CUHK EMBA Ranks No. 1 in Asia Pacific and No. 4 in the World on Alumni’s Career Progress

In the 2020 Financial Times Global Executive MBA Ranking, in a criterion that indicates alumni’s career progress, CUHK EMBA ranks No. 4 in the world and came out on top amongst all EMBA programmes in Asia Pacific.

The Global Executive MBA Ranking features top 100 business schools. CUHK EMBA has significantly moved up 9 places to 15th in the world in 2020 and remains to be the top independent English-instructed programme in the Greater China region. Among the alumni of all English-instructed independent EMBA programmes in Greater China, CUHK EMBA’s alumni have achieved the highest level of average salary three years after graduation, with an average annual salary of around HK$2.4 million. The programme’s alumni also achieved a high average salary increase rate of 56%.

Compared to results last year, CUHK EMBA also showed impressive progress in areas such as research publications and the proportion of core courses dedicated to corporate social responsibility, ethics, social and environmental issues.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Class of 2017 for their great success in career advancement after 3 years of their graduation. Their unfailing support has made significant contribution to the encouraging ranking result CUHK EMBA achieved in 2020!

For more details, please read the full results of the Financial Times Executive MBA Ranking 2020.

Join us to be part of the CUHK EMBA family! For details, please view our upcoming Admissions Events.

Aves Chan, Alan Lai & Jeffrey Pong | “We first met as fellow EMBA students and eventually decided to go together into a new business venture.”

On this page...

Aves Chan, Alan Lai & Jeffrey Pong 陳鏡東、黎嘉豪、龐朝輝

Co-founders, the CLINIC

(EMBA Class of 2017)

The partnership of Jeffrey Pong, a medical doctor, Aves Chan, a Fellow Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Alan Lai, a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in public health, first meeting as fellow EMBA students and eventually deciding to go together into a new business venture, is an amazing story from our CUHK EMBA programme.

The three partners find themselves a perfect fit for this venture with contributions from their respective areas of professional expertise. Their first clinic, named the CLINIC, which specialises on eye and skin care, was opened in 2016. They hope their business will grow and develop to an IPO level in due course.

For Jeffrey, who is a highly qualified eye doctor in the medical field, comes to the EMBA programme to learn business. To him, picking up valuable knowledge in business strategies and management techniques is important, but possibly not as much as the excellent friendships he has now attained with his EMBA classmates who are talented individuals possessing high business acumen and are also very eager to learn.

Jeffrey’s view is fully shared by both Aves and Alan. To them, the uniqueness of the EMBA programme is in the diversity that is embodied whereby they find not only business executives and professional specialists studying with them but also a lot of business owners who can be their excellent go-to resources now that they are joining their ranks as entrepreneurs.

Aves and Alan also believe that the CUHK EMBA programme serves them the best as it has the most intimate knowledge of Hong Kong and China while encompassing a broad global perspective. This unique blend makes the programme very special.

Starting up a business certainly was not what they were expecting before they joined the EMBA programme. Somehow, they should all realise now that the greatest benefit they have got is not only in the two years they spend in the course. The benefit is likely to be extended to their lifetimes after they have established this unbelievable bonding taking them to a new height and horizon.

Talking to CEOs XVII《與CEO對話(十七)︰壯志高飛》

On this page...

The seventeenth Radio/TV series of “Talking to CEOs《與CEO對話(十七)︰壯志高飛》” was broadcast on RTHK Radio One, RTHK TV 31, i-Cable Finance Info Channel, now Business News Channel and now Direct Channel between September and December 2020. Guest speakers included:

Dr. Sunny Chai, BBS (EMBA 2007)

查毅超

Chairman

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Mr. Donald Choi

蔡宏興

Executive Director & CEO

Chinachem Group

Ms. Randy Lai (EMBA 2005)

黎韋詩

Chief Executive Officer

McDonald’s Hong Kong

Dr. Shawn Leung (EMBA 2006)

梁瑞安

Chief Executive Officer

SinoMab BioScience Ltd.

INTRO&FULL

Mr. Howard Ling, MH

凌浩雲

Chief Consultant

Social Enterprise Business Centre

Prof. Dennis Lo

盧煜明

Director

Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, CUHK

Prof. Fredric Mao, BBS

毛俊輝

Director Laureate

Hong Kong Repertory Theatre

Mr. Stan Tang

鄧耀昇

Chairman

Stan Group

INTRO&FULL

Dr. Sunny Chai, BBS (EMBA 2007)

查毅超

Chairman

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

INTRO&FULL

Mr. Donald Choi

蔡宏興

Executive Director & CEO

Chinachem Group

INTRO&FULL

Ms. Randy Lai (EMBA 2005)

黎韋詩

Chief Executive Officer

McDonald’s Hong Kong

INTRO&FULL

Dr. Shawn Leung (EMBA 2006)

梁瑞安

Chief Executive Officer

SinoMab BioScience Ltd.

INTRO&FULL

Mr. Howard Ling, MH

凌浩雲

Chief Consultant

Social Enterprise Business Centre

INTRO&FULL

Prof. Dennis Lo

盧煜明

Director

Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, CUHK

INTRO&FULL

Prof. Fredric Mao, BBS

毛俊輝

Director Laureate

Hong Kong Repertory Theatre

INTRO&FULL

Mr. Stan Tang

鄧耀昇

Chairman

Stan Group

INTRO&FULL

Broadcasting schedule of the new series of “Talking to CEOs 2020” can be viewed here.

To review previous episodes of the “Talking to CEOs” programme, please visit CUHK EMBA YouTube Channel.

Olivier Bourgade | “I’m particularly impressed with the Entrepreneurship course where I get hands-on experiences to work with real start-ups and pitch to real investors.”

On this page...

Olivier Bourgade

Acting General Manager & Buying Office Director, Kingfisher Asia Limited

(EMBA Class of 2020)

After nearly twenty years living out of France, with life and work experiences in culturally diverse places including South America, Mainland China and Hong Kong, Olivier wanted to refresh his knowledge and take up challenges in new ways. With a strong Asian focus, the CUHK EMBA programme was a straightforward choice for him to achieve those objectives. The flexibility of weekend classes also makes it the best fit for him working as a busy executive.

Among the eclectic modules that are offered, Olivier is particularly impressed with the Entrepreneurship course where he gets hands-on experiences to work with real start-ups and pitch to real investors, thereby developing an astute entrepreneurial mindset. “The course is highly demanding as we need perfect teamwork, independent and creative thinking, as well as sharp decisionmaking power to execute endeavours that we have had no experience before,” recalls Olivier.

Directly related to his job, Olivier gets immense benefits from the Negotiation class providing him with some very precise methodologies to work with. “Through practices, I was able to assess my own style, be better prepared and overcome the most difficult challenges,” Olivier talks of the benefits.

Olivier also takes pride in his voluntary participation in the EMBA Annual Conference project: “As Chairman of the Organising Committee, I was working with fifteen of my fellow classmates as a robust team. Over a period of ten months, we worked together to design and deliver the event for three hundred guests, alumni, remarkable speakers and professors. The journey together was our most valuable learning experience, demonstrating our grit and resilience.”

No doubt, everyone benefits from the strong EMBA network. Olivier expects the many friendships he has gained from this EMBA experience will be the source of camaraderie and mutual support that he will enjoy at and outside work in the years to come.

New Thinking in Management《管理新思維》

On this page...

The Radio series of “New Thinking in Management《管理新思維》” has been aired on RTHK Radio One every Sunday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm since 2003. A sample of guest speakers included:

Dr. David Chung, JP

鍾偉強

Under Secretary for

Innovation and Technology

HKSARG

Dr. Daniel Lee

李康善

Associate Vice-President

(Innovation and Enterprise)

CUHK

Mr. Alfred Sit, JP

薛永恒

Secretary for Innovation and Technology

HKSARG

Mr. Ricky Wong

黃光耀

Managing Director

Wheelock Properties (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Mr. Simon Wong, BBS, JP

黃家和

Chairman

The Kampery Group

Mr. Stephen Wong

黃思遠

Co-Founder & CEO

Dory Network Technology Ltd.

Dr. David Chung, JP

鍾偉強

Under Secretary for

Innovation and Technology

HKSARG

Dr. Daniel Lee

李康善

Associate Vice-President

(Innovation and Enterprise)

CUHK

Mr. Alfred Sit, JP

薛永恒

Secretary for Innovation and Technology

HKSARG

Mr. Ricky Wong

黃光耀

Managing Director

Wheelock Properties (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Mr. Simon Wong, BBS, JP

黃家和

Chairman

The Kampery Group

Mr. Stephen Wong

黃思遠

Co-Founder & CEO

Dory Network Technology Ltd.

To review more Radio series of the “New Thinking in Management” programme, please visit
www.rthk.hk/radio/radio1/programme/NovaManagement.

Study Trip to ESMT in Berlin, Germany (Jul 2019)

On this page...

To enable participants to learn more about Germany’s success on Hidden Champions and Industry 4.0, the programme partnered with the world-class European School of Management and Technology (ESMT Berlin) to conduct a Germany study trip in July 2019. The trip was an integral part of an elective course entitled “Selected Topics in Business and Management: Revealing Germany’s Secret of Hidden Champions and Industry 4.0.” Senior faculty at ESMT Berlin conducted a series of seminars on the following topics: “Germany’s Economy – the Creation of Wealth,” “Hidden Champions – the Innovation Fabric of Germany’s Economy,” “Counter Strategies of German Manufacturers in Global Markets,” “Industry 4.0 – Core Elements and Application Areas” and “The Promise of Blockchain – Blockchain and Its Industrial Application.” The participants also visited companies including Viessmann, Berliner Glas and Volkswagen.

Video Highlights – Study Trip to ESMT Berlin, Germany

Watch video highlights of our other previous global study trips HERE

Since 2011, partnerships have been established between CUHK’s EMBA programme and other world-class universities to offer EMBA participants the opportunity to undertake global study trips. On top of the ESMT Berlin, our partnering universities also include the followings:

University of Cambridge
University of Oxford

Stanford University
University of California, Berkeley

Tel Aviv University

CUHK EMBA Ranks 15th Worldwide in Financial Times Executive MBA Ranking 2020

On this page...

In the 2020 Financial Times Global Executive MBA Ranking released on October 26, 2020, CUHK EMBA has significantly moved up 9 places to 15th in the world in 2020 and remains to be the top independent English-instructed programme in the Greater China region.

The Global Executive MBA Ranking features top 100 business schools. Among the alumni of all English-instructed independent EMBA programmes in Greater China, CUHK EMBA’s alumni have achieved the highest level of average salary three years after graduation, with an average annual salary of around HK$2.4 million. The programme’s alumni also achieved a high average salary increase rate of 56%. In a criterion that indicates alumni’s career progress, CUHK EMBA ranks No. 4 in the world and came out on top amongst all EMBA programmes in Asia Pacific. The programme also ranks top amongst all independent EMBA programmes in Asia Pacific in terms of female students, with 48% of the student body represented by female business leaders. CUHK EMBA has scored high in areas including aims achieved via programme, corporate social responsibility, international diversity and female proportion in the programme’s advisory board, and Business School’s research publications.

Prof. Howard Lam, Director of EMBA Programme, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Prof. Andrew Chan and Prof. K. C. Mun, the two former EMBA Directors, who have made significant contributions to the EMBA programme under their leaderships over the past 27 years. They set a good and solid foundation for the programme to move forward. As always, ranking is not our foremost pursuit. What is important is to maintain our ability of nurturing top-notch management talent for the betterment of the business community and society. We integrate Chinese Wisdom with Western Knowhow to prepare our students and alumni for challenges of tomorrow in this ever-changing world.”

For more details, please read the full results of the Financial Times Executive MBA Ranking 2020.

Applications for EMBA 2021 admission are now open. For details, please view our upcoming Admissions Events.

Sean Lee | “The programme offers a perfect blend of ‘East Meets West’ which is ideal for me to establish a network with like-minded business professionals in Asia.”

On this page...

Sean Lee 李凱翔

Chief Executive Officer, Algorand Foundation

(EMBA Class of 2015)

After spending 25 years living and working in North America, Sean wishes to establish a network with like-minded business professionals in Asia after his relocation. The CUHK EMBA programme offers a perfect blend of “East Meets West” which Sean sees as ideal for his purpose.

According to Sean, the six pillars of the EMBA programme, building synergies between theories and practices while leveraging internal and external networks, form the basis for strategic perspectives in all major business decisions he makes. Integrating an element of social contribution makes the whole process more “real” towards building a better world.

“Can’t see the forest for the trees” is often the pitfall of the daily grind as one tends not to step back and look at the big picture. As Sean recalls, “About halfway through the EMBA programme I was asked by a Silicon Valley headquartered company, Pivotal Software (now part of VMWare), to be part of its Asia leadership team to explore new networks and establish a strategic operating model. US companies traditionally treat Asian countries individually while employing different business practices. However, with globalisation and rapid maturing of technical know-how in Asia, I thought it best to find synergies between the markets. Taking a step back with the ‘forest centric’ approach, combining it with the ‘East Meets West’ mentality, brought great efficiency to our operations and the needed agility for our campaigns across the region.”

Equipping with technical appreciation and understanding is a prerequisite for running business today. This means learning technology applicability within the company should sit with the leadership team, not the specific responsibility of the IT people. This is the insight Sean shared having long been a seasoned professional in the technology sector. Having worked in both startups and large corporations, Sean is now on the lookout for the next wave of technological advancements. He believes blockchain and digital currencies will be part of that next wave. “Our focus will be on expanding an ecosystem of participants, creating a fair and borderless economic model for all, and embracing social impact projects with open arms,” Sean tells of his current work at the Algorand Foundation.

Amy Fung | “Working in the non-profit sector is certainly no easier than working in the commercial sector. To climb higher and see wider, I need to adopt a view that is no different from what is required of a business executive.”

On this page...

Amy Fung 馮丹媚

Chief Executive Officer, New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association

(EMBA Class of 2017)

Working in the non-profit sector is certainly no easier than working in the commercial sector in our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world today. Life is made even harder by the fact that the non-profit sector faces greater constraints in the quest for talents and resources.

Not exempt from the universal demand for delivering quality services, non-profit organisations are equally directed by visions and missions along with well-executed strategic plans. This has prompted Amy to embark on a deep learning journey through the CUHK EMBA programme to get herself adequately prepared for these challenges.

“I am a strong believer of growth, for work and for personal development. Embracing challenges is the springboard for growth and improvement. The power of “Yet” is anything but powerful. My learning of such disciplines as macroeconomics, entrepreneurship, corporate finance, business analysis, leadership and I-Ching《易經》, while seemingly irrelevant to my work, gives me the insights that a broad perspective is only a matter of ‘Yet’. To climb higher and see wider, I need to adopt a view that is no different from what is required of a business executive,” reflects Amy.

As a social service professional, Amy very much appreciates and treasures the diversity within the EMBA network. “Even though we come from very different backgrounds, we hold the same belief in social contribution and wellbeing of the entire society,” Amy talks of her EMBA classmates with delight. “Social Contribution”, the sixth pillar of the EMBA programme, ensures that those who come through this programme will take it as an important part of their life purpose.

To Amy, the miracle of “Yet” is ongoing and is going deeper and deeper into her inner being. “The programme has not only opened my eyes to the world of knowledge, but more importantly, it has helped me adjust my internal compass in search of my ‘True North’,” proclaims Amy with resoluteness.

Yaron Jacobs | “I learned and applied some methods on technology and innovation management when I launched my start-up company some time later.“

On this page...

Yaron Jacobs 雅榮

Chief Commercial Officer, Lan Kwai Fong Group

(EMBA Class of 2015)

Lan Kwai Fong Group was awarded an extensive number of awards for a variety of campaigns and ventures, spanning from property developments, marketing strategy to social responsibility programmes providing assistance to the wider community. Recent awards included “Mob-Ex Awards” and “MARkies Awards” by Marketing Magazine in 2019.

To Yaron Jacobs, a Westerner living in Hong Kong, the CUHK EMBA programme provides an opportunity to broaden his horizon by going through the broad range of skills and industry knowhow that the programme offers.

Besides, he saw it a unique opportunity to co-operate in a learning environment with a broad range of people from Hong Kong. “Not only did I make some great friends, I also learned a lot about the local culture and habits through these associations,” Yaron cites the network advantage.

Yaron currently works at the Lan Kwai Fong Group. “The place Lan Kwai Fong is indeed a symbolic melting pot of eastern and western cultural influences in Hong Kong,” he reckons. He credits his success in his current role from the experiences he gained in the EMBA programme.

Yaron was inspired by the leading thinkers at Silicon Valley when the EMBA class visited the University of California, Berkeley. “I learned and applied some methods on technology and innovation management when I launched my start-up company some time later,” he recalls how he took advantage of the occasion. He believes the programme has encouraged entrepreneurship.

On the subject of innovation and technology, Yaron believes that young executives – as well as older ones – should not be forced to adapt to a changing environment; rather they should be driving the change. He offers a suggestion, “Many young people feel dissatisfied by the rigidity at work, but this can be a source of motivation to find something better and do it.” This, he sees, is the way to become successful.

“In a business venture, people need to know where they are, adopt a good strategy that tells them where they want to go, and apply management theories to help them get there. There are myriad ways to do things differently, particularly in our digitally connected world today,” advises Yaron. He is certainly confident that the theories he learned in the EMBA course will guide him through the journey towards his strategic goal.