4 ways an MBA can change your life

Thorsten from France, Aurora from China, Taka from Japan and Abdullah from Kuwait – what these four distinctly different people have in common is the MBA has transformed their careers or mindset.
See how an MBA can also change your life.

1. Change where you work
Thorsten has always known that he wants to work in an international environment, preferably in Asia. His interest in the region has brought him all the way from France to Hong Kong for an MBA here. During the program, he was recruited into the Business Project and Internship Program at Cisco Systems. His responsibilities were wide-ranging, from managing a team and defining a new business strategy and marketing plan to negotiating with suppliers and reorganizing workforce and supply chain processes.
After completing his exchange in Shanghai, Thorsten returned to Hong Kong and took up a position at Cisco as Commodity and Program Manager.
Thorsten Flaquiere, Class of 2012
France
Pre-MBA: HR Consultant to Associate Manager, PLES Convergence
Current: Commodity and Program Manager, Cisco Systems
2. Change what you do
Aurora used to be in legal but she wanted to switch her career to consulting. During her MBA, she joined the Consulting Club, took consulting courses such as Strategic Management, and participated in case competitions such as the HULT Global Case Challenge in Dubai to build up the necessary knowledge and skills in her target area.
When Aurora saw an internship advertised at IMS Consulting, a global pharmaceutical consulting firm, on HKUST MBA’s internal job board, she immediately applied and got the offer.
Several months later, she was hired as a full-time employee because her internship performance had exceeded her boss’s expectations.
Aurora Li, Class of 2012
China
Pre-MBA: Legal & Commercial Officer, Aker Solutions China
Post-MBA: Consultant, Pricing & Market Access, Management Consulting, IMS Consulting
3. Change the way you lead
Before the MBA, Taka was used to working independently and he assumed people could work productively by themselves. But during the program, he faced a volume of work impossible for him to tackle alone – he was frequently required to work in teams with a mix of people from vastly different cultures. His position was similar to that of a manager in a global business workplace.
To overcome these challenges, Taka, who is from Japan, learnt to clearly identify the strengths of each of his team members, however different they might be from him, and let the best people handle each task.  He also found that his role as a leader was more to motivate people to work for the common goal rather than just manage team members’ tasks. This learning has molded him into an effective and confident leader who now heads his company’s regional offices in South India.
Taka Omae, Class of 2010
Japan
Pre-MBA: Marketing Director, NTT Communications Shanghai Office
Post-MBA: Regional Head – South India, NTT Communications India
4. Change your vision
Abdullah did an MBA to pursue his ultimate dream of starting his own business. The 16-month program also brought him to three different continents.
While he had mainly Kuwaiti experience before the MBA, his studies brought him to Asia and connected him with classmates of over 25 nationalities. He also did an internship in South America and went on exchange in Europe. The experience and network he gained through the program have given him a whole new understanding of different markets and cultures.
Armed with a truly global mentality, Abdullah is now working with a fellow alumnus, Jose Gil Zafra from Spain, to launch a startup called fishfishme.com, which brings fishing enthusiasts together by helping them to book fishing trips around the world.
Abdullah Al-Shalabi, class of 2012
Kuwait
Pre-MBA: Senior Officer, Aayan Leasing and Investment Company
Post-MBA: Co-founder, fishfishme