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Seeking a world-class MBA in Asia? Michiel Jonkman, CEIBS ’12 alumnus, shares how his decision to study in China provided a unique cultural lens and leadership framework. Explore how immersion in a global business powerhouse like Shanghai can redefine your career and catalyze profound personal growth.
Choosing the right environment for your graduate business education is a pivotal career decision. For many professionals, the traditional paths in Europe or North America feel familiar, perhaps even safe. However, if you seek to truly challenge your worldview, you must look toward the horizon.
Michiel Jonkman, a 2012 graduate of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) MBA program, suggests “If you want to see something unique, if you want to see something off the beaten track, go east, go very far east.” (00:01)
When you choose to study for a full-time MBA program in Shanghai, China, you are not just earning a graduate degree; you are entering a laboratory of global leadership. Furthermore, when you choose to study at CEIBS, you are getting the #1 Global MBA in Asia. CEIBS ranked #12 globally in 2025, making it the #1 school in Asia for the 9th consecutive year, and climbing four positions from 2022 to 2025.
Before his MBA, Michiel worked in a hands-on private equity firm. While he was experienced in dealing with management teams, he realized he lacked a solid theoretical framework for the complex business world around him. He was already well-versed in the cultures of North America, Europe, and Africa. Yet, Asia remained a mystery.
To bridge this gap, he focused his search on the top-ranking schools that Asia offers. He realized that to truly understand a culture, one must live there. This immersion is essential. China is now a “tremendously big force” in the global economy, politics, and social life.
Michiel alludes to the intangible benefits of witnessing reality on the ground. “I now know things about China I would have never known from the newspaper or the media or any other analysis I would read if I had stayed home.” (02:14) This firsthand knowledge stays with you forever.
Michiel describes the MBA as an intense process of leadership development and growth. “You learn new things and unlearn bad habits quickly because an MBA is a pressure cooker… [you’ve] got to get on with your team ASAP, learn what their perspectives are, and learn how teamwork works.” (00:52)
In a multicultural environment, you may not be aware of all interpersonal nuances at first. However, the MBA program at CEIBS teaches you to give every team member a “place in the conversation”, a vital skill for any modern executive. You learn that there are many different ways to reach a solution. This diversity of thought you are exposed to is a hallmark of globally-focused MBAs like the program at CEIBS. It challenges your assumptions. It makes you a more flexible thinker.
One of the most significant benefits of the CEIBS experience is the opportunity for self-discovery. The CEIBS MBA program helps you figure out exactly what kind of leader you are, aspire to be, and even if leadership is the right path for you. Through the rigorous curriculum and team interactions, Michiel discovered his own preference. He shares, “An MBA helps tremendously with figuring out what kind of leader you are… I found out that I want to lead from the front; I want to be in the trenches with my employees.” (01:27)
This realization is invaluable. It allows you to align your career path with your authentic self. As a Dutch professional, Michiel appreciated the international outlook of his home culture. He found that CEIBS amplified this perspective. It allowed him to look across the horizon and think beyond his cultural comfort zone.
The decision to study for an MBA in China provides a competitive edge that is difficult to replicate. The world is changing rapidly. Chinese business is at the center of that change. You cannot lead a global firm today without understanding global perspectives that encompass the dynamics of the East.
Michiel considers his time at CEIBS to be one of his top five life experiences. It provided him with a unique perspective that no one can take away. He reflects, “What I learned about China helps me to this day.” (02:01)
Today, as a Managing Partner at Benchmark International, he still utilizes the lessons he learned in Shanghai. The program added deeper understanding, knowledge, and skills to his life. It can do the same for you.
The global business landscape requires leaders who are culturally agile and theoretically grounded. If you are ready to step off the beaten track, the CEIBS offers MBA students an unparalleled gateway to the East.
You will gain more than a qualification; you will gain a new way of seeing the world that stays with you. Are you prepared to redefine your leadership style? Do you want to understand the forces shaping the 21st century?
Discover why CEIBS remains the premier choice for those looking to study for an MBA in China. Your place in the global conversation could start in Shanghai.
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