I choose HKU’s MBA programme given its global reputation and the strength of its academic faculty. Choosing HKU was part of my objective of shifting my industry from sales and marketing to real estate investment. Hong Kong was also a great location given it’s closeness to India.

During my MBA programme I received a part-time internship offer from District15, a real estate investment firm via the MBA Career Services Team. I was the first intern the company ever employed. I joined the company full time upon my return from the London Business School exchange programme.

Now I am an investment manager for acquisitions at District15 where I lead acquisitions and investor relations. Our team establishes institutional capital raisings, sources real estate investment opportunities and deploys capital with the aim of creating value for the investor group in the medium to long term. The company’s lean organisation also means a lot of exposure across the value chain.

The most interesting experience from my time with the MBA programme was the London Business School exchange programme. I still utilise the knowledge I learned from an elective in real estate investment to this day.

Another interesting experience was the one week long Singapore career track. I was given a chance to meet 15 – 20 corporate employers in Singapore which was organised by the Career Services Team. It helped me expand my understanding to a regional level and developed my network. I appreciate the contributions and commitments made by the programme team.

I am often asked from MBA aspirants if Chinese language skills are a pre-requisite to finding a job in Hong Kong. I firmly believe that there are and will always be opportunities in Hong Kong for people with limited or no Chinese speaking skills just because of the international nature of the place. However, Chinese language skills might open a lot of more doors for sure.

The programme will come and go very quickly. My advice is to take advantage of whatever opportunities that come your way. Try networking with people and get connected. It can turn out to be of great value to your career. I am very happy that I took this MBA programme 9 years back and I am happy to be in Hong Kong still. Hong Kong is such a great place to be, and has so many opportunities to offer.