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Michael Taylor

Students say the programme has sharpened their skills and enhanced their business acumen

Forty-two  senior managers, entrepreneurs and professionals from various sectors received their executive MBAs from the Richard Ivey School of Business yesterday in Hong Kong.

It was the fourth intake accepted by the University of Western Ontario outside Canada and the graduates  join 85 people  who  have passed  since the programme began  here in 1998.

'We went in as 42 individuals and we came out as a team,' says John Benitz, one of two valedictorians to be elected by this year's graduating class. 'We conquered and endured together. I am coming out of it a better person and a more knowledgeable person, with a very strong and improved capability for business.'

Mr Benitz is chief executive  of Odyssey Capital,  an international private equity firm. He has an undergraduate  degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario and has also studied at  the University of New York's film school.

Having worked in both Britain and Hong Kong, he decided the time had come to fulfil one of his dreams -  studying for an MBA.

'I had always wanted to do an MBA,' he says. 'I knew I was going to be in Hong Kong for a few years and - having already attended the University of Western Ontario - I knew the value and reputation of Richard Ivey. It's Canada's No1 business school and one of the best  in the world. It was either that or Harvard.'

Mr Benitz was interested in more than dressing up his [curriculum vitae]. 'For me, the reasons to go to Ivey were not about conquering obstacles or planting flags, or getting a piece of paper at the end of the journey,' he says.

'When I finally decided to take my MBA at Ivey, I made the choice of total commitment to try to be outstanding as a team member,' Mr Benitz says.

The other valedictorian was Ross Chan, regional product line manager for Nike International.

Born in San Francisco, he has a undergraduate  degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California in Santa Barbara, the United States.

Calling the programme a great investment time and resources, Mr Chan says he was particularly pleased with what he describes as the immediacy of what he learned.

'Because I was studying and working at the same time, I was able to apply things to my work immediately,' he says, adding that he also learned how to look at things from various points of view.

'I work in marketing and we tend to look at things in the same way. Through case studies, I got to learn from other companies' experiences, and that for me was a huge thing.'

This year's class is a  diverse group. They have an average age of 38 and 15 years' work experience. Their backgrounds include those who are managing directors to others who are operations directors, marketing managers and finance directors.  They represent a number of industries, including finance, insurance, construction, travel, telecommunications and beverages.

Four of them hold undergraduate degrees from the University of Western Ontario.

More than a third of the graduates are Canadian passport holders while more than 25 per cent  have Hong Kong travel documents.

Other countries represented include Britain, China, Denmark, India, Israel, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States. Nearly 25 per cent of this year's class  commuted to classes from  cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Montreal, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei.

Two participants completed the programme in Canada after finishing a year in Hong Kong.

With an undergraduate   degree in economics from the University of California,  Eileen Lui, a director at K Wah Management Services,  had reached a relatively senior level in the human resources field when she started the course two years ago. She was put in a group with people with  backgrounds in robotics, finance, operations and marketing.

'Despite our fundamental differences in mindset and knowledge, we made a very good team,' Ms Lui says. 'I was able to do things I never thought I would do, such as jumping from a 30-foot pole and learning how to operate a computer comfortably.'

Ivey's lively teaching style enabled Ms Lui  to do something else she  never thought possible - sit through hours of lessons without growing bored.

'I was able to sit there attentively for nine hours without daydreaming because the professors made it so interesting,' she says. 'It really boosted my confidence and expanded my horizons.'

Saying the programme requires 'both physical and mental stamina', Ms Lui says it was well worth the effort. 'Lots of preparation was required ...  I found it very demanding. But I'm very glad I did it and am very grateful for having had this opportunity.'



MBA graduates emerge victorious