BUAAHK Committee members

What are your fondest memories of Birmingham?
I was General Secretary for the Chinese Students’ Society. I had the opportunity to be part of the team to run the Society and also organize a lot of events, like variety shows, parties at disco and the Guild in the University, dinner parties, etc. These gave me a lot of valuable experience working with different people and benefited my career. That’s part of the reason why I landed a job in a satellite television network as my employer appreciated my experience in stage work, audio, lighting, DJ, etc. 

Why did you choose your degree?
It offered me flexibility for my future career and I also felt I would be much better equipped than my peers when looking for a job. In fact, it has had a great impact on my career, which helped me to move from technical to administration and finance to business development, sales and marketing over the years.

Describe your current role and organisation.
I spent over 25 years in media industry, from TV and movie to news and media hi-tech companies. Then I moved onto social sector as Business Consultant at The Hong Kong Council of Social Service. Now I am semi-retired and working as Project Director at the Center of Entrepreneurship at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Visiting Lecturer at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. My roles in both universities are to help young people and their startup business. Besides running different programs related to startup, I do training workshop and offer consultancy and mentorship to both public and private sectors.  

Why are you involved with BUAAHK?
I was invited to join BUAAHK back in 2014, and, with the support of the University's Alumni Office, I kick-started a BU Alumni mentorship programme in Hong Kong the same year. The reason why I started it because I thought we could offer more than just social events to other Alumni and BU students, no matter where they come from, who would like to work in Hong Kong or anywhere. They could benefit the experience and vast network from Alumni in Hong Kong. My goal was to launch it globally later. I was so pleased that BU Alumni Office later took over the programme in Hong Kong and really launched it around the world.

What are your fondest memories of Birmingham?
The first time I got onto the paternoster lift at Muirhead Tower. I stood there for a few moments to see how it was done.

Why did you choose your degree?
The Master of Engineering and Management was one of the few four-year degrees awarded by two faculties. 

Describe your current role and organisation.
To increase the financial literacy level of the public, so that they are able to make informed financial decisions. During the year my team runs numerous education programmes from children to retirees.

Why are you involved with BUAAHK?
The University attracts a diverse range of students; it’s interesting to see how people progress through the years and contribute to the society.

What are your fondest memories of Birmingham?
Walking on the meadow of our campus.

Why did you choose your degree?
I wanted to work in banking.

Describe your current role and organisation.
Presently, I am working in a company secretarial firm as Associate Director, mainly responsible for business development.  This is my new challenge and I have been working for only six months. Our firm is assisting local Hong Kong people or mainland Chinese to set up limited companies or offshore companies in Hong Kong, filing of annual return in Company Registry, and other secretarial services. I was working in the banking and finance field, mainly responsible for corporate lending, since I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1994 till 2019, for almost a quarter century.

Why are you involved with BUAAHK?
I was invited by other committee members to join BUAAHK as I was a regular participant for alumnus events. We can chat with other alumnus who graduated from different times but in the same university, which is interesting and memorable!

What are your fondest memories of Birmingham?
I have lots of wonderful moments at Jarratt Hall with my friends 

Why did you choose your degree?
Master of International business is opening a new door for my career 

Describe your current role and organisation.
My current role is to help global clients to understand their consumers and grow in APAC markets. I am now responsible for managing Consumer Behavioral Analysis Unit at Brandnographer™

Why are you involved with BUAAHK/what’s the most fun thing about BUAAHK
I learnt a lot from my brilliant BUAAHK fellows who are truly experienced and talented in different fields. 

What are your fondest memories of Birmingham?
There are many since day one I arrived at the campus and they are all truly unforgettable. There were eight of us living together in a big house at 9 Pritchatts Road near Oakley Court. We were studying for different postgraduate degrees and from different parts of the world. It was just amazing how we got to know each other from strangers to life-long good friends. We enjoyed the food together and exchanged cooking skills in a big dining kitchen. We often studied together around a big table with lots of jokes and playing tricks with each other till midnight. We celebrated birthdays and festivals, and we supported each other when there were moments of frustration. Geographically we were apart after graduation but lots of fond memories in the big house remain forever in our hearts.

Why did you choose your degree?
My choice was quite straight forward. I graduated with a bachelor degree in Finance & Marketing in Hong Kong. Many of my peers chose an accounting qualification to start their career path or pursue a Master degree to accelerate. At that time, I was aspired to study overseas to broaden my international horizon.  So by pursuing a Master degree in Accounting & Finance in a reputable University in the U.K. seems a good strategy – one stone two birds. A side note -- I was very impressed by the representative of Student and Alumni Department flying over from Birmingham to Hong Kong to give us the briefing session at British Council and provided us a lot of support and guidance to make sure we settled down well in a new world.

Describe your current role and organization.
I am the Head of Corporate Development Asia Pacific, working for The New York Times. With over 1,700 journalists in 160 countries, The New York Times Company is a global media organization dedicated to enhancing society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information. We give our readers the tools and information to navigate the rapidly changing business environment while living better, more informed lives.

I am the project manager of various business initiatives from strategy to operational level. I cover from management accounting reports to office expansion, from formulating partnership programs with corporate clients to event management. This year I took on an additional role of growing and promoting our NYT digital subscriptions to corporates and schools in Asia Pacific. This is a very diversified role with lots of new challenges every week meanwhile a wonderful exposure and a great job satisfaction. There’s no such a typical day.

Why are you involved with BUAAHK?
I must praise that the study in University of Birmingham and the scholarship support had completely changed my life. I have a strong sense of attachment to the University and bonding to my alumni. So ever since I returned to Hong Kong in 2010, I started to devote myself to the work of BUAAHK to give back. I was thrilled to meet so many Hong Kong alumni from different industries, and I am glad that I am now part of the BUAAHK with a group of like-minded professionals and dedicated to organize activities for our alumni community in Hong Kong.