Candidates for the DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) offered by HKUST Business School should be prepared to undertake a rigorous but rewarding academic journey. 

As one of the first cohort, Frederick Mutto is in no doubt about that. He admits to being in the second half of his corporate career and, thinking ahead, sees the DBA as a way to formalise and then pass on knowledge, but also to open up new horizons, possibly in a teaching position. 

“I’ve been in my field for 20-plus years,” says Mutto, who is the Hong Kong-based vice president for global customer satisfaction and quality at Schneider Electric. “After that time, you want to show you are qualified as a leader in your area. If I can turn my knowledge and experience into a formal DBA paper, I can establish myself as an expert in this industry.” 

For fellow student David Soh, who is the head of research and a portfolio manager for the Asian equity team at RBC Global Asset Management, studying for a doctorate was a long-held interest. In his view, academia requires the same logical problem solving and communication skills that make strong business leaders. And he finds the evidence-based approach to business most refreshing. 

“All my cohorts are experts in their areas already,” says Soh. "But we all get to put on the ‘CEO hat’ when we study things through an interdisciplinary approach. In our jobs, we may simply follow best practices and what works. But academia brings a healthy skepticism and a different point of view. You're asked to prove it using science to get to the truth of the matter; that's interesting.”  

To learn more about the DBA Program and hear directly from our Cohort 1 students, please visit our featured article in South China Morning Post