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Alan Siu shares his experience pursuing a full-time MBA at CUHK Business School. The invaluable lessons that he gained continue to propel his career as a global business leader at DuPont.
Alan always knew that, ultimately, he wanted to become a global business leader with his own business. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, he wanted to leverage his unique cultural background and insights for career development in Asia. Alan Siu’s aspiration got a jumpstart through the MBA at CUHK Business School, where upon graduation, he landed a marketing position with DuPont in Shanghai.
Now a Strategic Portfolio Management Leader for DuPont in Singapore, Alan shares how studying an MBA at Hong Kong’s CUHK was a pivotal chapter for his professional career. It gave him important lessons and ideas that he has used effectively in his job as a portfolio manager.
Read on to uncover the impact of the main MBA takeaways that continue to shape his success in the dynamic world of global business.
Alan’s decision to pursue an MBA at CUHK was primarily fueled by the desire to bridge his Western background with the swelling business opportunities in Asia.
“Hong Kong provides a space where you have a good balance between both cultures,” Alan says. (02:00)
Hong Kong’s strategic position as a financial hub and gateway to China strongly resonated with him. However, choosing to do an MBA in Hong Kong was about more than just location. He was looking for a program with a diverse cohort, a great reputation, and customization options.
CUHK’s full-time MBA offers six different concentrations to choose from. The opportunity to tailor his MBA journey towards his specific career development goals was a decisive factor for Alan.
Overall, the combination of academic knowledge, cross-cultural experience, and business practice acquired at CUHK suited Alan’s career appetite. It allowed him to put his business ideas and theories to play out in the real world. This brought valuable experience that still has a great impact on his role.
In hindsight, Alan realizes how diversity played a fundamental role in preparation to become a global business leader. The MBA at CUHK connected him to students whose profiles had very little in common with his own.
Alan emphasizes, “CUHK has actually done a very good job at that. They have a very balanced portfolio of people globally. From the US, from China, from India, from other APAC countries like Japan, Korea…They’ve also purposely selected and shortlisted candidates so that they would represent different industries.” (03:29)
This exposure to global perspectives and a variety of professional backgrounds prepared Alan for the multifaceted challenges of the corporate world. Additionally, the diverse cohort and balanced representation of different nationalities and industries at CUHK created a more enriching learning experience.
Furthermore, CUHK’s Alumni Network is devoted to helping all CUHK MBA graduates succeed by providing regular meet-ups, reunions, and valuable connections that lead to new business opportunities and lifetime career support.
As a Portfolio Manager at DuPont, Alan has been able to apply a great number of concepts and learnings from his full-time MBA at CUHK Business School. He particularly highlights the value of the Strategic Management course.
He underscores the critical role of mastering change management, highlighting its importance in skillfully navigating the complexities unique to global corporations and their varied, localized strategies.
“You need to know how to roll out strategies that are not one-size-fits-all. You would have it locally adapted, customized, to actually make things work efficiently,” Alan explains. (09:46)
Understanding the need to tailor strategies for diverse geographical markets proved crucial for Alan’s career growth. This insight into market-specific adaptations is a significant reason behind his extensive travel in his current position at DuPont.
“A lot of times, business success is not solely dependent on how good your product is or how good your reputation is. It’s more about, did you really listen to the needs of the local market?” Alan tells us. (15:07)
As he explains, when managing a global portfolio, it’s important to travel to different areas and regions to really see for himself what’s happening in those markets.
Lastly, another key takeaway from Alan’s MBA journey at CUHK was the honing of strategic pitching and presentation skills.
He specifically recalls the “New Venture Business Project”, where he notes, “I was able to present myself and present my ideas to a lot of different VCs, and of course, get criticized a lot,” he laughs. (10:32)
Overall, CUHK’s MBA equipped Alan with the ability to articulate ideas persuasively, an indispensable skill in the corporate arena where effective communication is vital.
Alan Siu’s MBA experience shows that along with acquiring knowledge, you are cultivating an adaptable mindset. With both, you can navigate the complexities of global business dynamics.
To aspiring MBA candidates with the ambition to do business in China or on a global scale, Alan offers a last piece of advice:
“Now is the best time to go into an MBA. And enjoy your journey, of course, because the experience is very important. But also keep in mind that these skills are going to be needed, your talents are going to be needed, in a very short time,” he says, highlighting the increasing demand for business graduates with a global mindset. (19:16)
It sounds like this is a great moment to invest in your potential as a future global leader with an MBA.
Explore more details on CUHK Business School’s Full-Time MBA in their articles or by connecting with their student ambassadors.
