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Himothy Liu
Team Head
Merchant Business, SmarTone
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MBA Connect Story
Himothy and Deedee
Part-time Class of 2011
-About MBA Studies-
What are the biggest rewards of attending CUHK MBA?
Himothy:
Given the fact that I graduated with a science undergraduate degree, my business sense was relatively weak among managers in my company. The 2-year MBA with CUHK offered me chances to meet different talents in my class. I believe that every classmate I met, every course I took and every project I worked on has added value to my
life.
The biggest reward of attending CUHK MBA, among many others, is my business sense sharpened and my perspectives broadened. The basic framework as well as insights from practical case studies helped me manage both projects and people in a more efficient way in my work as a sales marketing team head.
Deedee:
The biggest reward attending MBA is the valuable network that I have developed. I met people from diverse industries such as marketing, finance, telecommunication,
construction, logistic etc. I can always get help from them for business or personal matters. Moreover, working in various group projects with people from different industries always gives more dynamic views and inspires me on new ideas. I am also glad that with both hard and soft skills equipped in the program, I have the opportunity to try different roles at UBS.
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Deedee Lam
Director
Operational Risk Management
UBS AG
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What is the most unforgettable experience during the two years of MBA study?
Himothy:
Like many other couples, we have travelled to many nice places since we met. Yet, I would say Outward Bound is among the top unforgettable list. Deedee and I were assigned in the same group in Outward Bound. It was the first time for us to stay on an island for overnight with all team members.
Deedee:
Agree! It was a hot summer and we were asked to lots of outdoor activities and challenge ourselves to do things I would never have done. At the end, I realized that staying in a comfort zone is most secure; however, I might have lost the opportunity to experience exciting things that can turn out to me unforgettable. Now we are proud to share this memorable experience with all of our friends.
-Insider Says-
As an experienced professional in Finance Industry, what advices would you give our current students who are looking for opportunities in this field?
Deedee:
The finance industry is evolving and not quite the same environment compared with
few years ago. Changes in the regulatory requirements made it costly for banks to operate. It becomes an even more competitive industry to enter, because lots of banks are cutting jobs. If students are still fancy about entering this industry, solid domain knowledge is necessary, be prepared to work stretched hours. Develop critical thinking skills through projects from the courses.
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As a top sales manager in telecom industry, did you observe any change in the industry and how would you foresee the market in the future?
Himothy:
Competition in the Hong Kong mobile market becomes intense, as you can see major M & A exercises are taking place these days. It will continue to put pressure on service revenue and financial performance. The growth rate of revenue in IDD and voice roaming is relatively low these days with the increasing choices in the market. As a result, it will be very difficult to maintain high profit margin without new service launch. In order to
face the industry challenges, it is necessary for operators to enhance customer experience through its innovated services and applications, as well as customer engagement. Leveraging on high penetration of smartphone and mobile network infrastructure in Hong Kong, operators may consider developing new services and customer-oriented marketing program to further drive customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
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We know that you have started your own business on children education. As playgroup has been hot in Hong Kong these years and competition could be fierce, what makes you join the field and why now?
Competition in the education industry is fierce on the one hand, but parents having difficulty to find a good place for kids to learn is a reality on the other. I was lucky in my childhood that I never have to
be locked up in the classroom and I even got the chance to go on a gifted program in Canada as the teachers saw the special traits in me. We want to provide the right learning experience from their early childhood. We did our market research and analyzed the market needs. Our professor back in MBA also taught us that fierce competition can be translated into opportunity as long as we have the right strategies and a plan of attack. This set us well and provide us the confidence to start even
competition might be fierce.
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What makes WMI Education stand out from other competitors?
Our newly established center with great infrastructure provides a comfort environment for parents to leave their children at WMI. One example is the latest plasma air filtering technology machines that help perform air filtering better and more efficiently.
Besides, our curriculum is based on the Multiple Intelligences theory to bring learning through multiple senses, giving children the opportunities to learn in many different ways. Our sensory learning provides different tools to attract children; make it fun and interesting for them to learn.
In addition, we believe support to parents is another key to early childhood learning. There will be moments where parents feel panic or lost when they observe certain behavior of their children. To better equip our parents, we invite parenting and industry experts, doctors and family counselors to host seminars to support our parents giving them advices and insights.
Was there any unexpected hardship during the setup?
Starting a business is never easy, working in partnership sometimes make it even more challenging. Lucky that I learnt to work in groups through out the 2 years at MBA, we were able to cope with the hardship and disagreements that came up from time to time.
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