When relocation marks a new career turning point
George Leung
Hong Kong, Part-Time Class of 2012
Pre MBA: Manager, CB Academy, Standard Chartered Bank
Post MBA: Founder & CEO, Gangjin Management Consulting
“It was such a rare opportunity and I decided to grab it,” says George Leung, recalling his decision to move from Hong Kong to Shanghai for work after a headhunter called. His decision was an easy one as he not only saw the rapid development in China, but also took into account lifestyle and social factors such as a bigger living space, with more opportunities for sports and expanding his circle of friends. Indeed, it was a chance too good to miss.
In Shanghai, George took up the role as Training Manager at Puiyi Optical, staying at the high-end optical chain for over six years where he managed two teams across China and trained staff to enhance their skills in customer services and selling skills.
Outside of work during a number of social gatherings, he met friends who own startups and when they shared their experience, he could feel their passion and change in attitude. George was tempted to start something on his own, and armed with the different skills and knowledge learnt from his MBA, he felt the confidence to go for it.
For George, timing was important to kickstart his entrepreneurial journey. Having stayed in Shanghai for a number of years, he managed to build a network of connections to sustain his business. He is now the Founder and CEO of Gangjin Management Consulting, a company that provides training solutions to organisations targeting their customer service pain points and help brush up essential soft skills of their staff. He is grateful that he sees himself benefitting from the extensive CUHK alumni network, from which he achieved a number of exceptional business referrals. At present, he has clients from different industries, ranging from finance to retail and FMCG.
The training and consulting market in China is highly competitive. George says that the people and soft skills learnt throughout the MBA programme helped him secure more business than his competitors.
To be where he is now, George attributes part of his success to his decision to pursue an MBA at CUHK and choosing the entrepreneurship course in particular. Prior to his MBA, George was the training manager at the consumer banking academy of Standard Chartered Bank. Having been in this capacity for quite some time, he saw an MBA as a ticket to enhance his mobility and experience across different industries. Now looking back, the course that he saw as “good and inspirational” kickstarted his future plans in commencing his own entrepreneurial journey.
Despite his heavy workload and being tied-up with different commitments, George is an active alumnus and runs the committee of the CUHK MBA Shanghai Alumni Association. He arranges different social and networking activities on a regular basis and also acts as an ambassador for international students.
“Around 50-60 alumni will show up every time, networking is so important. Every time somebody will bring in new friends which make the pool bigger and bigger! It’s making connections through connections. It’s a great way to spread the word of mouth for my business!” says George with a big smile on his face!