Offshore Graduation | MBA offers the right skills

Business development manager Han Shen Ch'ng is that rare breed of professional: an engineer who can master both the detail and the big picture, equally impressively.

His strengths on both fronts have enabled the Malaysian-born university graduate to fast track his career from the engineering floor to the managerial boardroom in just a few short years.

Now working in Singapore for industrial gases company Air Products, Mr Ch'ng is responsible for assessing and developing business opportunities for his firm. To this end, his recently-acquired MBA from the University of Adelaide has already paid dividends.

"The fact that I was undertaking an MBA, which equips me with the skills to undertake strategic, economic and financial analyses, gave me the upper hand in the interview and secured me this job," Mr Ch'ng said.

Originally from Penang, he moved to Singapore for his tertiary education. His first job, with Hewlett-Packard as a process engineer exposed him to a range of areas, including sales and business development.

"I discovered I had strengths in these areas and from there I pursued similar opportunities."

He was headhunted by Singapore technology company, Advanpack Solutions, and then moved on to a multinational environment, securing a position with Philips Electronics as an account manager.

The switch from electronics to industrial gases with relative ease was one of the benefits of doing an MBA.

"The MBA has given me a broad range of knowledge which I can apply across all businesses. My current job requires an understanding of strategy and financial acumen as well as technical knowledge, so it suits me perfectly."

He chose to study for his MBA at the University of Adelaide because of its Group of Eight affiliation, and the link with Ngee Ann.

"It has more of the feel of an education centre rather than a business venture, which impressed me, and the facilities and standard of lecturers at Ngee Ann are excellent," he said.

Mr Ch'ng was the macebearer at the Singapore offshore graduation ceremony on Saturday 19 April, held at the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre.

Story by Candy Gibson