A fruitful and Fun-filled Evening Marked the Beginning of a New School Year

Close to 90 students from Global Business Studies (GBS) and International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) attended the annual event – Kick-off Gathering – on 19 September 2017.

The annual event commenced with an opening remark from Prof. Andy Wong, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) and Program Director of GBS and IBCE.

It was then followed by a sharing by Mr. William Tang, head of APAC consumer and retail investment banking, Citi. Covering Asia consumer and retail sector for over 13 years, Mr. Tang is responsible for originating and executing M&A advisory, restructuring and capital raising transactions. Mr. Tang highlighted the key things that students should do in the next 4 years to prepare for a successful career and personal life. In view of the fact that over half of GBS and IBCE graduates would engage themselves in banking and finance industry, Mr. Tang also shared his time as a junior banker – working non stop for a week on a project. Students were enlightened to be perseverant and always demonstrate a desire to achieve.

The subsequent sharing by Mr. Thomas Wong, Partner, CW CPA and Divisional Deputy President 2017 (Greater China) of CPA Australia highlighted the comparative advantages of doing business in Hong Kong. The low and simple tax system, legal systems and mobile connectivity all attribute to a favourable investment environment in the territory. Adding to various conducive conditions such as One Belt One Road and Hong Kong’s unique east-meet-west position, Hong Kong still remains competitive as a global connector.

Local and exchange students were also invited to share their experience in the programs. Melody Tam (GBS, year 2) reviewed how her GBS journey enriched by different experiential learning activities. Venus To (IBCE-CUHK, year 4) shared how she explored and developed her career path through various internship. Lynn Xu (IBCE-USC, year 4) mentioned how the exchange studies shaped her global mindset.

It is a tradition that different performances by freshmen are arranged to add flair to the Kick-off Gathering and this year was no exception. It was a coincidence that both GBS and IBCE-CUHK students showcased their talents in music with a singing performance. IBCE-USC students demonstrated their sense of humor with a mock synchronized swimming performance.