Shenzhen’s advances in technology are highly visible. Less obvious are the decisions behind them – where to invest, how to change established ways of working, and how to fund future growth.
These were among the challenges explored on the closing day of IMD’s International Alumni Symposium in Shenzhen, with discussions spanning business transformation, entrepreneurship, and climate investment.
Putting innovation to work
The day began at Huawei, where alumni explored how the company connects customer needs with research and development, alongside its work in digital inclusion and sustainability.
Later at Lenovo, a fireside chat between IMD Professor Mark Greeven and Fan Ho, Vice President, Asia Pacific Solutions & Services Group, focused on transforming an established business while continuing to deliver results.
As Lenovo expands beyond hardware into solutions and services, its sales teams must move beyond product specifications to understanding customers’ broader needs. The shift also requires closer collaboration across the organization.
“If we manage to do our current business well, then we buy the fuel and the option to invest in tomorrow,” Fan said.
Fan also shared how Lenovo is encouraging employees to experiment with AI and learn from one another, emphasizing that successful adoption depends as much on changes in working practices as on the technology itself. As knowledge becomes easier and cheaper to access, Fan argued, the ability to ask the right questions and exercise judgment becomes more important.
Reflecting on the visits, Greeven emphasized the importance of building capabilities for the future rather than focusing solely on products, citing both Huawei and Lenovo as examples. In an analysis of Huawei’s innovation strategy, he explores how the company’s ability to integrate technologies, teams, and supply chains has helped it innovate under constraints.
The day also included a visit to the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub. In discussions with alumni, Greeven highlighted how corporate venture capital, private investors, and local government-backed funds support China’s startup ecosystem.
Making climate action investable
The symposium’s final fireside chat turned to the economics of climate action.
Speaking with IMD President David Bach, Flora Ji (EMBA 2019), Head of Asia and Head of Asset Management at Rubicon Carbon, discussed the challenges of attracting private capital to projects that protect and restore natural ecosystems.
Ji’s move from mergers and acquisitions into sustainability was shaped in part by her IMD experience, including an expedition to Brazil and conversations with classmates that changed how she thought about business, profit, and environmental responsibility.
Today, her work focuses on making nature-based climate projects commercially viable. Environmental benefits alone are not enough to attract investors. Projects need clear business models, manageable risks, and potential financial returns.
Ji explained how bringing together buyers, concessional financing from development institutions, and commercial capital can help get projects off the ground. Early funding can reduce risks and demonstrate commercial viability, paving the way for further private investment.
“I feel in the climate space, the dilemma is around ideology versus practicality,” she said. “You have to be pragmatic about what is doable.”
Securing investment is only part of the challenge. Ji also pointed to gaps in local expertise and coordination between governments, investors, and project developers that can hinder implementation.
She cited Indonesia’s peatlands, where fires can cause irreversible damage, to illustrate the importance of investing in prevention.
“Once it’s on fire, it’s irreversible. It’s not something you can resolve. It’s gone,” she said.
Reflecting on Shenzhen, Ji pointed to China’s longstanding emphasis on education and infrastructure as foundations of the city’s growth. Its speed and capacity to innovate, she argued, were built over time through sustained investment and the development of capabilities.
