CUHK MBA Fostered My Transformation From An Engineer To A Business Leader

I majored in Optics during my undergraduate and postgraduate studies. After graduation, I started to work as an Engineer. Due to the job nature, I have always been immersed in optical R&D and have had little exposure to other business environments or opportunities to lead a team. However, the idea of starting a business has always been in my mind. To ensure I can grasp the chance when other conditions are ready, I decided to study for an MBA to enrich myself in preparation.

 

Following the footsteps of the “Father of Fibre Optics” and stepping into the world of CUHK

To follow the lead of my role model Charles Kuen Kao, the Nobel Laureate in Physics and former President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, I chose to pursue my MBA in CUHK. Besides, the proximity to Shenzhen, the students’ diverse backgrounds, and the English language teaching mode made me more determined in my decision.

 

Committed to the domestic integrated circuit industry

When I was still an MBA student, I joined a semiconductor optoelectronic chip startup, Mindsemi. I thought it could also be an excellent choice to join a startup team and cultivate its development. I hoped that by joining this company, I would be able to contribute to the development of the domestic chip industry and promote a company to the forefront of the industry.

When I first joined, the management team were still under the exploration of a healthy business model. As the management team members are all from engineering background, they did not realise how tight the cash flow situation was. The previous financing of 50 million dollars was invested in the inventory, resulting in a cash flow break. From the financial knowledge I learnt during my MBA, I know that cash flow is like blood of a company, once broken, the low oxygen level will lead to death. After taking a series of cost-cutting measures, I contacted different agents, analysed their demands and our needs through the business logic and financial knowledge I learnt from my MBA. I found a win-win balance point by calculating the interest rate, potential costs, profit, and agency fees. Eventually, this successful cooperation turned the company’s inventory into cash and solved its crisis. After that, I was able to present the future value of the company to investors and helped win a second round of RMB 400 million investment even though sales in the past year were hard to support the company’s valuation. Now, our company occupies one-third of the fibre-to-the-home termination boxes business in domestic market.

Spark the Opportunity and Make Yourself Shine

During the whole MBA journey, there were two activities that I enjoyed the most. The first one was a community project at a school for students with special education needs as that was the first team project with my classmates. The other one was the Asia-Pacific Business School Desert Adventure, a three-day trek across 70 kilometres of the Tengger Desert. This experience helped me realise that no matter how difficult the situation is, perseverance will eventually lead to success. The tenacity cultivated enabled me to carry on during the tough time and lead the company through the cash flow crisis later.

Integrating knowledge I learnt from MBA study with the accumulated industry experience in the past, I can now analyse the operation and development of the company from a higher perspective. By combining the analysis of supply chain, customer demand and product development, I am able to help a company generate profits and have a sustainable future. I believe that everyone should live in the present, not be limited by the past or be stuck by the difficulties that may arise in the future. Seize the opportunity to get better and make yourself shine.