Alan Lok

Director
CFA Institute

It has been eight years since I graduated from the Manchester Global MBA program. Soon after my graduation, I was head hunted for a regional role which demanded both investment analysis and management experience. The timing could not be more perfect for me to leverage on my “fresh from the oven” MBA to successfully compete for the role.

Fast forward two years later, I was selected by my company to go for a vigorous doctorate program. The admission process required the prospective candidate to academically reflect and write on a selected discourse – a task that I was never accustomed to do throughout the 10 years of my career in the finance industry. Fortunately, the dissertation writing experience from my MBA program ensured that I did not start from ground zero.

After three revisions, I was successfully admitted to the doctorate program. Following that, the influential impact from my Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) alma mater gradually became obvious. Undertaking a part time doctorate degree together with a regional full-time job turned out to be exceptionally challenging. I had to gain access to a pool of senior industry practitioners as well as traveling to different parts of Asia Pacific to satisfy the requirements of both my research and professional career. Naturally, the senior and geographically diverse network of my AMBS alma mater once again stood up to the occasion.

To date, I am into the seventh year of my regional role and at the same time embarking towards the final stage of my doctorate journey. Having benefited both academically and professionally from the Manchester Global MBA program, I look forward to more intellectual engagements with my AMBS alma mater in the near future.

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