01 Sep 2025
Dear Friends of IBSS,
Today, I am honoured to begin my tenure as Dean of the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU).
In just over a decade since its founding in 2013, IBSS has grown into one of the largest and most recognised international business schools in China, with more than 6,500 students and 180 academic staff. We are proud to hold the prestigious “Triple Crown” accreditation — a distinction achieved by fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide — and to be the youngest business school ever to do so. In research, too, we are on the cusp of a major milestone, as XJTLU is expected to enter the global top 1% for research impact in Economics and Business, according to the Essential Science Indicators (ESI). Our rapid ascent reflects the dedication of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners, and positions us firmly among the world’s most relevant research-driven business schools.
As we look ahead, we recognise that the global landscape is evolving in ways that present both challenges and opportunities. Economic and geopolitical shifts are creating a more fragmented world, even as technology and markets draw us closer together. In this environment, our mission to bridge East and West — and to serve as a window between China and the rest of the world — has never been more important. This mission will remain at the heart of everything we do, guiding us to foster dialogue, understanding, and collaboration across cultures and economies.
A key part of our journey ahead will be to strengthen IBSS as a source of global business intelligence: delivering timely, research-based insights that connect academic excellence with real-world decision-making. This will deepen our engagement with industry, inform policy, and ensure our graduates are equipped with the critical thinking, adaptability, and ethical grounding to lead in complex, data-rich environments. While artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we work and learn, it is only one of many transformative forces we will address as we prepare our students for the opportunities and responsibilities of tomorrow’s world.
Our future will be built on openness, ambition, and relevance. We will expand our global partnerships, remain deeply rooted in the Chinese context, and continue to create meaningful impact in business, policy, and society. Together, with our community of faculty, students, alumni, and friends, we will ensure that IBSS continues to grow as a trusted bridge, an open window, and a force for ideas that matter.
Professor Eddy S. Fang
Dean, International Business School Suzhou
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Professor Eddy S. Fang is the newly appointed Dean of the International Business School Suzhou at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. A Belgian-born Chinese academic, he combines a global outlook with deep roots in the Chinese context, bringing an East–West perspective that shapes his leadership and scholarship. He holds a PhD in International Political Economy from the University of Cambridge and is an interdisciplinary researcher specialising in innovation adoption and the psychological drivers of consumer behaviour in dynamic, digitally mediated environments. His work has been published in leading international journals, including FT50-listed outlets, and he has successfully secured both government funding from the National Science Foundation of China and significant horizontal, industry-applied funding, particularly on projects exploring Chinese consumer markets in an international context.
Over more than a decade at XJTLU, Professor Fang has served as Deputy Dean, Head of Department, and Accreditation Director, contributing to the school’s rapid growth and its attainment of the prestigious Triple Crown accreditation. Known for his close engagement with students and alumni, he has taught and mentored thousands, many of whom have gone on to postgraduate study at top global universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, the London School of Economics, Harvard and Columbia, as well as to successful careers in Fortune 500 companies.
Part of the generation of digitally native academic leaders, Professor Fang brings an instinctive grasp of the technological and cultural shifts shaping education, research, and business. He is committed to ensuring IBSS remains a forward-looking bridge between China and the world — fostering connections, ideas, and talent that thrive in an era of global change.
01 Sep 2025