Satisfying Asia's demand for world class management

Earlier in his career, Paul Mais, was being considered for promotion but later discovered the candidate who had gotten that promotion was an MBA holder. Will not having an MBA directly impact one’s career in Asia? Paul thought. Resolving to improve his career prospects by obtaining an MBA, Paul carefully researched and then selected Henley-the world class Business School in Hong Kong.

Founded in 1945, the Henley Business School was the first business school established in the UK and is one of the oldest and most respected schools in Europe. Henley operates in 17 countries and is one of 59 schools to attain triple accreditation in the world. A distinction that is held only by the top 1% of all business schools worldwide. Being one of the earliest international MBA programs in Hong Kong, Henley is about to celebrate 30 years of developing over 500 of Asia’s outstanding business leaders. The Financial Times and the Economist both rank Henley as a top world ranked MBA program.

Although all quality MBA programs represent a substantial investment today, the Henley Business School’s MBA offers ongoing value right from enrollment. Neil Logan, Henley’s Director of Asia Pacific, believes that the dynamic interaction of its diverse student cohort and world renowned faculty guided by Henley’s rigorous, challenging, and career oriented program is what truly makes Henley the world class business school.

The Economist has recently rated the Henley Business School #1 in the world in opportunity to network and #1 in breadth of alumni. Neil explains that the current student cohort attracted students from 9 different countries and that there are over 60 thousand alumni in virtually every industry in 157 countries around the world. This creates a vast and powerful resource for students to continue the shared learning experience that is an important and integral component of the Henley Business School program experience and to the executive going forward. Paul shares further that Henley alumni are active worldwide on social media platforms such as LinkedIn sharing opportunities, current information and experiences.

The Flexible Executive MBA program is designed to be challenging yet fit into a busy executive’s balance of work and family obligations combining online virtual assignments, peer study groups, and intensive face to face workshops. There are opportunities to broaden global experience base by attending workshops in Germany, Finland, Ireland, Malta, Denmark, South Africa and of course the U.K. The Henley program attracts international executives with prior experience illustrated by an average age of 37 years seeking to boost their careers to the next level; some who fly into Hong Kong attending weekend workshops from China, Malaysia, India, Denmark and the UK.

Students are encouraged to share their real work experiences throughout the learning process combined and opportunities to learn from world renowned faculty whose experience includes hands-on corporate and entrepreneurial experience creating a dynamic and relevant learning environment. Paul’s experience with Henley’s dynamic and relevant environment empowered him to interact in his own organization to study how his own organization was functioning, to further learn and apply to make better decisions and to influence the right kind of change. The fact that during Paul’s course work he was promoted twice is an indication of the immediate impact of Henley’s Executive MBA program.

Many Henley alumni have enjoyed the same immediate success. The Financial Times highly recommends the Henley program for aims achieved and for salary increases among business schools worldwide. Paul, who graduated in 2008 and is currently Head of Business Process and Prioritization for HSBC, believes his Henley MBA made the significant contribution to his career success.

Neil, who is also a graduate of the Henley Executive MBA program, says that one of the greatest strengths and the most enduring aspect of the program is the personal development curriculum which develops the student not only as a leader but as a person; it is the most significant impact that remains with you years after you have finished your studies.

The value of the Henley Business School’s Executive MBA compounds after completion of the program through corporate connections, active alumni organization, and programs that allow corporations to become aware of the value of Henley’s MBA holders.

Faculty is regularly flown into Hong Kong to carry out intensive weekend workshops and meet with local organizations to present recent studies and findings. Professor Moira Clark not only recently addressed the likes of HSBC, Hang Seng, A.S. Watsons, KPMG, the British Chamber as well as the Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Club on her recent findings, experience and view on what drives exceptional customer experiences, but also gathered insights important to the understanding of what happens in Asia.

Neil and Paul’s Henley experience is echoed by other distinguished alumni who have risen to positions of leadership in various industries. Michael T.K. Cheung, Executive Director, Tse Sui Luen Jewellery; Lizette Smook, Founder and CEO Innovasians Ltd; Roger Ngo, HR Consultant to HSBC; Vivian Lau, Managing Director of Hong Kong Air Cargo Industry Services, Chris Read, Chief P&C Officer with AXA Insurance and Daniel Au, Vice President Deutsche Bank all have found that their Henley experience has made the difference in their careers.

Henley Business School has plans to extend the range of activities in Hong Kong and will introduce its DBA program for those seeking advanced qualifications, focused executive development programs, an MSc for Real Estate Finance, as well as the Henley MBA for Music and Creative Industries for the rapidly growing media and entertainment industry in Asia.