Graduate Studies Blog

NANYANG EXECUTIVE MBA

PREPARING LEADERS FOR THE NEXT LAP

Twenty years after setting up what has become one of Malaysia’s leading wastewater treatment companies, Chris Lim knew he needed to get out of his comfort zone if he wanted to take his business to the next level.

His company, Industrial Water Engineers, had achieved success by localising advanced technologies while maintaining an affordable and high-quality offering. Looking ahead, however, Lim was convinced that furthering his education with the right programme would help him grow as an entrepreneur and a leader.

He wanted to equip himself with the knowledge to steer Industrial Water Engineers through the disruption sweeping across industries worldwide, and position it for long-term success. An engineer by training, Lim felt that the best way to do this was by expanding his business knowledge by pursuing an MBA programme.

“You come to a point where you have become successful, but you also feel that you’ve reached the limit of what you know,” he says.

“I wanted to find out how the business environment had changed, revitalise my skillsets, broaden my horizons, and see things from a different perspective so that I could come up with solutions to problems.”

Lim also realised that he needed to learn how to groom his leadership team and drive the company forward.

“For every business, or even country, to be tenable, the asset that actually matters is people,” he notes. “The more you are able to help them grow, the more they will be able to help you grow the business.”

Last year, Lim enrolled in the Executive MBA (EMBA) at the Nanyang Business School, which is part of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.

NTU’s global ranking, the programme’s focus on innovation and technology, and emphasis on achieving business continuity through people development were the deciding factors for him.

The 13-month Nanyang EMBA offers participants the opportunity to take classes with three top universities: NTU, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley in the U.S., and Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in China. These strategic collaborations enable participants to explore the innovative culture of the Silicon Valley, as well as gain insights into the rapid digitalisation underway in China.

Over the years, the programme has enabled several accomplished entrepreneurs like Lim to build on their success by providing them the insights and networks to grow their businesses.

Sustainability Focus

Industrial Water Engineers envisions making the world a cleaner place, and the Nanyang EMBA’s focus on sustainability was a key aspect of the programme that appealed to Lim.

NTU’s deep focus on sustainability technology research in areas such as water, energy, climate science, and waste management were readily accessible to him through various guest speakers. A seminar on the Future of Energy, for example, helped Lim gain insights into the energy revolution expected in the next few years.

Understanding future sustainability trends was also in keeping with Lim’s goal to build a business that could last generations. “Innovation and sustainability are two important areas in our industry as the current business landscape is highly volatile. The key element of the innovation process is adaptability to stay ahead of your competitors. Continuous innovation is the driver for business success,” he says.

In-Demand Content

The highly relevant programme content developed by professors — such as corporate finance classes covering topics including hedging and currency risk — is helping Lim grow Industrial Water Engineers.

“As an engineer, business topics like corporate finance were alien to me,” he explains. “But this is exactly what I was looking for — experiences that pushed my limits and forced me to learn and understand different subjects.”

Programme content dealing with disruption in the business world also pushed Lim to start thinking more urgently and strategically about the challenges before his company.

“Many of the classes touched on disruption, and it made me realise that your current formula for success may not apply in another five to 10 years. It has come to the point that you need to start thinking about pivoting your business to the right model to fit the landscape,” he says. “We have seen many examples of big traditional companies that stayed in their comfort zones and were caught off-guard by more nimble start-ups.”

Passionate Professors

Perhaps what impressed Lim the most about the Nanyang EMBA was the passion of the professors and the depth of their knowledge. “Our professors had many years of experience and were able to share their insights very effectively. They could communicate an idea clearly in just 10 minutes,” he says.

Lim not only learnt from his professors, but also from fellow programme participants and appreciated how enthusiastically and effectively the latter shared their perspectives. “In an environment where people share their ideas freely, I felt I was really getting a lot of insights,” he notes.

Preparing for the Next Lap

As Lim nears graduation, he has already started sharing his learnings from the Nanyang EMBA with his leadership team. Once a week, he sits down with his company’s senior managers to discuss a case study from the programme. A recent session explored the need for organisations to be agile in order to succeed.

“I am looking to re-energise my team by sharing this valuable information,” he says. “I believe I also learn from the process of teaching.”

Lim believes that entrepreneurs, regardless of experience, can benefit from a programme like the Nanyang EMBA. He notes that the programme’s high-quality content, recognised brand name, and world-class faculty can help entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level.

“Choosing a premium programme like the Nanyang EMBA offers you more resources and access to top professors,” he says. “And that makes a lot of difference.”

A SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE JUNE 2021 ISSUE OF FORBES ASIA DIGITIAL MAGAZINE.

The Nanyang Executive MBA is a part-time 13-months programme that is designed for senior leaders aspiring to innovate and transform the way they lead. The programme aims to embrace the connection between business, technology, and innovation to deliver a relevant curriculum to business leaders to excel in global environments and adapt to each new wave of digital change.