'Keep balance between life inside and outside class'
Anna Molero, an MBA student at HKUST Business School, gives a speech on business participation in the transformation of a district in Barcelona at a forum aimed at developing the Kowloon East area of Hong Kong on Oct. 16, this year. / Courtesy of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Anna Molero is studying a global MBA at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and is vice president of the Entrepreneurs’ Association of the business school. Before going to Hong Kong, she was managing director of Barcelona Activa, the economic promotion agency of the Barcelona city council between 2008 and 2012.
How’s life in Hong Kong? What are the challenges of living and studying there and how do you overcome them?
Both Hong Kong and Barcelona are vibrant, innovative and dynamic places. Barcelona is regarded as a Mediterranean hub: the north of the South and the south of the North between the European and Mediterranean countries. I think about Hong Kong in the same way as the Asian hub, the east of the West and the west of the East.
In Hong Kong, the best things of Western and Eastern ways of living and doing business merge, and the combination makes life exciting and very cosmopolitan.
Of course, I miss many things in Barcelona including my family, the food, the music festivals and the sunny weather. But you can always find a way out. For example, I brought to Hong Kong one of the most typical things that people do in Barcelona, which is riding a scooter in the crazy streets of the city.
What made you choose HKUST despite your educational background in Spain?
I wanted to further develop my management skills from a non-government and global perspective. Asia was the first choice because of its dynamic and fast-moving economic pace while Europe is not as stimulating as Hong Kong because of the ongoing economic slump.
HKUST has one of the best MBA programs in Asia and is among the world’s top 10 business schools. I also valued the international dimension of the program _ students come from more than 27 countries.
And it’s Hong Kong, a place with lots of opportunities, an impressive entrepreneurship ecosystem and many possibilities for meeting new people from all over the world and networking.
In fact, HKUST was my only choice when I was applying for an MBA program.
You were recently invited to give a speech on your experience in managing Barcelona’s urban economic redevelopment and how that would apply to Hong Kong. Can you tell us more about it?
The government of Hong Kong is working on a transformation of the Kowloon East area into another premier central business district of Hong Kong to support its economic growth and global competitiveness. For this purpose, a seminar was held for an audience of 200 property owners from the business areas of Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay as well as local personalities, academics and students of architecture, urban design and urban planning to exchange their views on the project.
I was invited to share my thoughts on Barcelona’s experience in addressing a similar challenge, especially how businesses participated in the transformation of a district in Barcelona. The district called the
district shares many challenges and opportunities with the Kowloon East area, and I believe many things can be learnt from both cities.
You are a recipient of the La Caixa full scholarship from Spain. How difficult was it to get this scholarship?
La Caixa is a leading savings bank in Spain that sponsors young leaders to pursue postgraduate studies abroad every year. This program is part of its deep commitment to education. It places a premium on academic records and other attributes of the applicant, such as the level of motivation, potential for professional and personal development, contribution to society, and the possibility of facilitating long term relationships between Spain and the countries of destination. This year, la Caixa received more than 1,500 applications from all over Spain, and I was very lucky to get one of them.
Please give some advice to potential MBA students
It is important not only to focus on classes but also to spend time meeting people and networking. You should know that your personal experience and knowledge of how to conduct business is a skill that cannot be developed in the classroom. You need to balance your academic life with extra curricula activities.