CUHK MBA students meet Mr. Warren Buffett

Seventeen CUHK MBA students were invited to meet the legendary investor Warren Buffett in his hometown, Omaha, Nebraska, the United States, for a period of three days in late November. They were the only representatives from an Asian university among eight schools selected for this prestigious event.

Led by Adjunct Professor Thomas R.M. Bain, the students were offered the precious opportunity to interview Buffet in person during a two-hour meeting. On the same occasion, they also enjoyed lunch and a photo-shooting session with him. Joining about 160 students from seven other business schools from the United States–including Dartmouth College, Boston University, the University of Nebraska and Arizona State University, CUHK Business School is believed to be the first school representing the Asian region to attend this annual event.

In the meeting, the CUHK group was allowed to pose two questions. They asked Buffett what he thought of investing in Internet/e-commerce stocks such as the Alibaba Group and what he had learned from the worst business decision he had ever made.

During the three-day trip, the students were also invited to visit three companies in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio: the Nebraska Furniture Mart, Borsheim and Oriental Trading Company.

Describing the meeting as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, MBA students Claire Wang, Desmond Tse, Gaurav Bhatnagar, Marie Li, Sharad Golchha and Wendy Sihua Wang have shared with the media in Hong Kong, the UK and the United States upon their return, recounting their impressions on Buffett and the takeaway messages from the meeting and their company visits.

Media stories:

“Chinese University of Hong Kong – MBA students meet Warren Buffett” – South China Morning Post, Education Post

“Warren Buffett: Lessons in Management Style for MBA Students” – TopMBA.com

“Warren Buffett’s Unconventional Advice To MBAs” – Poets & Quants