Figure 1: Signboard of Allard Partners
My first year in Fudan IMBA program has been nothing short of amazing; a year of great unexpected rewards and experiences such as representing Fudan to emerge as champions of an inter-MBA soccer tournament, working with peers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a consulting project for a Thai conglomerate in the China Lab program, and representing Fudan in a Stock Pitch Competition hosted by National University of Singapore. Yet, all these were trumped when I was awarded the 2013 Allard Partners Scholarship, which included full sponsorship for my tuition fee and a 4-week internship in the headquarter of Allard Partners in Hong Kong (flights included too!).
Allard is an Asia-focused equity fund house with offices in Hong Kong (also the headquarter), Australia and India. The company was founded in 1995 by Mr Wayne Peters, who has over 30 years of experience in investment. Over the last 19 years, it not only survived the Asia Financial Crisis, Tech Bubble, SARS Epidemic and Global Financial Crisis that had destroyed many fund companies, but had grown steadily throughout with an investment track record to be envied; a true testament to the strength of its operations and investment strategies. The Hong Kong team’s research is predominantly focused on Greater China and Korea. Allard has been giving out the scholarship annually since it set up the program with Fudan University in 2005. I have the further honour of being the first foreign student to receive this scholarship.
Without a doubt, taking a MBA requires heavy financial sacrifices, the full scholarship definitely took a huge financial burden off my shoulders, allowing me to better concentrate on developing and advancing myself. The internship that took place from 28 July to 22 August 2014 was an additional bonus that was extremely rewarding. Being formerly from the investment management industry, the chance to advance my skills by learning from an industry leader like Allard was an utmost privilege. It also gave me a chance to understand the working culture in Hong Kong, which was certainly useful as I plan my post-graduation career path.
Figure 2: The beautiful view from Allard Partners' prime-positioned office
Initially, I was worried that the short duration of the internship might not allow me to learn sufficiently about the company, the job or the work. These worries were quickly dispelled with a structured and intensive program that required me to launch myself into the job right from day one. Over the course of the 4 weeks, I would complete 4 research projects covering 3 different industries and economic reforms in 3 countries – China, India and Indonesia. It allowed me to quickly gain a strong understanding especially of the Hong Kong stock market, an important objective that I had targeted.
Throughout the 4 weeks, I worked in the investment research function. It was a great pleasure working with the highly experienced analysts in the team. The pedigree of the staff in the investment team reflects the company’s focus on talents; every one of them was smart, hardworking, collaborative and decorated with experiences in top investment banks. The project on economic reforms was carefully included to give me a chance to further collaborate with the research teams from Australia and India. While my work was independent of the other departments, the friendly and welcoming nature of the staff still created a bond between us. The thing I appreciated the most though, was the chance to learn directly from Mr Wayne Peters. He embodies all that Allard Partners represents, and his vast experience represented a bottomless pool of knowledge to tap into. Beyond investment, he also is a very kind man with great heart for charity. “All that we ask for is that you remember this privilege that you have enjoyed and to extend this privilege to others when you become wealthy.” This is one of his first messages for me and one that I will always remember. I have been most fortunate to have a weekly meeting with him, enjoying his coaching on broad subjects from investment philosophies to career advice to even appropriate business wear.
As my internship came to a close, I found myself wishing it could have been longer, for I had learnt so much and would have really liked to continue learning from Allard. It has been a most valuable and enriching experience. This opportunity would not have been available to me if not for the charitable hearts in Allard and the teachers in Fudan who work tirelessly every day on the challenging mission of building a world-class platform for the development of managerial talents.
Figure 3: Tasting the fabulous food in Hong Kong!
