Views from Our Participants
Avanos Medical
"I joined the prestigious Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program of CityUHK last year, in the fall of 2017 and I must say I am every bit loving it!
After successfully completing a very coveted Clinical Psychology Master in Consulting, Coaching & Change degree from INSEAD and an MBA degree earlier, and having 22 years of industry experience, I was looking for a program and institution that would provide the right study platform, intellectual intensity and research rigor, that was also practice focused and global. I evaluated half a dozen globally ranked Doctoral/PhD programs and finally settled for the CityUHK DBA program, that, not only met all my above needs but also brought me closer to the Asian and Chinese Management Thinkers and Researchers - a huge bonus from a learning perspectives, for future.
This introduction would be incomplete without my mention of Prof. Ozer and his very passionate personality, through my appellation and interview process. I still remember one of his last comments during my candidate selection interview - 'Your research topic, at the end of the day should be what you are passionate about and not anyone else. At CityUHK we can offer you that.' I was Sold!!"
Tricor Group
"CityUHK DBA is an exciting and intellectual challenging opportunity worth dreaming about, it channels one's ambitions to consolidate their knowledge or address real business issues rigorously.
Throughout my career as a professional accountant and insurance practitioner, "managing risks" is the fundamental part of my job description. My role within the fields has varied, from managing a crisis to a listed general insurer. Riding on the tides of regulatory development, it allows me to do academic research in this area.
While recognizing DBA is a long journey, I am most grateful that I am not travelling on my own. There are learning partners who are enthusiastic and engaging in meaningful discussions beyond our areas of expertise - from blockchain to medicine; from urban design to investment. It broadens my horizons and fosters friendships of the good. This program has a lifetime value and I am looking forward to continuing this rewarding journey."
OBS Strategic Consultancy Ltd.
"After more than two decades in the cosmetics industry, returning to academic study was a deliberate, carefully considered decision, including the timing of when to begin. Across roles in R&D, regulatory affairs, procurement, and quality, I built substantial operational experience, but I also kept encountering a question worth deeper investigation: how does supplier involvement in new product development actually relate to development speed and final product performance? The DBA programme at City University of Hong Kong gave me a structured way to pursue that question. Under the guidance of Professor Muammer Ozer, my research examines the relationship between supplier collaboration and new product development performance. This work has let me systematically organise years of frontline observation. Supplier collaboration is flexible by nature, never reducible to contract terms or a simple binary, and it is precisely that variability that often determines whether a product ultimately performs well. The framework and early findings are already informing my actual work. More than anything, the rigour CityUHK demands has made me a sharper, more observant practitioner: spotting differences in seemingly similar situations, reasoning systematically rather than by instinct alone. My advice to mid-career professionals considering a DBA: bring your real workplace problems with you, and let the academic rigour reshape how you see them."
Uzbekistan Chinese Cultural Center
"The DBA programme at City University of Hong Kong afforded me the opportunity to re-engage with academic life. Within a liberal academic environment, I was able to engage in quiet, reflective thinking; under the mentorship of faculty members, I continuously pushed the boundaries of my capabilities; and through the programme’s rich curriculum, I fostered meaningful camaraderie with fellow learning partners. This programme has provided me with a platform to cultivate my personal IP, and I deeply cherish and am proud to share it."
NTT
"When I joined the CityUHK DBA in 2024, I expected to sharpen my strategic thinking. What I did not expect was how profoundly the programme would reshape the way I frame problems. Coming from a senior industry role, I was used to acting on intuition and experience; the DBA taught me to interrogate that intuition with theory, evidence, and rigour.
The journey took me from an early interest in regional innovation and technology policy to a thesis I am genuinely passionate about, exploring how new sources of data are changing the way financial markets understand the real economy. The residential workshops, the lectures by world class professors, and the steady guidance of my supervisor pushed me beyond my comfort zone and gave me the confidence to pursue original research.
Most valuable of all has been the learning community. Debating ideas with accomplished peers, each wrestling with real-world problems of their own, turned what could have been a solitary pursuit into a shared adventure. The DBA has changed how I lead, how I think, and how I create. It continues to open doors I had not imagined when I started."
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
"As a year 2 student in the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program at CityUHK, I feel privileged to share my transformative learning journey with you. My name is Jojo, and I have had the honor of accumulating nearly 15 years of industry experience in the niche field of the horse industry. Navigating through the search for a program that aligns with my passion and further enhances my knowledge as a working professional in this specialized field has been a challenge.
The distinguished faculty members possess extensive expertise and demonstrate a sincere dedication to guiding students towards independent and logical research methodologies, which have proven to be exceptionally valuable regardless of the industry one works in. I'm immensely grateful for my mentor, whose invaluable guidance and unwavering support have shaped my research journey.
I wholeheartedly encourage you to consider CityUHK DBA for academic and professional growth. Dare to dream big, challenge yourself, and seize this remarkable opportunity to make a lasting impact in the world of business. Feel free to reach out to me through the DBA office if you would like to have a conversation with a current DBA student."
HSBC Technology China
"After two decades leading technology and operations across global financial services, I joined the CityUHK DBA to sit with a question that kept surfacing in my work: how do we build AI that works with people, not just around them? My research on AI and the Future Workforce is my attempt to answer that — and the programme has given me the rare permission to think slowly and rigorously about something the whole industry is rushing toward.
What I value most is the constant toggling between worlds: shaping ideas with my supervisor and peers, pressure-testing them at academic conferences, then quietly folding those insights back into how we design real-world AI adoption. There’s something grounding about seeing a rough hunch from a weekend class turn into a small conference paper, then into a more thoughtful way of leading change at scale. For me, that quiet loop — between scholarship and practice — is where the real fun lives."
