WDHB and UPDIS Establish Strategic Partnership to Position Shenzhen as a Global Platform for Leadership Learning

WDHB and the Urban Planning and Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS) have entered into a strategic partnership to deepen global executive engagement with one of the world’s most dynamic urban innovation environments.

The collaboration formalizes an interest that has been evolving organically for years. For more than a decade, WDHB has brought international executive cohorts from diverse organizations such as Adisseo, BearingPoint, Belfius, Carrefour, and Schneider Electric to Shenzhen to experience first-hand the velocity, integration, and ambition that define the city’s development.

What began as curated visits has now matured into a structured ecosystem alliance.

Few cities embody transformation at the scale and speed of Shenzhen. In just over four decades, it has grown from a small fishing community in the Pearl River Delta into a global metropolis at the heart of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. Today, it functions simultaneously as a global manufacturing nerve center, a full-stack innovation ecosystem and a leading arena for applied AI, robotics, and consumer-centric technology development.

This trajectory has been shaped by deliberate urban strategy and coordinated design — areas in which UPDIS has played a significant role. As Shenzhen continues to evolve, UPDIS increasingly serves as a connector between the city’s innovation landscape and global as well as regional institutions seeking to understand its mechanisms more deeply.

“Shenzhen compresses decades of development into a handful of years,” says Sunil Narang, President & CEO, WDHB.

“For leaders navigating AI integration, supply chain reinvention, and ecosystem complexity, there are few places where the dynamics of hypergrowth and acceleration are as visible and as concentrated.”

Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both organizations, WDHB and UPDIS will explore co-designed immersive programs, mutual ecosystem access for international executive groups and Shenzhen-based ventures as well as reciprocal knowledge exchange initiatives.

The partnership builds on a shared belief that meaningful leadership insight emerges through structured immersion inside living systems. Shenzhen’s historic evolution, urban fabric, industrial depth, and policy experimentation offer an unusually integrated context for such exploration.

Ma Li, Board Secretary and Director of the UPDIS Talent Development Center, says, “As an institute rooted in Shenzhen with planning and design at its core, UPDIS has long supported the city’s high-quality development and sustainable transformation.”

As UPDIS expands its role as a bridge between Shenzhen and other global ecosystems, WDHB contributes its international network of enterprise leaders and institutional partners. Together, the organizations aim to create sustained exchange between Shenzhen and the global executive community.

The agreement marks the beginning of a deeper chapter in that exchange — one that positions Shenzhen not only as a destination, but as a vantage point for understanding the future of leadership, design, and innovation.

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About WDHB WDHB is a pioneer in experiential learning, specializing in designing transformative journeys and programs for global organizations. By immersing leaders in diverse ecosystems, WDHB facilitates the shifts in mindset necessary to navigate an evolving business landscape.

About UPDIS The Urban Planning and Development Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS) is a leading institution dedicated to the sustainable development, urban planning, and design excellence of Shenzhen, contributing significantly to the city’s reputation as a global hub for innovation.