Shen Chao, who hails from Shanghai, is one of 30 students from China who is graduating from the full-time MBA course in 2008. Whilst working as a summer intern at Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore in 2007, she discovered an amazing wealth of opportunities for professionals with talents and drive.

Says 27-year-old Shen Chao, “Singapore offers so much for those who are bright and ambitious. This is very apparent to those of us newer to the city. Really, it's remarkable that one possible path after another comes to mind even when we are just chatting informally with senior professionals. There may be no direct job but the conversations often help to open doors.”

With this kind of sensitivity to her environment, Shen Chao represents the type of MBA student NUS Business School is proud to be associated with - someone who is pro-active and has leadership not only in the traditional sense, but also in terms of taking charge of his or her surrounding.

Sure, during her internship at Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore, she did what she was there for - for instance, she assisted in the profit and loss reporting of fixed income trading and developed P & L process for data extraction, reconciliation and analysis. Shen Chao did not just come away with sharper technical skills; she added value to her whole experience in more than one.

No wonder she does not see the need for her to explore elsewhere yet as there are already almost endless opportunities in Singapore which she has not come close to exploring fully, says the Nanjing University graduate who holds a bachelor in business management and was working as a revenue accounting supervisor/project team leader with China Eastern Airlines Co Ltd in Shanghai before heading here.

 

 

 

 

His credentials are distinctively those of a high flyer. A graduating student from the NUS Business School in December 2007, Vikash Mishra recently earned a much-coveted place in McKinsey as an Associate in the Petroleum Practice and will start work in Singapore after graduation in January 2008.

Prior to his MBA studies, Vikash was a production engineer and then a senior process engineer with Indian Corporation Limited in Haldia, India. His Bachelor degree was from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi. Currently on an exchange programme NUS Business School has with the Indian Institute of Management in Kolkota, India, he is clearly more than just a success story in the traditional sense.

For apart from his academic achievements and rise in the corporate world, he has applied his leadership, enterprise and flair for team work to promote social causes. Among other things, within India, he has worked with other volunteers to raise funds for earthquake and flood victims in his hometown Purnea and led the way in promoting literacy and rural development work in Delhi.

As Vikash sees it, his humble family background has shaped his interest in community outreach. He was involved in organising work related to promoting blood donation, literacy and rural development with a group made up of engineers, doctors, lawyers, bank professionals and civil service officers in Purnea.

He came from a lower middle class family and his hometown was in a remote part of India with little resources. Yet, he managed to move way beyond what was thought possible for someone of his background.

Now, it's time to give back. "My MBA education in NUS Business School not only equips me for the demands of the corporate world, it also gives me the tools to be more effective in outreach work -something I have always been keen in and have participated actively in," he explains.

 

 

 

 

 

After working in his country as a research officer in the agriculture sector in Regina and project manager in the telecommunications field in Calgary, Canada's Norman O'Neill embarked on a road less travelled. He moved out of his country as well as his specialisation, venturing into Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 2004 to work as an English teacher at KNS Language Institute.

Since then, making bold moves - whether in terms of career switch or relocation - seems to come easily for this 32-year-old who has moved on to new challenges indeed.

Among them: the decision to do his full-time MBA in Singapore in 2006 and to take up an internship opportunity last year in Mumbai, India, where he worked with Tata & Sons in the Hotels Division.

"Moving around -whether one is talking about living in different places or venturing into new fields -is something I can identify with. It has always been a part of my background and it has been enhanced by the globally-oriented NUS MBA education. It has helped me to appreciate what it really means to be a confident and cosmopolitan player in the market place," says Norman, who has also travelled extensively in Southeast Asia and Western Europe.

 

Having benefited much from the rigour of his MBA education as well as the rich diversity of the NUS Business School in terms of cultural exposure and networking opportunities, he feels more ready than ever to explore new horizons.

This is why, upon graduation, he is eyeing jobs in places he has not worked in before, including Singapore, Dubai and Western Europe. The demands of cross cultural living, for all their complexity, do not intimidate him. And equipped with new knowledge from his MBA subjects like data analytics and investment analysis to complement his Bachelor in Administration from the University of Regina in Canada, he feels prepared to take his career to yet another level.

 

 

 

 

He has been trained as a classical pianist and has dabbled in motorcycle racing on a semi-professional basis. Equipped with a mechanical engineering degree from Canada's McGill University, he has worked as a quality analyst/technical instructor in Montreal and logistics manager in Geneva.

But what David Cookson wants next is decidedly different - a dynamic career related to entrepreneurship.

Yes, this spirit of breakthrough and the desire to get out of one's comfort zone to explore new challenges are typical of the kind of students NUS Business School produces. "Sure, I can simply continue on the path that I have started. But, for me, there is a certain thrill in setting new targets even though this may mean having to start from scratch instead of just reaping the rewards of one's earlier efforts," says David, 36, a Canadian who is currently pursuing the International Master of Business Administration at the School. For this dual degree programme, David will graduate with an MBA from Peking University as well as the NUS Business School.

To develop his passion for Entrepreneurship and other related fields he is interested in such as consulting and corporate strategy, he has taken advantage of the many opportunities the School provides. For instance, he is a member of both the NUS MBA Entrepreneurship Club as well as the NUS MBA Consulting Club. He has also been named among the top six in a field of 250 entrants worldwide in the Start-Up@Singapore business plan competition.

Looking ahead, David - articulate and dynamic - isn't just thinking of being a big fish in a small pond. His strong sense of purpose, internal drive and supreme confidence see plenty of global opportunities ahead.

 

 

 

 

When opportunities beckon, as they inevitably do for high fliers, it's all too easy to be led by them. Not so for Chee Voon Yuen, whose interest in real estate remains strong despite possible openings in other sectors. Voon Yuen, who holds an honours degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore, is completing her MBA with Specialisation in Real Estate at NUS Business School.

For her summer internship this year, she opted to join the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. Focusing on real estate, she, among other things, assisted in the preparation of the analysis, financial modelling and recommendations for potential investments. One highlight was preparing and presenting a research paper on the impact of green buildings on investment decisions.

Her deep interest in real estate is also evident from her earlier career moves. After working as a planning officer at the Strategic Planning Department at the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore, she joined JTC Corporation. She was first Principal Strategic Analyst before moving up to be Deputy Manager with JTC's one-north Development Group.

In the latter role, the match between the demands of the job and her interest was ideal and she shone, undertaking a range of interesting projects, including conceptualising the development plans of a heritage retail and F & B cluster at Rochester Park and formulating business development plans for Vista Xchange in one-north.

"Sure, I've always wanted to develop an understanding of business and all its intricate details in a formal way. But, for me, this task will have to be undertaken in the context of the real estate sector, given my background and interest in it. NUS Business School's MBA with Specialisation in Real Estate provides the ideal combination for me," she explains.

Now that she has developed a solid foundation in core business concepts through her rigorous MBA education, she is considering careers in areas like real estate investments and asset management