Four students from the Faculty of Business have excelled in the Young Leaders Development Programme 2008 organised by the AIA Foundation, taking home the Most Outstanding Young Leader Award and the Best Report-Writing Award.

The four award-winning students, Sam Yeung Sheung-yum, Helen Ho Hang-yu, Bertha Sung Suet-fung and Kam Wan-ha, underwent a stringent selection process and took part in leadership training with other representatives from six local tertiary institutions, from April to August. Their training included a series of workshops on interpersonal and communication skills, professional image-building and leadership. They were also provided with opportunities to organise social service events, participate in outdoor adventures and meet established society and business leaders, including those from Lee Kum Lee (Hong Kong) Foods and American International Assurance Company (Bermuda) in Thailand.

After the training session, each team was required to submit a report. The objective for this year was to design a financial retirement plan for a married middle-aged man, including an education fund for his children. By providing a detailed analysis of the client’s financial situation, CityU representatives received the Best Report-Writing Award. Their thoroughness and teamwork earned the acclaim of the judges.

Helen and Bertha, students of the Department of Accounting and Department of Management Sciences respectively, were excited to win the award. “All participants in this training programme were outstanding students, so it was not an easy task to compete with them. The key to our success was the cooperation of all team members,” said Helen. “An individual’s strength and knowledge is limited but when we unite, that power exceeds our expectations.”

Sam, a Department of Economics and Finance student, won the Most Outstanding Young Leader Award courtesy of his brilliant leadership. Through his participation in the leadership training programme, Sam

understood that being a good leader not only necessitated communication with team members and responsiveness to their concerns, but also vision and strong commitment. “I would like to thank my team members and am particularly grateful to Ms Keiko Shinohara, Teaching Fellow of the Department of Economics and Finance, for her encouragement and support,” said Sam.

In addition, Chan Ting-fai, Year 3 student of the Department of Physics and Materials Science, and Li Lai-ching, Year 3 student of the Department of Accounting, received the AIA Foundation Scholarship in recognition of their academic excellence.