CityU's EMBA students can also gain invaluable experience and insights with trips to the University of California, Berkeley and Yale University in the United States.

"Quality rather than quantity is the distinguishing feature of our programme," Leung says. "For this, we have a small cohort of no more than 20 top-class students from a wide range of industries and professions."

Indeed, the current intake even includes a mainland Chinese Olympic gold medallist turned businessman and a well-known TV anchor. The interactive structure of the programme, also referred to as "experiential learning in a transformative environment", or ELITE, ensures that students learn from professors, guest speakers and peers.

"The EMBA experience is a catalyst for professional and personal change," says Leung. Potential applicants should have at least six years' significant managerial experience, a recognised degree with second-class honours or the equivalent, and proficiency in English and Chinese.

For mid-career professionals, a part-time EMBA can be an attractive option, offering the flexibility to keep their careers in tact during their studies. Lectures and classes usually take place on weekends, but provide the same academic rigour and industry-relevant content as any full-time course.

At the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the stated vision and mission is "to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West". In line with this, their EMBA focuses on the global nature of the business environment in which senior executives operate.

"We encourage business with a soul," says So Chun, administration director for the EMBA programme at CUHK Business School. "We place strong emphasis on the well-being and sustainability of the business community through our ability to nurture top-notch management talent to meet the needs of Hong Kong, the mainland and the wider world."

This often results in students and alumni coming together to take a fresh look at issues like corporate social responsibility within their organisations, launching NGOs, or assisting social enterprises.

Spread over two years and four terms, the CUHK EMBA is designed to provide a solid foundation in all major business functions. It also deals with changes occurring in different business environments, exposing students to a wide spectrum of local, regional and global case studies and complexities. There are group projects, individual assignments, field trips, and study visits to leading universities in the US and Britain.

Professor Andrew Chan, CUHK Business School's EMBA programme director, emphasises the importance of keeping pace with the dynamics of the marketplace. This means ensuring students embrace technology in a way that aligns with broad strategic objectives. Current hot topics also include ways to incorporate design thinking into business operations and new takes on the best in-practice concepts of leadership.

"We look for candidates with experience, good judgement, a positive attitude, the desire to learn, the ability to unlearn what is obsolete, and a wish to realise their potential,'' says Chan, adding that the opportunity to network is another of the programme's pluses.

Exemplifying this, CUHK EMBA graduate Castillo Figueroa Arnaldo, current minister of economic development for the Republic of Honduras, is always keen to meet up with former classmates when passing through Hong Kong. He notes that studying with executives in banking, civil engineering and many other professions expanded his vision and horizons.

For Randy Lai, managing director of McDonald's Hong Kong, the chance to absorb new knowledge in the classroom and during group projects was both challenging and enjoyable.

"I often apply the thinking from the marketing model to our company's development strategies," Lai says.

Having already studied business administration in Britain, Susanna Chiu, director of Li & Fung Development (China), was attracted to the CUHK EMBA because she wanted to learn about doing business from a Chinese perspective. She felt it was important to know more about her own country and to enhance her knowledge of practices and policies in the mainland.

Having pioneered the world's first EMBA back in 1943, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business now offers a programme of 16 week-long modules delivered over 21 months.

"This is a valuable benefit for students who don't want to interrupt their careers, sacrifice two years of earnings, and disrupt their family life," says Richard Johnson, the Booth School's associate dean for the EMBA programme in Europe and Asia. With a campus in Hong Kong, the school aims to give senior managers, business leaders and entrepreneurs the cognitive tools and management skills needed to take on broader responsibilities. The programme is highly interactive, with students expected to draw on experiences in their respective industries or regions and contribute actively to class discussions. A worldwide student and alumni network of over 50,000 is another significant benefit, leading to future business opportunities, partnerships and life-long friendships.

Prospective candidates should have about 10 years' professional experience, good communication skills, and clear potential for further advancement.

"The Chicago approach to business education is to teach students how to think, not what to think," Johnson says. "It provides business leaders with the analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills to allow them to deal not only with today's problems and opportunities, but those they will face during the years to come."