Forum featured a keynote speech titled “New Leadership in the AI Era” by Mr Chris Tung, Group CMO & CEO China of Shangri-La Group and former Chief Marketing Officer of Alibaba Group.
Drawing on his extensive leadership experience, Mr Tung shared practical insights into how AI is reshaping decision-making, organisational strategy, and executive leadership. Emphasising the critical role of leadership and organisational culture, he remarked that “AI is not a knife for harming people; it should be a gun and a cannon to help everyone conquer a new world.” He further noted that the greatest barriers to AI adoption are often cultural rather than technological. To unlock AI’s full potential, he encouraged leaders to champion change through clear narratives, pilot initiatives, and role modelling, fostering a culture of human-AI collaboration.
In his keynote speech, Mr Chris Tung shares practical insights into how AI is reshaping decision-making, organisational strategy, and executive leadership.
The panel focuses on scaling AI, going global and driving innovation. From left: Professor Xinyu Hua, Dr Steve Chuang, Dr Kevin Dai, Ms Sunny Guan, and Mr Zhan Wang.
CEO Panel Discussion: Scaling AI, Going Global and Driving Innovation
The keynote was followed by a dynamic CEO Panel Discussion on AI commercialisation, global expansion, and business innovation.
Moderated by Professor Xinyu Hua, Co-Director of the EMBA Programme and Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance, the panel featured Dr Steve Chuang, JP (Founder & CEO of ProVista Group), Dr Kevin Dai (Chairman & CEO of RoboTechnik), Ms Sunny Guan (Chief Compliance Officer of Xiaohongshu), and Mr Zhan Wang (Co‑CEO of Sunrise).
The panelists agreed that companies that are not AI-native should view AI transformation as an opportunity rather than a threat. They highlighted the importance of experimentation, iterative implementation, and strategic partnerships in accelerating innovation. The discussion also underscored that future competitiveness will increasingly depend on talent, proprietary data, and organisational learning capabilities, while successful international expansion requires deep local market understanding and robust compliance strategies.
The session concluded with expert reflections from Dr Allen Shi Lop-tak, SBS, BBS, MH, JP (Chairman of CityUHK Eminence Society, Chairman and Founder of Brilliant International Group Limited) who underscored the importance of staying attuned to emerging trends, embracing innovation responsibly, and adapting to change. He noted that wisdom and innovation must go hand in hand in driving progress and creating new opportunities for the future.
To conclude the session, Dr Shi joined Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise) of CityUHK, in presenting tokens of appreciation to the panelists for their insightful contributions to the Forum.
In his concluding commentary, Dr Allen Shi Lop-tak, Chairman of CityUHK Eminence Society, notes that wisdom and innovation must go hand in hand in driving progress and creating new opportunities for the future.
In recognition of their invaluable support for the Forum, Dr Allen Shi Lop-tak and Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, present tokens of appreciation to the four panelists. From left: Dean Professor Stephen Shum, Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, Mr Zhan Wang, Ms Sunny Guan, Dr Steve Chuang, Dr Kevin Dai, Dr Allen Shi Lop-tak, and Professor Xinyu Hua.
In his closing remarks, Professor Stephen Shum Wan-hang, Dean of CB, highlights the CB’s mission to integrate AI into business education and to develop globally minded, technology-enabled professionals and future business leaders.
Closing Remarks by the Dean of the College of Business
In his closing remarks, Professor Stephen Shum Wan-hang, Dean of CB, echoed the Forum theme of “Lead What’s Next” and reaffirmed the CB’s commitment to its 3I Strategic Framework: Intelligence, Innovation and Internationalisation.
Professor Shum highlighted the CB’s mission to integrate AI into business education and to develop globally minded, technology-enabled professionals and future business leaders. He shared this strategic direction during the AACSB Deans' Meeting. He also announced CB’s strategic partnership with the Hongxing Ranking Project, jointly initiated by People’s Daily Group - International Financial News and Xinguoshang, which will further strengthen collaboration in research, talent development, and industry engagement across Chinese Mainland.
Following the Forum, the CityUHK East China Alumni Reunion Dinner, hosted by the Alumni Relations Office, brought together alumni, industry leaders, and academics for an evening of networking, fellowship, and celebration.
For more information about the CityUHK East China Alumni Reunion Dinner cum CB Business Leaders Forum: Lead What’s Next, please visit: https://www.cb.cityu.edu.hk/cb2025/news-and-events/conferences-and-forums/hangzhou-alumni-event-2026
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