HKUST MBA Program

The HKUST MBA Singapore career trek

officer — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:51:51 +0000

35 HKUST MBA students flew to Singapore visiting over 20 companies during the Spring break. What exactly did they do and what were their takeaways from the trip? Learn more from Lars Rinne, our German student and the key organizer of this trek, which is one of the biggest student initiatives this year.

The HKUST MBA Finance Conference 2012

officer — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:42:12 +0000

Organized by the Finance Club, this year’s conference brought together financial practitioners, regulators, students, alumni and faculty to explore the role of the Chinese currency, RMB, in stabilizing the global economy. The event began with a speech by the keynote speaker Andrew Sheng, the President of an Asian think tank called the Fung Global Institute.

Welcome dinner for part-time new admits of intake 2012

officer — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:20:54 +0000

This year, we have an interesting mix of people, including a doctor, an architect, a flight attendant and even a speed dating professional. With our global reputation, our part-time class is getting increasingly international with many foreign faces from Switzerland, France, Mexico, Italy, Korea, Slovakia and more!

Visiting the world’s largest oil company in Saudi Arabia

officer — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:08:45 +0000

One of our student clubs, Energy Alliance, organized a 3-day trip to Saudi Arabia visiting its national oil company, Saudi Aramco, which plays a pivotal role in the global energy sector. The visit was an excellent opportunity to gain more insights into the world’s largest oil producer and to explore career opportunities there.

MBA students sailing in the waters of Thailand

officer — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:33:35 +0000

In the spring break of 2012, a group of over 20 HKUST MBA full-time first year students embarked on a week long journey in the warm waters of Phuket bay. A total of three 44-feet sailing boats, led by the Sailing Club presidents and fully manned by the students, covered over 250km of open sea and visited more than 10 different islands in the region.

One more entrepreneur from HKUST MBA getting recognized

officer — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:26:47 +0000

Playnote, the business set up by our alumnus, Eric Yung, won the Gold Award of the Best Lifestyle (Learning and Living) Award at the Hong Kong ICT Award 2012. It is one of the most respected forms of recognition in the Hong Kong ICT industry and the award winners are usually well established companies instead of new startups like Playnote.

17th IESE International Case Competition

officer — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 01:47:12 +0000

Our students won the 1st runner up place at this case competition held in Barcelona. Other participating schools included LBS, CEIBS, Yale, IESE, etc. They were required to work towards a business solution on a relevant and current case, an exercise which simulated the reality of a career in Consulting.

Credit Suisse 3rd Asian MBA Football Cup

officer — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 03:28:48 +0000

A record 10 teams competed for this year’s title. They included CEIBS, CUHK, HKU, HKUST, INSEAD, Nanyang, Tsinghua and the event sponsor, Credit Suisse. After a long day of matches, the final was a spectacular game between INSEAD and HKUST with INSEAD snatching the Champion cup.

6 strategies to change your job location after MBA

officer — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:27:06 +0000

Many people want to do an MBA to work in another part of the world. Here are some strategies based on the success of our alumni now working in different cities in Asia, which, according to Reuters, is “one of the world’s last bastions of buoyant economic growth”.

1. Be very committed to the region
Stefano, who is in his fourth year working in China, has a piece of advice for foreigners who want to work in Asia: “You have to look for a job with a long–term perspective. You can’t think ‘I’ll try to stay here for two years and then go back’. And you need to be clear on how you will add value to the organization. Easier said than done especially in a period in which companies are quickly localizing, but that’s the only way to get people looking at you in a different way.”		Stefano Di Genua Class of 2009 Senior Project Manager Siemens Financial Services Now: Beijing, China Pre-MBA: Milan, Italy
2. Get a local internship
Many companies select full–time employees from their interns to make sure their performance is up to standard and they can fit into the team. Wenlei’s former consulting job in Singapore was a good example of a conversion from internship to long term employment. Local internship experience is important to other recruiters as well since it proves that you have prior experience working there.		Wenlei Zhuang Class of 2011 Senior Associate The Boston Consulting Group Former location: Singapore Pre-MBA: Shanghai, China
3. Make good use of your MBA network
The best kinds of jobs are usually never advertised, but available in the hidden job market through networking. A classmate of Abhishek who worked at Bosch earlier referred a job opportunity in the same company to him in Hong Kong. Abhishek is now working in Shanghai for Bosch (China) Investment in a marketing role for the Asia Pacific region.		Abhishek Makharia Class of 2010 Product Manager – Power Tools Asia Pacific Bosch (China) Investment Now: Shanghai, China Pre-MBA: Bangalore, India
4. Keep your old network close
Sylvain kept in touch with his former colleagues even though he had left Credit Suisse in Switzerland to study an MBA in Asia. After his graduation, he learned that his old company was looking for someone to manage the North Asia business region for the department from the Singapore branch. Sylvain was the obvious choice given his European background, Asian exposure and a reputable MBA degree.		Sylvain Gysler Class of 2008 Head of Department – Independent Asset Managers Bank Pictet & Cie (Asia) Now: Singapore Pre-MBA: Geneva, Switzerland
5. Join a management associate program
Management associate programs often lead to a promising career in multinational companies. And they prefer to recruit MBA graduates because of their business acumen, global exposure, leadership potential and knowledge of the emerging markets. Beth from South Africa was recruited by AIA through its management associate program and is now posted in Hong Kong.		Beth Bremner Class of 2011 Management Associate AIA Now: Hong Kong Pre-MBA: London, U.K.
6. Return home and wait for an opportunity
Even if you can’t find a job where you want immediately, it may just mean that the time hasn’t come yet. It never hurts to go back to your home country and keep an eye out for new opportunities. Take Christian for an example. After the MBA, he returned to Europe and worked for Swarovski. Not long after, he applied for an internal transfer and then moved to China with his family.		Christian Gasplmayr Class of 2007 Senior Strategic Project and Planning & Analysis Manager Swarovski Now: Shanghai, China Pre-MBA: Vienna, Austria

Expatriate profiles at HKUST MBA

officer — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:32:51 +0000

Our latest part-time MBA class has over 40% non-local nationality and 14 different nationalities represented. Check out the profiles of some of our expatriate students here.

Max Tellini (Italy)
PT year two student
Manager, Project & Acquisition Finance Asia Pacific, Corporate & Investment Banking Division,
Intesa Sanpaolo Group – Hong Kong Branch
Been in HK: around 3 years

“An MBA to me is almost a necessity since nearly everybody in my team has an MBA. I want to match my great work experience in HK with an excellent training at a reputable business school.”

Koh Matsuno (Japan)
PT year two student
Manager, Pasona Asia
Been in HK: 7 years

“It is great to meet expatriate and local classmates who are full of passion and ambitions. Knowing what people of my own generation are doing at work and sharing experience with them are really stimulating. It has given me more motivation to grow up as a business person.”

Josh White (Australia)
PT year one student
Senior Vice President – Business Technology,
HSBC Securities Services
Been in HK: 4 years

“Hitting the ground running, the introductory residential program was an intense but very rewarding experience that built a strong foundation of knowledge and friendships which are critical for success in the MBA journey. The momentum gained from this course was an invaluable kick start for the exciting challenges ahead.”

Sara Earnshaw (United Kingdom)
PT year one student
Independent Digital Marketing Consultant
Been in HK: 2 years

“In the few short months I’ve been at HKUST, I’ve already advanced my knowledge of business as much as I had expected to over the course of the whole program. I’m more comfortable talking about finance than ever before, and I’m able to better communicate with clients about their business opportunities.”

Yves Ngakoutou (France)
PT year one student
Business Director, Eight Partnership
Been in HK: 8 years

“The professional background of lecturers and their real-business approach are a treat. I didn’t expect every class to offer precious takeaways that can be used at work immediately.”

Laura Lukosiute (Lithuania)
PT year one student
Financial Accountant, Standard Chartered
Been in HK: 7 months

“Since I’ve been in Hong Kong for less than a year, starting part-time MBA program with HKUST has given me numerous benefits. One of the greatest so far is that I got to meet lots of people from various industries, backgrounds and cultures, which rapidly expands my business and personal networks in Hong Kong and abroad.”

Other non-local nationalities in class:
Canada, India, Indonesia, Macau, South Korea, Singapore and Romania.