From March 24 to 27, 2025, for responding to the invitation of Professor Gregory Guyett, Chair, Strategic Clients, HSBC and member of ZIBS International Advisory Board (IAB), BEN Shenglin, Dean of ZIBS, CHEN Jingyan, ZIBS Vice Dean, and Bruce Alter, Full-time Adjunct Expert and Director of Career Development Center, led delegates from the ZIBS 2025 Young Leaders Program (YLP) participated in the HSBC Global Investment Summit 2025 (GIS 2025) in Hong Kong.
As the largest industry event of its kind in Asia, the HSBC GIS 2025 officially commenced with over 4,000 financial leaders, entrepreneurs, and investment experts in attendance. Notable speakers included: The Hon Paul CHAN, Financial Secretary, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Sir Mark Tucker, Group Chairman, HSBC; Dr Mario Draghi, Former Prime Minister of Italy and Former President of the European Central Bank; Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, Former US Trade Representative.
YLP students actively participated in the entire agenda and engaged in discussions with Melissa Tian, Chief of Staff to Chair, Strategic Clients, HSBC, gaining practical insights into global business applications. iMF student LI Xinyue deeply valued the precious opportunity to communicate face-to-face with corporate executives and expressed heartfelt thanks to the teachers: “Special thanks to Prof. Ben, Prof. Chen, Bruce, Lisa, and all the teachers who contributed to this trip. Our teachers consistently uphold the student-centered philosophy, striving to show us a broader world. ”
ZIBS mentors actively connected students with internship resources, helping them gain early exposure to professional practices. While thanking ZIBS for the opportunity, GCM student WU Bohan specially mentioned his hope for more such opportunities in the future: “It’s not every day you get to engage with a company like this as a student, and it left me eager for more.”
Five YLP delegates delivered presentations to HSBC executives, receiving acclaim for their innovative perspectives：conducted a systematic analysis of the investment value and growth potential of Asian markets, explored the transformative impact of technological innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) on the financial landscape, examined China’s pivotal role in the evolving global trade dynamics, and analyzed the strategic positioning and development pathways of emerging economic powers. HSBC executives from hedge fund, asset management, public communications, and other business divisions highly commended the delegates' presentations, while discussing the banking industry job market, and students' future career plans. When asked about thoughts on this summit, GCM student Fang Phei Wern said: “HSBC GIS was an eye-opening experience that reshaped my perspective on emerging markets and the future of cross-border investments.”MCS student Ani Machaidze stated that the summit had sparked inspiration in her: “To be put in the same room as the movers and shakers of the world, with extremely competent and caring ZJU professors and incredibly interesting and motivated fellow students seems like the perfect equation for generating nuanced and insightful conversations, inspiring greatness and actively starting to pursue it.”
During this practical visit, the delegates not only gained cutting-edge insights into global economic development, broadened their international perspective, and enhanced their practical industry skills, but also strengthened their confidence in China’s economic prospects, sensed market changes driven by technological transformation, and understood the real-world competency requirements for international talent. iMF student LIU Lihang shared his insights: “Participating in this summit has enabled me to acquire up-to-date knowledge about emerging fields where I could potentially direct my future endeavors；It also provided insights into sectors that global top investors view as promising, while inspiring me to consider how to leverage my strengths to engage with these high-potential domains.”
(pictures of single students are arranged in the order of presentation)
ZIBS advances its mission of Connecting the World, Shaping the Future by bridging global business resources with multicultural insights to drive sustainable development. Through YLP's Knowledge-Action Integration philosophy, the program cultivates globally competent talents. The Hong Kong trip was both a foray into the forefront of the industry for the YLP program and a prelude to more practical opportunities for participants.
This month, some YLP students will also travel to Bangkok, Thailand, to participate in the Money20/20 Asia Summit. Stay tuned for the insights they will share!
