Moving up the ranks
Andy Chen is still to graduate from his HKUST MBA course in Shenzhen but has already been promoted twice since starting.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English and American culture from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in 2001, Andy Chen worked in resources management at Walmart China and B&Q China before joining Shirble Department Store Holdings (China), Limited, where he is currently vice-president and chief people officer.
He enrolled on the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s (HKUST) part-time MBA course in Shenzhen in 2010 and will graduate from what he calls his “joyful learning journey” this year.
What prompted you to pursue an MBA?
I decided it would be beneficial to enhance my ability to plan ahead by gaining solid numerical and analytical skills. I decided to join HKUST’s MBA programme, which is also solidifying my overall managerial skills in areas such as negotiations, communications and organisational management.
Why did you choose HKUST?
There are several key elements to consider when selecting a business school, such as faculty qualifications, internationalisation, the quality of fellow students, and the alumni network. HKUST Business School scores pretty well in all of these areas.
Are you funding your own studies or is your company subsidising the costs?
Like some of my classmates, my company subsidises my MBA tuition fee.
How do you balance the demands of your job and your studies?
By effectively allocating the time and concurrently practising what I am learning. As part-time students, we are fully tied to our jobs during weekdays. We can only study for maybe one or two hours at night, plus several hours on weekends. However, we can often solve our real business issues when completing the MBA assignments. Thus we can save time and catch two birds with one net.