Meet Vinith Muralidhar, born and raised in Bangalore, South India, from our Full-time MBA program Intake 2023.   

Prior to pursuing the Full-time MBA at HKUST, Vinith held a crucial role as the Vice President – Investment Banking Operations at Goldman Sachs Asia (India and Hong Kong).  

“The decision to pursue my MBA at HKUST was a natural progression in my career. I was seeking a program that not only aligned with my professional goals but also provided a global perspective and exposure to the dynamic Asian business environment. HKUST's reputation for academic rigor, its diverse and talented student body, and the opportunity to learn from renowned faculty made it the perfect choice for me.”  

HOW VINITH AND HKUST MET  

Through Vinith’s work in Hong Kong for the over 5 years, he had the opportunity to work with many talented individuals who were alumni of HKUST. Vinith pointed out that “one common denominator that stood out was that they were extremely warm and friendly, and they were all technically proficient in their respective fields”. Since this aligned with his ambitions, HKUST became a “no-brainer and was a target business school for me.”   

WHY HKUST?  

Pursuing an MBA is a daunting decision as you need to think about a multitude of factors. So, for Vinith, deciding to pursue an MBA was a natural progression in his career that not only aligned with his professional goals, but also provided a global perspective and exposure to the dynamic Asian business environment. He narrowed down his decision based on three key factors that mattered most to him: Location of the school, strong coursework, and networking opportunities.   

“Hong Kong being in the epicenter of the financial services in Asia brings a diverse and global perspective and HKUST is extremely well placed for this.”  

HOW DOES VINITH’s BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO THE COHORT?  

Vinith highlights that “my background as a Vice President at Goldman Sachs brings a unique perspective to the MBA cohort. Having worked in a high-pressure environment, I can share practical insights into decision-making, risk management, and leadership. I hope to contribute to the diversity of thought within the cohort, bridging the gap between theory and real-world application.”   

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FULL-TIME MBA STUDENT   

The HKUST MBA program offers a customizable curriculum to shape your learning journey to align with your desired interests and career goals. Vinith was well-prepared for the core courses and elective courses that he strategically selected to align with his career goals.   

”If you’re lucky like me you will have more courses in the evening at the HKUST downtown classrooms for which you need to travel there. Adding that with each of courses you will be given individual or group assignments that you’ll need to bring back to redo them and bring them back next week. One thing that you learn from this is time management, and how to be extremely organized with your work because every week, you are hit with a hard deadline and an exam at the end of the coursework. To manage all of this, you have your classmates, who you end up spending a lot of time with, where you’ll gain a lot from their learnings and their experience with the course.”  

EXPERIENCE IN THE FULL-TIME MBA PROGRAM  

Vinith shares his insights into his valuable experience in the Full-time MBA program. “So far, the HKUST MBA program has exceeded my expectations in terms of both the academic intensity, but also the practical applicability of everything that they teach.”  

“I’d like to highlight the ‘Applied Mergers and Acquisitions’ course by Prof. Chris Doran. Although it’s extremely intense, it’s exceptionally rewarding, and I would highly recommend anyone considering pursuing an MBA at HKUST to consider this course.” 

  
KEY ELEMENTS TO GAIN FROM THE FULL-TIME MBA PROGRAM  

Vinith comprises his goals from the Full-time MBA program in two-folds. “From the full-time MBA program at HKUST, I aspire to gain a holistic understanding of business strategy, leadership, and innovation. I aim to leverage the extensive network and resources provided by the school to enhance my global perspective and develop skills that will enable me to make a meaningful impact in the business world. Overall, I see the HKUST MBA as a crucial steppingstone in my journey toward becoming a well-rounded and visionary business leader.”