Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS) held a lecture themed "Leadership and Soul" on December 12, 2023. André Lacroix, global CEO of Intertek, attended the event and delivered a keynote speech on global leadership.

Professor ZHANG Xiaoquan, Irwin and Joan Jacobs Chair of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM), Executive Vice President of the Shenzhen Institute of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University (Tsinghua SIEM), and Executive Vice President of the Institute of Innovation Management, Tsinghua SIGS, held a dialogue with Lacroix.

WU Xiaofeng, CPC Committee Secretary of Tsinghua SIGS, presided over the event and delivered a speech.

WU Xiaofeng delivers a speech.

On behalf of Tsinghua SIGS, WU Xiaofeng extended a warm welcome to Lacroix and his delegation. He stated that in a complex and ever-changing world, global leadership has become even more important and urgent. He said that Tsinghua University is committed to preparing talents with international vision and global competence for the new era and new journey. WU said Lacroix is a business leader with extensive experience in managing global organizations, and has developed unique insights into career development, business management and global leadership. WU expressed his hope that participants could draw inspiration from Lacroix’s experience and wisdom to become better leaders.

André Lacroix gives a keynote speech.

André Lacroix shared his experiences as a senior manager at Ernst & Young, Colgate, Pepsi-Cola, Burger King and Disney among many other prestigious international companies, and many countries around the world in the past 30 years.

"I have encountered many great leaders in my career, who have deeply inspired me and enabled me to realize that leadership plays a pivotal role in unlocking the potential of the entire organization," Lacroix said.

Lacroix also shared the "ten leadership principles," which he summarized from his many years of experience in business management.

André Lacroix (left) talks with ZHANG Xiaoquan.

Lacroix and ZHANG Xiaoquan then had an in-depth discussion on career development and global leadership-related topics that young people are concerned about, including industry trends and business decisions, as well as several practical issues such as career paths and matching majors with careers, leadership and team management, importance of professional experience, challenges and opportunities at the workplace, success factors, artificial intelligence and future opportunities.

Lacroix answered questions from the audience about how graduates should choose a career path, how entrepreneurs should manage and motivate teams, how they should position themselves in the workplace, and how to practice leadership. He then gave the young students suggestions based on his own experience. At the end of the Q&A session, Lacroix expressed his high expectations for the Tsinghua SIGS students and gave them encouragement.

Q&A session

The event was jointly sponsored by Tsinghua SIGS, Tsinghua SIEM and Intertek, and co-organized by Tsinghua SIGS Career Services Office and Shenzhen Alumni Center of Tsinghua SEM. More than 30 alumni, as well as over 200 faculty members and students from Tsinghua SIGS and representatives from enterprises in Shenzhen, attended.

A group photo

A group photo