From a relatively young age I knew that I wanted to experience living in Hong Kong and studying in the University of Hong Kong. It has an outstanding reputation in Asia, especially in terms of its strong brand, and therefore was my number one option when choosing an MBA programme. Though it is still a relatively new course, perhaps one of the youngest programmes offered on the campus, it falls under HKU’s long-standing reputation and is a major participant of and contributor to the Hong Kong and mainland China business connections. Given that my career was built on a frequent cross-border travelling model, this matched my requirements perfectly.

I very much enjoyed my two years study at HKU Business School. They were spent studying at the Cyberport campus, on the south side of Hong Kong island. It had amazing digital facilities, met all our business study needs, and was in front of a breathless skyline and boundless ocean. I found this a great environment for learning. The classes were extremely mixed, with various nationalities bringing their unique perspectives to brainstorms, presentations, discussions and sometimes arguments. In my second year I enrolled in a model which allowed me to travel to Belgium and the UK on field trips. This enriched my learning experience and allowed me to take what I was learning in the classroom and apply it to new situations. My MBA journey was generally very enjoyable, and I learnt a lot not only from lecturers, but from my cohorts.

I found the courses on entrepreneurship useful and felt they had a significant influence on me. In one of the classes we presented entrepreneurial ideas and proposals in groups, some of which have since been brought to fruition. This allowed me to participate in some real start-up trials and promote our own project launch in Hong Kong whilst studying, working and supporting family. This was an amazing experience, both personally and professionally, and it inspired my entrepreneurial spirit, something being extremely important for career growth. I also benefited from general communication and leadership skills through the programme, which enabled me to develop from a commercial manager role in Maersk Hong Kong, to be now a regional Head of Operation for CMS Distribution the European value-added distributor. In our globalization penetration in Asia, I manage a regional operation team to set up, manage, and consistently optimize multiple functions such as global logistics, trade compliance, inventory control, and service partners management in APAC countries. This mission would be very difficult for me to achieve without the knowledge, skillset, and mindset learned from my MBA experience.

It’s important to be clear about what you wish to achieve from the MBA. If you are still at the early stage of building a career, a full-time MBA will help forge your career path and it might be a good idea to finish the programme in a short amount of time. If you are at a mid-senior level in your industry, the part-time study enables you to continue working and requires little change to your original lifestyle. There are always ways to reduce your time spent studying, but the most effective way is to plan it well by managing your calendar, focusing on work and giving up some things that don’t take priority.

For those who are considering enrolling in the MBA programme at HKU Business School I would say this: similar to all education programmes, the MBA itself won’t determine your personal and professional development, but rather the whole experience will shape who you are and how far you will go. So, invest in yourself, let your progress inspire and empower you, be yourself and – above all else – keep going.

Industry: Information Technology & Services
Company: CMS Distribution
Job Title: Head Of Operations APAC