(Written by Xu Ran, Photographed by Xie Yuqian) On August 30, Groupe SEB Chairman Thierry de LA TOUR D’ARTAISE, Groupe SEB Asia Chairman Vincent TAI, Supor Vice General Manager Ye Jide, Innovation Center Director Yan Jueming, and HR Director Jin Yi visited the Beihang University Hangzhou International Campus to advance university-industry collaboration. Sun Qingfeng, Party Secretary of H3I, welcomed the guests.
SEB Innovates, Leading Internationally
In the morning, Chairman Thierry de LA TOUR D’ARTAISE gave an inspiring talk to the Class 2024 of Zhongfa Aviation Institute. He introduced Groupe SEB’s history and core values, emphasizing “innovation” and “international” as key drivers of the company’s sustained growth. He noted that after World War II, shifts in lifestyle and environment spurred people to seek more efficient home solutions and higher-quality living standards, prompting SEB to fulfill these needs through product innovation. He highlighted SEB’s respect for each brand’s local characteristics, which allowed them to thrive in their respective markets and meet the needs of diverse consumers worldwide. “Enhancing quality of life is not rocket science, but it brings happiness to billions—isn’t that something remarkable?” he concluded emotionally.
During the Q&A session, students eagerly discussed the relationship between enterprises and talent, language learning and global competence, the importance of diverse experiences, and the value of lifelong learning and curiosity. The lively discussion left students with many insights.
Sincere Dialogue to Drive Collaboration
Sun Qingfeng met with Thierry de LA TOUR D’ARTAISE, Vincent TAI, Ye Jide, and others, and warmly welcomed Groupe SEB and Supor delegates. He emphasized that the shared interest in engineering and Sino-French friendship lays a strong foundation for collaboration. Looking forward, the unique strengths of the parties should be leveraged for talent cultivation and scientific research, empowering the collaborating parties and creating a brighter future.
Thierry de LA TOUR D’ARTAISE expressed high expectations for deeper collaboration. He remarked that H3I’s emphasis on cultivating globally competent engineers is of great significance to Zhejiang province. Groupe SEB’s local R&D and production centers will fulfill corporate social responsibility by actively providing young people with internship and employment opportunities. He also specifically mentioned that, as the President of Le Nouvel Institut Franco-Chinois (formerly established as the Lyon Sino-French University in 1921), he is responsible for promoting Sino-French friendship. He is committed to continuously advancing exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in economics, culture, and education.
At the meeting’s conclusion, Secretary Sun Qingfeng, on behalf of H3I, signed a university-industry cooperation agreement with Groupe SEB and Supor. The three parties will collaborate in depth on training and continuing education, scholarships, research projects, student internships, and employment.
Before the meeting, Thierry de LA TOUR D’ARTAISE and his delegation had visited the National Key Laboratory of Spintronics and Technology and Centre de l’Education Excellente de ZFAl-Dassault to learn about H3I’s laboratories and the latest research achievements in micro-nano science and smart civil aviation.
In the future, H3I will continue to explore new paths for cultivating excellent international engineers, deepen university-industry cooperation, promote the integration between industry and education, and strive to train more outstanding engineering talent with solid theoretical foundation, exceptional technological innovation capabilities and proficiency in solving complex engineering problems.
(Approved by: Hong Guanxin, Zhang Wei, Xu Ran)
Edited by: Yuan Xiaohui
