From the Dean
While tradition has its place, what is much more important these days is relevance. Success, and sometimes even survival, in the world of business depends on an understanding of how the world is changing, coupled with the willingness and the expertise to stay abreast of these changes.
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The HKUST Business School is a relatively young institution, but like the Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA Program (KH EMBA), we have come a long way in a short time. The tireless pursuit of excellence, allied with a readiness to innovate, has enabled us to build a world-class and, in the case of the KH Program, a world-leading reputation from scratch.
As we celebrate the KH EMBA’s 20th anniversary, it is interesting to look back and realize that the launch of such a program, the first of its kind in Asia, was an innovation at the time. What’s more, the HKUST Business School was the first business school in Hong Kong to adopt a global strategy and actively recruit faculty and students from outside of Hong Kong.
We have always been keen to encourage an adventurous and outward-looking attitude among our students. Back in the late 1990s, Hongkongers were not quite as globally-minded as they are today. So knowing that an international perspective was going to become ever more important, we introduced a requirement that students in the KH Program go on exchange and visits abroad, to open their eyes to what was happening in the wider world. Today our KH EMBA students have the option of taking elective courses at member schools of the Program’s global network.
In other articles, we hear from some of the key faculty behind the success of the Program. We hear from Professor Steven DeKrey, the Program’s Founding Director and the man with the drive and the background to forge the link between Kellogg and HKUST. We hear from Academic Director Professor Jaideep Sengupta, on the way in which new courses – such as those in entrepreneurship and fintech – are being developed. And we hear from Professor Milind Rao who, for an extraordinary fifth time, has been acclaimed as “Best Faculty” in a free vote among the Program’s graduates.
Last, but certainly not least, we hear from Program Director Ms Judy Au, who, for 19 of the past 20 years, has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the KH EMBA students have the most enjoyable and productive experience possible, before, during and after their 18 months of study.
The success of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA has turned it into our flagship program, but we are also very proud of our other innovative courses and initiatives, several of which you can read about in this issue.
Professor Tam Kar Yan
Dean of HKUST Business School
