 Tak Jang-won(39, right on the picture) finished his 18-month MBA course at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in January on a corporate sponsorship from Shinhan Bank. Launched in 1962, the CUMBA is one of the oldest MBA courses in Asia with over 5,000 alumni spread over the world. |
What did you do before studying for an MBA, and what do you do now?
I have been working for Shinhan Bank since 1997 and my last role before the MBA was leading the bank’s Six Sigma project at the personal training department. Upon returning to Shinhan this February, I am a senior manager at its Wealth Management team.
Why did you decide to do an MBA in Hong Kong?
My bank has a big interest in the Asian market, especially China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore. And being the financial hub of Asia, Hong Kong is a good place to build a network among bankers.
Why CUHK then?
After having decided to study in Hong Kong, I came across CUMBA at an MBA fair in Seoul. Then I did more searching about CUMBA on the Internet, and found out that CUMBA tries to mix Eastern and Western values into its curriculum.
And many finance professors there have working experience from Hong Kong’s banking industry, which enlivened the class with practical knowledge.
Had you thought about doing an MBA in other countries, especially the United States?
Actually I have been to the University of Texas at Austin in my second year as an exchange student. The quality of their classes was not much different from ours. But I felt that there was a certain barrier between local and international students there. I was happy that there was no such a barrier at CUMBA, because my classmates from Western countries were very open to Asian culture.
Maybe that’s the reason why they had come there in the first place.
Were you the oldest person in the class?
There was one guy from the United Kingdom who was older than me. I think the class average was around 30. But I did not have any problem regarding age. I studied very hard and made many good friends.
Does it help to know Mandarin or Cantonese in the class?
Not at all. The school encourages its students to learn Chinese, but for many it’s practically difficult to spare much time to learn the language. It was already quite demanding catching up with the classes. I think I spent 12 hours in the library on an ordinary day.
Were they many Koreans there?
Only two in the class of 90 people. There were 18 nationalities.
What was your favorite course?
Macroeconomics by Suzanne Young. She was a very enthusiastic teacher.
Were you with your family?
No. My company sponsored the tuition and basic living expenses, but having a family in an expensive place like Hong Kong means that I needed to pay a big amount of money in rent. I lived in a dormitory with other young students.
What do you plan to do with your MBA in hand?
My intermediate goal is to become a head of Shinhan Bank’s global corporation in Asia.
Interview by Cho Jin-seo
