Daisy Ho, in common with many students taking the Ivey EMBA, found the first few classes and study group sessions came as something of a shock.
She might have been director and head of institutional relationship management for FIL Investment Management (Hong Kong), but what she realised soon after starting the course in late 2007 was that, having spent her whole career in the finance industry, there was a lot she didn't know about what it took to run a successful business.
'With the early case studies, I would usually look straight at the financial issues and analyse them, seeing things from my own perspective,' Ms Ho said. 'But my classmates kept reminding me that finance is only one aspect of a company.'
It did not take her long to see that in a class of 40, made up of a dynamic mix of people from different backgrounds, cultures and industries, there was never going to be an absolute right answer or just one way of addressing a problem.
'I think the greatest benefit for me was being able to meet other corporate leaders and share experiences with them,' she said. 'And the beauty of the course is that, apart from having a professor teaching you all the theories, you also have classmates with different expertise and knowledge helping you to succeed.'
Ms Ho felt she was now far more adept in operations, people management and communications. She had tended to skirt around the details of steps in an operating process or the workings of individual units, but now saw how crucial they could be. Discussions with classmates, who had set up factories on the mainland, provided new insights and a real appreciation of the complexities and costs involved.
'Companies are facing a very difficult environment and having to minimise costs,' she said. 'It really helped me to look at a process, see ways of structuring things and saving money, and realise it depends on a lot of nitty-gritty, not just one big thing.'