Executives From India, Singapore, China Meet In Shanghai For 8th ‘Orientation Day’

In early March, Bertelsmann executives from India, Singapore and China convened in Shanghai for the eighth "Orientation Day." The event is organized by Bertelsmann University with the aim of familiarizing the executives with Bertelsmann’s businesses and corporate culture and giving them an opportunity to network. 

The one-and-a-half-day event began with Christine Scheffler, Director of Bertelsmann University, and Rachel Ji, Management Development Director, Bertelsmann Asia, presenting the story of Bertelsmann, recent business developments, and the company’s values. The junior executives watched the new Essentials film "The Spirit" and discussed Bertelsmann’s corporate culture, after which Wenning Xing reported on Fremantle Media China’s businesses, after which eight of the participants presented their own companies, including G+J China, Arvato Services India and Sony BMG China.

On the second day, participants worked on a case study illustrating the topic of synergy. In four groups, the junior executives presented the business plans they had drawn up to a panel of judges made up of the entire Bertelsmann China Senior Management Team. Kevin Xu (General Manager Arvato Services China), Bryan Ellis (President Direct Group China), Henry Guo (General Manager Arvato Systems Shanghai), Wolfgang Kohl (General Manager G+J China) and Swee Wong (Managing Director Sony BMG China) praised the presentations of all four groups. "Orientation Day" ended with an in-depth discussion of career opportunities at Bertelsmann. The event’s organizers were gratified at the positive feedback from many of the participants. "I think ‘Orientation Day’ is a very beneficial event. I learned a lot about the group, especially about the corporate divisions that I rarely have contact with on a daily basis," concluded Jonathan Chan, Operation Manager as Arvato Services Asia Pacific.