Openlink October 2015‧Vol 24‧Issue 3

In May, Simon got the chance to join a group of professionals in a visit to the London headquarters of Fidelity Worldwide Investment and was the only student participant. He praised the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration for bringing about this valuable opportunity which has broadened his horizons and allowed him to reflect on his future career path.

Looking back, Simon revealed that he was not an effective learner before his senior secondary years. But he has since excelled in his studies, particularly after joining OUHK. Recently he received the award of CPA Australia Outstanding Student of the Year 2015. He was awarded the Outstanding Performance Scholarship in the Self-financing Post-secondary Scholarship Scheme (SPSS) for two years in a row. Last year, he even won the prestigious HSBC Scholarship. He recalled that in the application, he wrote about how to make use of the award to start up his own business. His idea won the judges' support which further strengthened his determination.

The fresh graduate in accounting is ambitious and his business start-up plan, financed by savings earned from a part-time job, is in full swing. Applying his professional accounting knowledge and self-taught design skills, a first batch of fashion products is expected by year end and will be marketed through innovative channels.

In fact, there are some bigger ideas behind the new business. 'Art education is not very well developed in Hong Kong. My hope is that educational elements can be embedded in my fashion products so that people will get to know more about art,' Simon says. Despite his enthusiasm for the start-up, Simon is also prudent and has a back-up plan. He aims to study for the professional accounting exam at the same time so as to open up more career possibilities.