With a view to connecting professionals and industry experts in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), over 50 students from Master’s programme in Business Administration (Digital Transformation) have established the “THEi-MBA CEO Club.” The opening ceremony was recently held at a supporting organisation in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. This initiative marks a significant step forward for THEi in promoting the integration of applied education with industry development, paving the way for innovative collaboration and growth.
The opening ceremony brought together business executives, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders from both mainland and Hong Kong to explore possibilities for the integration of industry and education in the GBA. Mr Tony TAI Chark-tong, JP, Chairman of the Vocational Training Council, Prof Alan LAU Kin-tak, President of THEi, and Mr Edmund Li Tak-man, Vice President (Operation and Enterprise) of THEi, attended to show their support.
In his speech, Prof Alan LAU shared his entrepreneurial experience: “My first million-dollar business donation happened in a bar. During the time of avian influenza, we combined feathers from birds floating everywhere with body-absorbable plastic for use in bone repair, similar to a fixture.” He encouraged students to transform “chance into certainty” through interactions within the CEO Club, fostering new business opportunities through dialogue.
He believes that the establishment of the CEO Club helps students integrate into the GBA, building a bridge for long-term development. In addition, it allows them to gain practical experience from business partners and experts who have a long-standing presence in the area, inspiring business thinking and enhancing personal commercial skills.
On the same day as the opening ceremony, an unveiling ceremony for the Global and GBA Education and Innovation Hub (國際灣區教育科創港)* was held. Prof Alan LAU delivered a keynote speech titled “Dual-Driving: Empowering High-Quality Development of the GBA through Applied Sciences (雙輪驅動：應用科學賦能大灣區高質量發展)*.” He proposed a collaborative model of “fundamental research and industrial transformation (基礎科研+產業轉化)*,” advocating that the higher education sector in Hong Kong leverage its international advantages to jointly build a complete innovation chain that includes “cutting-edge technology breakthroughs – local results transformation – global market expansion (能力認證互通、實訓資源共享、產教需求直通)*.”
Additionally, Mr Tony TAI suggested establishing a three-dimensional system in the GBA that encompasses “mutual recognition of capabilities, shared training resources, and direct access to industry-education demands.” This initiative aims to cultivate talent through collaboration among the Government, academia, and industry, addressing the current challenge of talent shortages.
Finally, Mr YU Congren, the student of the Master’s programme in Business Administration (Digital Transformation), delivered a talk titled “60 Days of Realising the Lion Rock Spirit (獅子山精神60天感悟)*.” Drawing from his own experiences, he shared how the “Lion Rock Spirit” inspired him in his studies and entrepreneurship, transforming learning into entrepreneurial motivation. This also further demonstrated THEi’s emphasis on both theoretical and practical education outcomes.
The event concluded with a tea gathering, during which over a hundred guests engaged in discussions about the event’s content and explored future collaboration and development opportunities.
Master of Business Administration (Digital Transformation)
The Master of Business Administration (Digital Transformation) is the first master’s degree programme offered by THEi. The programme aims to enhance students’ digital skills and big data analysis capabilities, assisting businesses in reshaping their commercial and operational models to implement more precise marketing strategies. It is also supported by Cyberport, fostering collaboration between business and academia to cultivate talent that is both current and skilled in digital technologies, thereby promoting Hong Kong as an international hub for high-calibre talent.
Programme Details: Master of Business Administration in Digital Transformation
*The Chinese version shall prevail in case of any discrepancy.
Photo Caption: Students from the Master’s programme in Business Administration (Digital Transformation) have established the “THEi-MBA CEO Club.” Mr Tony TAI Chark-tong, JP, Chairman of the Vocational Training Council (eighth left), Prof Alan LAU Kin-tak, President of THEi (nineth left), and Mr Edmund Li Tak-man, Vice President (Operation and Enterprise) of THEi (first left), attended to show their support.
