Businesswoman Diana Chan Oi-yung signed up for Hong Kong Baptist University's MBA programme in order to structure the experience and knowledge she had gained in the business world, and also because HKBU, she says, was the only university at the time with a strong China focus.
After her undergraduate studies, Ms Chan clocked up experience working with and for mainland companies. Before starting her MBA, she was project director of a local company that focused on industrial investment opportunities in China and co-invested, with Chinese partners, in overseas projects as far afield as Africa and Europe.
Shortly after starting her studies, she became director of the San Diego Business Development Office, Asia. Her job was to oversee trade, investment, tourist and port promotion in mainly Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland for the city government of San Diego. She now runs two companies, both of which she set up.
One is a trade and project development company with a focus on China, which began operation in 2001.
Recently, she established a firm that explores exhibition opportunities in niche markets.
Running her own business has always been a dream for Ms Chan and, while the MBA programme had no influence in inspiring her to be her own boss, it did enable her to become a good manager.
