Decoding the Global Breakthrough of AI+SD-WAN: Connee Zhang at the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications Greater Bay Area Alumni Forum 2025

The Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications Greater Bay Area Alumni Forum 2025, themed "Gathering in the Bay Area, Creating the Future" (邮聚湾区，链创未来), took place in Shenzhen. University leaders, including Party Secretary Guo Yufeng, Alumni Association President Liu Chen, and Vice President Liu Qingshan attended the event. Over 200 alumni from across the country gathered to share their experiences and discuss future developments.

Connee Zhang's Presentation: From Hong Kong to the World

Connee Zhang, CEO of CypressTel and a 1991 alumnus of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, was invited to speak on the topic "From Hong Kong to the World: The Global Breakthrough of AI+SD-WAN." In her address, she discussed the challenges and advantages faced by female entrepreneurs, her entrepreneurial journey in the communications industry, global expansion strategies, and the network challenges encountered by Chinese companies as they seek to go international. 

Connee also shared her insights on how AI is driving network transformations and creating new entrepreneurial opportunities, providing advice for personal growth throughout various career cycles.

Part 1: Breaking Stereotypes as a Female Entrepreneur

With over thirty years in the communications field, Connee Zhang shared her entrepreneurial philosophy, which focuses on "long-termism, resilient growth, and a positive mindset." She emphasized that women entrepreneurs face not only gender stereotypes but also challenges in building networks, accessing resources, balancing family responsibilities with career development, and maintaining psychological resilience in the face of pressure.

Connee highlighted that the entrepreneurial journey involves breaking free from gender labels and leveraging feminine traits as strategic advantages. She outlined a framework for female entrepreneurs based on four key advantages:

1. Sharp Sensitivity: The ability to quickly capture team emotions and customer needs, forming a rapid market response mechanism.

2. Innovative Insight: Developing a unique thought process that connects life insights with business transformation to create differentiated competitive strategies.

3. Empathetic Cohesion: Utilizing natural empathetic strengths to foster team cohesion and build resilient organizations.

4. Long-term Growth: Supporting enterprise growth through industry cycles with a mindset focused on "time compound interest."

Part 2: Strategic Layout - Hong Kong as a Globalization Springboard

When asked why she chose Hong Kong as her starting point for globalization, Connee Zhang explained that Hong Kong serves as a "double hub" – both a geographical nexus adjacent to Shenzhen and a thought leader with established international business practices, mature financial ecosystems, and locational advantages. This creates a "dual-drive" strategic fulcrum for enterprises, characterized by internal and external circulation. By leveraging a value chain of "global resources, Chinese wisdom, and regional demand," CypressTel successfully mapped out a global strategy from Hong Kong to the Asia-Pacific and beyond to Europe and the Americas.

Part 3: Technological Empowerment

Connee Zhang discussed how AI and SD-WAN are reshaping the global networking landscape for Chinese companies expanding overseas. Drawing on CypressTel's experience serving over 10,000 enterprises worldwide, she addressed the network challenges faced by these companies, including slow cross-border access speeds, frequent cybersecurity threats, and complex global operations. She showcased the company's innovative practices in AI+SD-WAN, presenting an integrated solution that combines "network, security, and intelligence" to reconstruct the global networking landscape for Chinese businesses venturing abroad.

Conclusion: "Bay Area Speed" Meets "Nanjing Wisdom"

The successful hosting of the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications Greater Bay Area Alumni Forum 2025 highlighted the effective integration of alumni influence and the innovative ecosystem of the Greater Bay Area. It underscored the innovative strengths of Nanjing University alumni in fields such as communications and AI, fostering a collaborative network among the university's think tank, alumni enterprises, and industrial ecosystems. As technology and industry converge in the Bay Area, Nanjing University alumni are injecting a powerful, wisdom-driven momentum into the region's telecommunications industry development.