My name is Alexander Lam. I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. I studied economics for my bachelor’s degree, and I have been working in the financial sector for my whole life in both the global markets and asset servicing industries. I gained exposure working in the Asian markets in Hong Kong with the Bank of China (Hong Kong) and BNP Paribas, as well as in the Canadian markets with CIBC Mellon. I have experience working in both the front office and back office which has allowed me to understand all aspects of a bank’s operations.

I chose the HKU MBA programme because the university is the oldest, and most prestigious, in Hong Kong. It is also home to an extensive alumni network and has a strong reputation across Asia. I cannot think of any other place to do my MBA!

The financial world has been innovating quite rapidly in Asia and I wanted to do an MBA programme to learn more skills outside the practical and analytical skills I have already gained. I also wanted to learn managerial and leadership skills which I believe an MBA can provide. Hong Kong combines the best of Eastern and Western cultures, and due to the compact nature of the city, it is quick to implement technological innovation, especially in the banking and finance sector. There has been rapid innovation within the field of Fintech, and I want to be part of that development.

The MBA itself prepares you to be able to embrace change and to deal with the challenge of uncertainty. I expect the HKU MBA programme to equip me to deal with this ever changing landscape. The programme is allowing me to do a Fintech focused class which has been good at teaching me different initiatives to be able to deal with the ever changing landscape; the course lead, Henri Arslanian has been very professional.

This Fintech class allows me to work with people who come from all walks of life. One of my group mates is very knowledgeable in the field of cryptocurrency and Fintech in Hong Kong. The classes are formed from multinational groups with different perspectives so the collaborative learning environment is something I treasure. We all believe that Fintech is the next big thing in the world as it basically simplifies the complexity of banking processes and logistics. My cohorts and I all share this same thought: “Fintech will be the next customer approach for the banking industry”. I want to learn as much as possible on the course so I can be a part of this Fintech wave.

The HKU MBA programme has been a great journey! Coming from Canada, where everything is so quiet because of Covid I find that life in Hong Kong is very lively and with so much happening!

I have been with the HKU MBA programme for a few months now and have found the class interactions, the meeting of new people, speakers and alumni from different initiatives very inspiring.
‘Be open minded to everything!’ is what I have learnt from a very recent talk by Mr. Savio Kwan, Alibaba’s ex-Chief Operating Officer. He shared his life story with us and advised us to be open minded, to grow, and to not mind challenges. I believe his motto will benefit me in the long run, not just career wise but also on a personal level.

Last but not least, I have really enjoyed the “Business Ethics” subject. The professor who leads this subject has taught us to look at what “success” means from many different perspectives, and not necessarily from the perspective of money or status. Social and environmental factors should also be considered. The professor also taught us to have critical thinking on things we do, and has inspired us to look beyond merely material concerns.