On October 24, 2014, the 2014 Advisory Board Meeting of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) was held, with 38 board members participating in the meeting and related activities. Out of the members present, the three most visible members are Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, and Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook.

These three members are undoubtedly the most iconic characters in the present new economy. Cook has been Apple’s CEO for more than 3 years since taking over from Steve Jobs. Apple has recently started selling iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and announced the impending launch of a new category of product, Apple Watch. This year is the 10th anniversary of Zuckerberg’s Facebook and its stock price has hit a new high since its listing in May 2012. Ma’s Alibaba was listed in New York just last month, and its IPO is ranked as the largest that the world has ever seen. The total market value of these three companies is over USD 1 trillion. The trio and the companies they are currently leading are recognized both in China and the world as the contemporary symbols for innovation and entrepreneurship.

It is worth mentioning that Ma and Cook met each other for the first time during the Advisory Board meeting. An interesting moment during the meeting was when Ma and Cook had their first ever handshake, with the introduction of Dean QIAN Yingyi of Tsinghua SEM.

Tsinghua SEM’s Dean QIAN Yingyi introduced Jack Ma to Tim Cook and they had their first ever handshake during the Meeting’s break

During the meeting, Cook, Ma and Zuckerberg proposed many forward-looking recommendations for the School’s next stage of development. At the same time, they also expressed their willingness to support for its development.

On the morning of October 24, 2014, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook and Jack Ma attended the 2014 Advisory Board Meeting of Tsinghua SEM

On October 24, 2014, Jack Ma, Tim Cook, Dean QIAN Yingyi and Mark Zuckerberg attended the luncheon of the 2014 Advisory Board Meeting of Tsinghua SEM

On the afternoon of October 24, 2014, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Ma and Tim Cook attended the events of the 2014 Advisory Board Meeting of Tsinghua SEM at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse

Apart from their participation in the Advisory Board Meeting, these three members have also been involved individually with the Tsinghua SEM’s activities this year: on June 29, before the listing of Alibaba Group, Ma gave the 2014 Tsinghua SEM Commencement Address and his speech attracted widespread attention in China. On October 22, Zuckerberg’s first ever public speech in Chinese in his dialogue with Tsinghua SEM students became a global sensation and was widely commented. On October 23, Cook’s dialogue with Dean QIAN Yingyi at the 2014 Tsinghua Global Management Forum generated a lot of buzz due to the breadth and depth of the topics discussed.

Jack Ma giving the 2014 Tsinghua SEM Commencement Address on June 29, 2014

Mark Zuckerberg’s dialogue with Tsinghua SEM students on October 22, 2014

Dialogue between Dean QIAN Yingyi and Tim Cook at the 2014 Tsinghua Management Global Forum on October 23, 2014

With the support of Cook, Ma, Zuckerberg and other members of the Advisory Board, Tsinghua SEM will be able to place more emphasis in innovation and entrepreneurship education, with the aim of nurturing more students who are creative and passionate about entrepreneurship.