On October 28, the “Bridging East and West, Building Dreams Ahead" lecture series” hosted by International College(IC), Xiamen University(XMU) was successfully held in Meeting Room 101,IC. The lecture featured Professor Zhang Chendi from the Business School of the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom as the distinguished guest speaker, who engaged in in-depth exchanges with faculty and students of the International College on the cutting-edge topic of "Sustainable Business and Finance." The lecture attracted active participation from faculty and students specializing in accounting, finance, international trade, marketing, and other fields, as well as students from other colleges at the Zhangzhou campus. The venue was fully seated and the atmosphere was lively.

Professor Chendi Zhang, Founding Director of Exeter Sustainable Finance Centre at the University of Exeter, also holds the roles of Board Chair of the Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASF) and Vice-Chair of the Research Committee of the Chartered ABS. As a renowned Chinese scholar in global sustainable finance, he boasts more than two decades of research experience and has provided consultancy services to the World Bank, IFC and BNY Mellon. His research interests cover sustainable finance, corporate finance, behavioural finance, climate and environmental finance, with numerous publications in premier international journals.

During the lecture, Professor Zhang approached the topic from the perspective of corporate governance and stakeholders, guiding students to think through a series of progressive questions. He began by raising the question of why the scale of global sustainable investment surged around 2008, sparking an in-depth discussion on market shifts in the aftermath of the financial crisis. He then engaged students in interaction around the core proposition: what constitutes a sustainable and responsible enterprise.Students from IC responded actively, offering insightful answers from perspectives including environmental protection and employee rights. Their responses demonstrated solid professional knowledge and excellent English proficiency. Professor Zhang spoke highly of the students’ performance, praising them as “dynamic thinkers with broad horizons and fluent English”. He selected two outstanding participants and presented them with commemorative gifts.

Professor Zhang noted in his summary that sustainable business and finance is by no means limited to green finance, new energy, or environmental protection; rather, it concerns enterprises' long-term development strategies, optimization of governance structures, and responsibility toward diverse stakeholders, making it an important research direction currently focused on by both academia and practitioners worldwide.

As a partner institution of IC, the University of Exeter is a member of the UK's Russell Group and ranks 136th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027. Its Business School holds the triple accreditation of AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA and enjoys a global reputation. The university's Centre for Sustainable Finance is internationally leading in research on ESG investment, climate finance, and related fields.

This lecture provided faculty and students of IC with an opportunity for direct dialogue with a top international scholar, and helped students gain a clearer understanding of the real business landscape and talent demand in the sustainable finance sector. In the future, IC will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with prestigious overseas universities such as the University of Exeter, helping students broaden their international horizons and seize the forefront trends of business.