New Haven, Conn., October 26, 2014—Dr. Jiang Jianqing, chairman of ICBC, the world's largest bank in assets and market capitalization, and Mr. Gao Xiqing, the former president and chief investment officer of China Investment Corporation, China's sovereign wealth fund, will be honored for their leadership with awards by the Chief Executive Leadership Institute of the Yale School of Management at a ceremony to be held at the Yale CEO Summit in Beijing, China, on October 27.
Dr. Jiang will receive the Legend in Leadership Award in recognition of his legacy of global financial leadership. It will be presented by Fu Chengyu, chairman of Sinopec and last year's recipient of this award, and Peter Salovey, president of Yale University.
Jiang Jianqing represents the finest in global business leadership and perceptive financial wisdom, and has been a prominent voice for responsible governance. He is also an inspiring reminder of what contributions a great scholar can make to the world in callings beyond academic life. He has built a formidable global enterprise while skillfully balancing domestic responsibility with public shareholder accountability. A scholar and researcher on theoretical and practical implications of financial innovation, he is also a leader in market reform, becoming chairman of ICBC in 2005 as it prepared for its public listing and dramatic global expansion.
Mr. Gao will receive the Lifetime of Leadership Award, to be presented by Edward A. Snyder, dean of the Yale School of Management; Chen Zhiwu, professor at Yale School of Management; and Stephen S. Roach, senior fellow of the Yale Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and former chair of Morgan Stanley Asia.
Mr. Gao also has distinguished twin careers as a scholar and as a business leader. Now a professor at Tsinghua University and Duke University, he began his career as a manual railroad worker and became a core architect of Chinese security law and a renowned scholar and teacher, as well as an influential business leader. A graduate of Peking University and Duke University's Law School, he was an associate at a major New York corporate law firm before returning to help establish the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges in 1990. He became a founding member of the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission, where he was known as a bold reformer and advocate for more liberal capital markets. He retired this past January after leading the China Investment Corporation since 2007.
CEO Summit organizer Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean for executive programs at the Yale School of Management, commented: "Both Chairman Jiang of ICBC and Mr. Gao of CIC are revered in both China and the West for their rare blend of trailblazing entrepreneurial triumphs, pioneering global expansion, innovative processes, problem-solving business statesmanship, inspiring social responsibility, and authentic governance integrity. At this time of sensitive U.S.-China relations and leadership transitions, it is vital to learn from these models of quiet diplomacy, original foresight, and personal humility."
The Legend in Leadership and Lifetime of Leadership Awards were created 25 years ago to honor current and former CEOs who serve as living legends to inspire chief executives across industries, sectors, and nations. Past recipients include D. Scott Davis of UPS, Fu Chengyu of Sinopec, Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, Jeff Immelt of GE, Jeff Bewkes of Time Warner, Frank Blake of Home Depot, Dave Cote of Honeywell, Ellen Kullman of DuPont, Alan Mulally of Ford, Andrew Liveris of Dow Chemical Company, Ken Chenault of American Express, David Stern of the NBA, Ratan Tata of the TATA Group, Mike Ullman of JCPenney, Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Robert Iger of Walt Disney, Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone, Roger Enrico of PepsiCo, John Pepper of Procter & Gamble, Don Keough of Coca-Cola Co., McKinsey founder Marvin Bower, Jim Kelly of UPS, Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, Ivan Seidenberg of Verizon, Richard Teerlink of Harley-Davidson, Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, financier Wilbur Ross, and Lou Gerstner of IBM.
The Yale CEO Summit will take place on October 26 and 27 at the Grand Hyatt Beijing. The Summit theme is "Trading Places: U.S.-China Perspectives on Trade Partnerships." Distinguished global corporate leaders from across industries will engage in lively, candid discussions at this invitation-only leaders' conference hosted by the Yale School of Management. The event takes place in connection with the opening of the Yale Center Beijing, a convening space and intellectual hub for all of Yale University's activities in China.
Additional Summit participants include Kevin Rudd, prime minister of Australia (2007- 2013); U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus; Fu Chengyu, chairman of Sinopec; Tian Guoli, chairman, Bank of China; Xu Niansha, chairman of China Poly Group; Ling Wen, president & CEO of Shenhua Group; Liu Shiyu, deputy governor of People's Bank of China; Hu Xiaolian, deputy governor of People's Bank of China; Miao Jianmin, president of China Life Insurance (Group) Company; Maurice (Hank) Greenberg, CEO of CV Starr and former CEO of AIG; Zhang Lei, president of Hillhouse Capital Management; Bob Diamond, founder and CEO of Atlas Merchant; John Lundgren, CEO of Stanley Black & Decker; J. Stapleton Roy, 5th U.S. ambassador to China (1991-1995); Ann M. Veneman, 27th U.S. secretary of agriculture (2005-2010); James Lawrence, chairman of Rothschild North America; Zili Shao, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan China; James A. Lawrence, chairman of Rothschild North America; Ma Xutian; president of Asset Management Center of Bank of Communications China; Zhang Yong, founder and chairman of Xinyuan (China) Real Estate; Eddie Tam, CEO of Central Asset Investments; Shirley Yeung, founder and managing partner of Dragonrise Capital; Neil Shen, founding managing partner of Sequoia Capital China; Wendi Murdoch, co-founder of Artsy; Albert Ng, chairman of EY China; and U.S. filmmaker Robert Simonds.
Conference partners include CV Starr & Co, E&Y, PepsiCo, Omni Group, Grand Overseas Development, Atlas Merchant Capital, EEN Group, UPS, and Xinyuan Real Estate.
The Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, the world's first "CEO College," was founded in 1989 to provide original research on top leadership and lively, current educational forums through peer-driven learning for accomplished leaders across a range of sectors. For more information, visit
http://celi.som.yale.edu.