MBA success stories: Celina Chan, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your career to date?

I am passionate about how we create greater impact and make a positive difference in life, including our work. Perhaps this stems from my upbringing; I had the opportunity to be involved in various community service around Hong Kong and spent a summer in Africa to help raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.

I studied Law and Business at university and then joined HSBC as part of its international manager programme. You would be posted to different countries and strategic roles every two to three years, gaining a lot of experience and contributing meaningfully to the organisation. I worked in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and London.

What does your current role involve?

I am grateful to be recognised as one of the pioneers of sustainable finance in Hong Kong. OCBC, the oldest Singaporean bank, is an early mover in this space and we were some of the first banks to set up this function.

What makes sustainable finance special is that we mobilise capital to where it matters, for a more sustainable world.  We intentionally advise and finance companies and projects that have measurable, positive ESG impact.

Why did you want to study for an MBA and why did you choose Oxford Saïd?

I thought long and hard before I decided to do an MBA. Pre-Covid, the term ESG was not used and impact finance was new in the private sector globally. But I wanted to learn the elements from other industries, countries, experts, practitioners. Oxford has a lot of expertise in impact investing, social entrepreneurship, development finance and the whole start-up ecosystem.

What is the most interesting thing you learnt from your MBA?

Many things I did were focused around exploring impact finance, whether it was providing consulting on trade finance for farmers in Africa, joining impact investing competition with other MBA schools, the courses I chose within the Oxford MBA, or an entrepreneurship project on financial inclusion in Asia. Oxford had so many possibilities, I could curate it to fit what worked for me.

Plus, Oxford is magical in that it is so intellectually stimulating. My classmates alone came from 60 countries; given all the conversations we had, sometimes it felt like a mini–United Nations.

What were some of the challenges you faced when studying for an MBA?

Being away from home. Sadly, my beloved grandma passed away during the time I did my MBA. Doing a full-time MBA is a major commitment and you have to balance that with your life priorities. It is a dynamic that people have to understand.

How has the MBA made a difference to your career path and leadership journey? 

The MBA enabled me to explore and understand the multiple facets of a purposeful and responsible business which should, on one hand, solve real-life problems and, on the other hand, bring about net positive consequences for people and planet in the longer term.

What I learnt and experienced in Oxford has shaped my thinking around my career path and leadership philosophy: how to be a trusted leader and how leaders would shape an organisation, an industry and a market.

In what ways have you taken what you have learnt in your MBA into the organisation you work for?

First, it prepared me before the concept of ESG became developed in banking and in the real economy. Secondly, it gave me the know-how and the forward-thinking vision to advise our corporate clients in structuring sustainable finance transactions.

Thirdly, like an MBA, it was also very entrepreneurial when I started this business within traditional banking, almost like running a start-up. I am particularly grateful for such a supportive platform and seniors who believe in mobilising capital for good and gave us the autonomy to experiment and soar. 

What advice would you give to someone thinking about studying for an MBA?

At some point during an MBA, people might feel overwhelmed. They might think, what is my direction and what am I going to do after this?

It is helpful to be clear about what you want before you embark on an MBA, to make the most out of all the choices. This will help you prioritise and make better use of your time, as well as enjoy the learning and inspiration that comes from being immersed in a place as inspirational as Oxford.

What are the next steps for you on your career journey? 

We can all make a difference in every profession and in every role. For me, it is not really about the next senior position; it is more about embedding the right way of thinking and actions into executive decision-making, so that we are steering the organisation and supporting our stakeholders to transition towards a sustainable future.