AMBA & BGA EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS
BIOGRAPHY Haitao Wu serves as dean of the
camps and personalised career guidance. Crucially, it also connects our students with a network of more than 30 partner companies for internships and mentorships through a range of initiatives, such as the highly successful Bring Your Apprentice to Work programme. “Secondly, by equipping a large and significant segment of our future graduate pool with confidence, skills and robust networks, we ensure that women can not only participate fully but also ascend to leadership roles across various sectors. This fosters a more inclusive, diverse and consequently more sustainable and resilient model of business growth, directly benefiting the wider economy.” Is ZUEL working towards any other international or national targets in the areas of CSR and sustainability? “Beyond our alignment with the SDGs, ZUEL has set clear internal strategic targets to deepen our commitment to CSR and sustainability. In 2023, for example, we launched a performance appraisal system to incentivise and track progress towards our institutional goals. It features eight dedicated awards, such as those recognising contributions to the SDGs, cross-institutional collaboration and social responsibility. In the same year, the school’s publication of China’s first MBA Education ESG Report exemplified our pursuit of national leadership in educational transparency and accountability around sustainability. Together, these efforts reflect our resolve not only to fulfil international benchmarks, but also set exemplary standards within China’s higher education landscape.” What advice would you offer to other international business schools that are trying to establish impactful CSR and sustainability initiatives? “Our advice, distilled from our own journey, is threefold. First, we strongly advise embracing a robust framework such as the SDGs, or the principles outlined by AMBA & BGA. A suitable framework provides essential shape, strategic direction and a recognised language of impact for well-intentioned but often disparate initiatives, helping to move them from ad-hoc to strategic efforts. “Second, it is crucial to embed CSR into the core of your activities. This means integrating it into the curriculum, faculty incentive and promotion structures, alumni engagement models and research priorities, rather than treating it as a peripheral add-on or a standalone department. This will ensure longevity and authenticity. “Finally, it’s important to be patient and remain committed – impactful, meaningful CSR is a marathon, not a sprint. Start by leveraging your institution’s unique strengths and community assets and focus relentlessly on building authentic, mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships with external organisations rather than seeking short-lived, quick-win projects. The transformative change we all seek is achieved through the cumulative, compounding effect of sustained, collaborative effort over time.”
School of Business Administration at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL), China, where he is also director of the MBA Education Centre. Wu is dedicated to advancing responsible management education, sustainability and rural revitalisation, as well as enhancing the school’s academic and societal impact
Ambition • ISSUE 5 • 2025 41
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