In my undergraduate studies in both China and the United States, I learnt and put into practice many aspects of hospitality management. Upon graduation, I joined Starwood Hotels’ China headquarters as a Corporate Management Trainee. I started in the New Builds & Transitions team, which is charged with the opening of Starwood’s hotels. My work encompassed market analysis, room pricing, sales and marketing strategy and area allocation for facilities mix. Then I joined the Acquisitions & Development team as a manager. There I completed many project feasibility studies, which have assisted the company in launching successful hotels in various markets across China.

Given the massive urbanization, rising income and changing consumer trends in China, there are substantial opportunities for novel real estate types to be developed. I aspire to work further in this field and help invest in and develop the many forms of real estate innovations that will inevitably emerge in the vast Chinese and Asian market.

HKU MBA plays a critical part in the progression towards my aspiration. I will gain immensely from its rigorous curriculum that is highly relevant to China and Asia. I will also be pursuing some elective courses at CBS, partner school of HKU MBA, and look to learn more on real estate at Columbia’s renowned Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate. The MBA will offer me a great opportunity to learn from other industries apart from hospitality and real estate. It’s a good time now to absorb these diverse perspectives and bring that holistic vantage point back to work when I graduate.

Being in the dynamic global city of Hong Kong gives me the opportunity to tap into the wider international environment but at the same time allows me easy access to the China and Asian markets. There are ample opportunities thus to network with the global and regional players in the real estate ecosystem as many of them have a significant business presence in Hong Kong.

My MBA experience has been fantastic so far. In order to develop our soft skills, the Career Services team has arranged various trainings and workshops. More importantly, the Career Services team organizes one-on-one coaching and gives me customized career advice, which will be tremendously beneficial to my job search. I am also constantly amazed by the quality of my classmates. I am learning a lot from them, and hope that I am contributing in my own way to their MBA experience too. Enrolling in this programme has been one of my best decisions.