Chicago Booth School Impressed with Warm Welcome in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, May 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is wrapping up its first year in Hong Kong, and is pleased with results that have exceeded expectations.

"It's going just as we expected and we had high expectations," said William W. Kooser, associate dean for global outreach at the Chicago Booth School of Business in Hong Kong.

"Our first-year class exceeded targets – we had 85 students, while we were hoping for 75 or 80," said Mr. Kooser. "Hong Kong has also been a terrific place for us to reach the Asian region, and the level of acceptance and interaction from the Hong Kong business community has been very positive."

Chicago Booth announced in 2013 that it would move the Asian portion of its Executive MBA program from Singapore to Hong Kong. Now housed at Hong Kong's high-tech center called Cyberport, the school is building a large new campus nearby.

"It's a big investment, and it shows how committed we are to Hong Kong," said Mr. Kooser. Construction work is expected to begin in Q2 of 2016, with the opening of the new campus scheduled for 2018.

Chicago Booth Dean Sunil Kumar outlined a major reason for the move to Hong Kong in a July 2013 press release. "Expanding into Hong Kong allows us to have impact on future leaders in business and build new corporate relationships in North Asia as well, complementing our activities," said Prof. Kumar.

In the meantime, Chicago Booth will continue building its ties to the Hong Kong business community as well as exploring business opportunities on the Chinese mainland and across Asia. A Chicago Booth-organized "Chicago Conversations" event on entrepreneurship in Asia was held in Hong Kong in mid-April, while the school organized an economic outlook forum here later the same month. Similar events are being scheduled in Hong Kong, said Mr. Kooser.

Hong Kong Coming to Chicago in June

On 10 June 2015, Chicago will be the location of Think Asia, Think Hong Kong (TATHK), which is organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and will be the largest Hong Kong event organized in the city. A TATHK event will also be held in Toronto on June 8.

The HKTDC helps U.S. companies explore new business opportunities in the relatively robust region of Asia. Companies attending TATHK will learn about opportunities in the areas of finance, technology, and professional services. They can also gain insights on selling products throughout Asian and the Chinese mainland, using Hong Kong as a base.

U.S. speakers to date for the Chicago TATHK event include Michael Sacks, Vice Chairman, World Business Chicago, Gebhard Rainer, President and COO of Coach and Morgan McGrath, Managing Director, Head of International Banking, JP Morgan. Speakers from Hong Kong include the C.Y. Leung, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and Laura Cha, Chairman, Financial Services Development Council, among others. The event is supported by 16 Hong Kong partners and more than 30 U.S. organizations.

More information on TATHK is available here: http://www.thinkasiathinkhk.com/2015/en/index.html

For more information on the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, please click here: http://www.chicagobooth.edu/about

About the HKTDC
A statutory body established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and service providers. With more than 40 global offices, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises trade fairs and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in overseas markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com. 

SOURCE Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)

Related Links

http://www.hktdc.com