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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.”

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.