A golden opportunity was offered to students and alumni of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) on 27 March to engage in insightful conversations with 17 senior executives from HSBC, one of the world’s leading international banks.

The participating students and alumni spoke with the HSBC executives about their passions and ambitions. Both groups were able to learn a great deal from this meaningful exchange.

Professor Horace Ip Ho-shing, Vice-President (Student Affairs), extended a warm welcome to the HSBC group. He introduced CityU’s latest developments and expressed his gratitude to HSBC for their support, which includes offering various scholarships and internships to the University and CityU students.

Professor Ip addressed in his welcoming remarks that CityU was ranked top in the world for “International Outlook”, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019, and had been recognised for being able to attract outstanding students, faculty and co-researchers from around the world.

“Our forward-looking approach has led to the establishment of many notable firsts in Hong Kong and the region, including the first College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, and the first School of Data Science,” Professor Ip said.

Students and alumni were appreciative of the opportunity to gain a great deal of insights through the interactive dialogue with individual HSBC executives. Petra Poon Cui-shan, a Year 2 student in the Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, said the delegation had shared their thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI), emotional intelligence and the importance of adjustability and creativity. She added that she was truly amazed by the impact of AI on the world and discovered more about career planning.  

Carmen Kwok Pui-yan, a Year 2 student in the School of Law, said she was advised to be more adventurous by trying new experiences based on her own interest and to treasure her university life so that she could better equip herself for the future.

Ms Lynne Burns, Head of Human Resources at HSBC in the UK, said the event had enabled the delegation to get more insight on the aspirations and concerns of the next generation of leaders.

She acknowledged both HSBC and CityU put much effort into developing international outlook. She encouraged students to gain in self-confidence and communication skills by connecting with different people, as developing soft skills is crucial in career development.