Strategic management is one of the most important core courses in the IMBA curriculum. Having entered the 2nd semester, IMBA students of Class of 2017 are honored to have 2 reputable professors, Professor Hua Song and Assistant Professor Majid Ghorbani, co-deliver this subject. With the aim to provide students with first-hand information, the professors invited a guest speaker, Mr. Gordon Lam, for this week’s class. Mr. Lam used to work in Li & Fung Group as the Chief Representative and General Manager of Southern China. He is currently working as a corporate consultant for the same organization.

Although Li & Fung may not be a frequently heard name to the public, it is no stranger to business schools around the world. As a company with more than 100 years’ history, its unique case of success and specialty in supply chain management have been constantly studied. Moreover, based on its root of trading, Li & Fung has established a clear focus on the consumer goods sector, making its service and products strongly connected with people’s life, even though they are not under Li & Fung’s name most of the time.

The speech spread around the company’s core competency of supply chain management and covered its major businesses including sourcing, logistics, brand licensing & distribution, and retail. It is impressive that over the years Li & Fung has structured a vastly broad global network comprised of about 300 offices and DCs in more than 40 economies with 41,000 employees and a sourcing network of over 15,000 suppliers. What makes Li & Fung stand out relies on its comprehensive supply chain management; judged from the roles that Li & Fung plays on the supply chain, e.g. factory sourcing, customs clearance, and product design, each segment is full of competition, however, there are few companies that can bring together all different parts as Li & Fung does.

When speaking of the overall management of Li & Fung, Mr. Lam specifically introduced the management trainee program, which attracts MBA graduates from top business schools around the world. And for MBA students who are interested in Li & Fung’s business areas, this program can be an excellent choice.

On behalf of the IMBA Class of 2017, I would like to express our thanks to the Professors for making the lecture possible, and a special thanks to Mr. Gordon Lam who gave us a splendid and insightful speech about both the company and the industry.

Written By: Jason Liu

IMBA Class of 2017

"Nowadays, diversification has become more and more popular in the Chinese market. But for us future managers, is it the only choice? Fung Group gives us another answer: focusing can also help build up hundred-year companies."

--Lexi Huang, IMBA, Class of 2017

"I learned from Mr. Lam’s speech that supply chain management is actually not just managing a supply chain for others. It is or can be more a kind of a whole package service in the B2B sector."

--Susanne Tauche, IMBA, Class of 2017