How The CUHK MBA Got Me A Job At Lenovo In China
Media Coverage by BusinessBecause:
Tony Wang was looking for an education in global business when he decided to pursue a full-time MBA at Hong Kong’s CUHK Business School.
He’d previously worked in local business in China as a product director in the IT industry, but he felt he lacked the global insight needed to move his career forwards.
For Tony, CUHK was the obvious choice—the first ever MBA program in Hong Kong and Asia with a history spanning more than 50 years. The school’s vast alumni network is spread across 40 countries, giving students access to industry leaders, and mentors, across the globe.
“CUHK’s long history gives it a special advantage,” Tony explains. “It enables the school to run a mentor program for every student. When you enter the MBA program you get a connection to management level people at famous companies. These are all CUHK graduates from 10 or 20 years earlier.
“It is a good opportunity to build connections, learn, and hear advice from them. Some can offer internship opportunities and I was one of the lucky ones—my mentor holds a senior position at a Hong Kong telecoms company and he offered me an internship during my degree.
“He really helped me a lot. He offered me the opportunity to develop a global network with leaders in Hong Kong and France for example. He also gave me the opportunity to expand my global view. I had the chance to help him run his business and cover the whole of Asia. I couldn’t have got this opportunity before the MBA.”
After graduating, Tony landed a job with Lenovo in Beijing as a global product operations manager for Lenovo’s ThinkPad business laptops, working closely with offices in Japan and the US. He doesn’t think he’d have got the role without his MBA at CUHK Business School.
“Lenovo had good connections with our careers office,” Tony explains. “They wanted to find MBA students to run their product marketing and operations in their global office in Beijing.
“I kept my connection with the company and Lenovo reached out when they were hiring to see if I was still interested.”
On top of the mentorship program, CUHK Business School runs international exchange programs with around 50 distinguished universities worldwide, international business field study trips, career trek and global business case competitions.
These initiatives give students the opportunity to travel across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas to broaden their horizons and gain insight into global markets.
What should people think about when considering an MBA?
“You need to ask yourself how it will help you develop your future career,” Tony explains. “The most important thing to consider is yourself. What are your career goals?”
Media: BusinessBecause
Section: News/ MBA Hong Kong
Date published: Mar 28, 2018