Program Details



March 13, 9:30 - 10:30 am
Keynote Speaker

Professor Stuart Gietel-Basten
Associate Professor of Social Science and Public Policy, HKUST

Asia’s Population Challenge and What it Means for Talent
Asia’s economy is predicted to grow at almost three times the rate of advanced economies. However, Asia has unique human capital issues that put future economic growth projections at risk. China is a developing economy with advanced economy demographics. Many ASEAN countries have favorable population profiles, but don’t have the infrastructure to leverage these favorable demographics in the near to medium term. Professor Stuart Gietel-Basten, author of "Why Demography Matters" and numerous other books and articles in leading journals on the topic of Asia's population, will discuss the challenges the region faces regarding human capital. He will provide perspective on the role governmental, corporate and educational sectors can play in crafting the right human capital policies that maximize economic growth.

March 13, 11 am - 12 pm
Panel Discussion

Nick Fenn, Managing Director - Hong Kong, Argyll Scott | Robert Hah, Managing Director, Accenture Strategy, Greater China | Frederick Lo, Executive Recruiter, Starbucks | Raymond Lin, Head of Relationship Management, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiway, Linkedin
 
Recruitment Trends in Asia
While the US and Canada continue to lead the way as the world’s biggest market for MBA and MSc graduates, the demand for MBA and MSc graduates in Asia is accelerating to serve the business needs of the world’s fastest growing region. With regional and cultural differences, coupled with the advent of disruptive technologies, the types of MBA talent required by Asian companies will look different from their counterparts in the Western world. In this session, the panelists will share what recruiters are looking for to support the growth of businesses and organizations.

March 13, 12 - 1 pm
World Cafe

 
While many people come to industry conferences to hear keynote speakers or participate in workshops, conferences also serve as a way to learn and benchmark from peers. The World Café Method is a forum to facilitate a large group dialogue and harvest key insights over shared topics of interest. This session will provide conference attendees the opportunity to share and discuss industry challenges, best practices, and innovations in a format that allows for a deeper understanding of nuances and complexities of today’s issues.

March 13, 2 - 3 pm
Panel DIscussion

Wolfgang Ettlich, CFO, Bloom Me | Iaroslav Kudritskly, Co-Founder & COO, Rocketbots | Kevin Wong Founder & CEO, Orii

 
Today's MBA Entrepreneur
Today’s generation of MBA students is different. Fewer and fewer MBA students are interested in traditional roles in the fields banking, management consulting, and brand management. The millennial mindset is geared towards a sense of purpose and making an impact. Because of the lure of significant economic growth, the aforementioned is particularly true of MBA students who go to school in Asia. Students from Asia are staying home because they want to be a part of helping to build the region. Frontier-minded international students come to the region because they are looking to make a big impact. Today's MBA Entrepreneur panel will explore the thinking of current MBA students and alumni entrepreneurs from Asia and what prompted them to pursue the entrepreneurial path.

March 13, 4 - 5 pm
Panel Discussion

Peggy Choi, CEO, LYNK | Kristin Low, Chief Creative Officer, Brinc.io | Cat Rust, Head of Innovation Technologies, UBS Greater China

 
Hiring in the Tech and Innovation Space
The market for talent in Asia is fierce. Historic MBA/MSc hirers have been losing their appeal as Tech and Innovation companies have increased in popularity amongst MBA/MSc students. On the one hand, companies are pushing the envelope and trying different branding, assessment, communication, and other tactics to attract the best talent. Yet, potential employees must be savvy to common pitfalls in accepting non-monetary compensation packages (e.g., equity, stock options, titles). Hiring in the Tech and Innovation Space panel will explore current innovative and non-traditional hiring practices and the potential risks and pitfalls of such practices to both companies and candidates.

March 14, 9:45 - 10:45 am
Keynote Speaker

Professor Loredana Padurean, Associate Dean, Asia School of Business


The Business School of Tomorrow: Developing Talent for the Disruptive Age
As the new generation of potential business school students, millennials are touted to be more nimble, independent and entrepreneurial than previous generations. Additionally, many employers have cited that traditional business school curricula do not produce market ready graduates to face the new norm of continuous disruption and ever-fluid market dynamics. How would the business school of the future look to meet the changing psychographics of students and the talent needs of growing enterprises? In her keynote, Professor Loredana Padurean will share some key ideas of how business schools could meet such demands.

March 14, 11:15 - 12:15 am
Panel Discussion

Gautum Dev, Regional Director, Human Resources - Talent and Leadership, Prudential | Nikhilesh Mathu, Global Head of Talent Acquisition and Regional Head of HR-Asia Pacific, IHS Markit | Alex Medana, Founder & CEO, FinFabrik | Peter Sargant , Formally Executive Director, Employee Banking Sales, Sales Corporate Partnership Retail Banking, Standard Chartered Bank

 
Future-Proofing Talent
With increased automation and the advent of Artificial Intelligence, traditional MBA/MSc roles will continue to morph and make way for revised roles and job descriptions. In this era, companies that succeed in harnessing the potential of both technological innovations and human capital will have a competitive advantage against their peers. This session aims to explore ways talent specialists and career advisors can seek to craft a strategy for their stakeholders in future-proofing their talent pool.

 
March 14, 1:15 - 2:15pm
Concurrent Sessions
  • Innovation in Career Services: International Corporate Development – Asia, China, and Beyond
Marie Courtois, Director, Career Management - Graduate Programmes, CUHK | Sara Jaques, Associate Director, Employer Relations, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School | Christy Murray, Executive Director, Career Development Office, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School | Ramond Xiao, Assistant Director, MBA/MSc Career & Professional Development, HKUST

In order for career offices to be successful, they must be able to place students outside of the home market in other countries. Increasingly, American schools must place international students outside the USA. Conversely, Asian schools that import international students must find employment opportunities for these students in other parts of the world. Representatives from leading business schools will share best practices and innovations pertaining to international corporate development.
 
  • Talent Mobility in this Brave New World: Navigating Work Authorization Issues
Moderator: Bilal Ojjeh, Founder & CEO, MBA-Exchange.com | Sanja Janic, Client Relationship Manager, Fragomen Worldwide | Kurt Piemonte, Corporate Relations Director, Career & Professional Development, Harvard Business School | Magdalene Tennant, Partner, Fragomen Worldwide | Onis Wong, Senior Manager, Regional Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding, Asia Pacific, BASF

As business schools continue to attract world class international talent to their MBA and MSc programs, sometimes employment success can be postponed or even become a victim to immigration and work authorization issues. Career offices and employers are often caught in the middle. This session will take a macro look at how the opportunities in the region relate to the work authorization challenges presented in various markets for various nationalities. At the end of this session, participants will have a better sense of how to manage work authorization issues from the student and corporate perspective.


March 14, 2:15 - 3:15 pm
Workshop

Han Feung, Vice President Corporate Strategy, Huawei | Roger Levermore, Associate Professor Business of Education, HKUST


Scenario Planning
Einstein defined insanity as, “… doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Career services organizations can be highly focused on the urgency, tactical, and repetitive nature of student placement. Consequently, career services leadership and organizations don’t have the opportunity to take a step back and think strategically about employment results. Additionally, many organizations aren’t armed with the tools to think about how to improve important career outcomes in the future.  Scenario Planning is a structured way for organizations to think about the future. The framework helps leaders and organizations better identify relevant priorities, subsequently relating those priorities to emerging challenges that put enterprises at risk. Leaders are then able to implement more robust organizational plans that mitigate risk and help maximize outcomes. This session will help career services apply this framework to the world of MBA/MSc.

March 14, 4 - 5:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions


  • Employer Round Table (employers only)
    This session is a chance for employers to meet and discuss common challenges and best practices. Bring ideas about what's on your mind, and hear what's keeping your peers up at night. This session is open to employers only (no schools or vendors).
  • MBA CSEA Standards for Reporting Employment Statistics
    MBA CSEA manages the only globally-accepted set of Standards by which business schools collect and analyze MBA and Masters program employment data. Join us for an in-depth and interactive discussion about the Standards, including how they can be used to help your school ensure your data is consistent, reliable and comparable. The session will include Standards for Full-time MBA, Part-time MBA and Specialty Masters programs.