MBA Student Profile: Shio Hwi Lim, NUS

Shio Hwi decided to pursue an Executive MBA even though she has sound knowledge of the challenges and leadership issues organizations face. But rather than being trapped with such issues, she plunged into the challenging world of business school.

“I intensively researched the return on investment of an Executive MBA course, and the differences between Executive and regular MBA programs,” she says. “But my decision would have been even easier had I known to look beyond the immediate financial returns. The relevant knowledge and skill set [that an EMBA provides], together with a fulfilled and confident soul, can potentially pave the way for higher results later on.”

Shio Hwi didn’t have to wait long to reap the rewards of her investment. “The EMBA had an impact on my career almost immediately,” she says. “It has widened my scope from a technological background to encompass all aspects of the business, including financial valuations, analysis, investments, business innovations and strategy of different business landscapes.”

Shio Hwi is currently responsible for the business development, strategy and project investments of Builders Hub Pte Ltd, one of Singapore’s foremost design and building firms. “I would not have been able to devise a complete business strategy, create an innovative business model, analyse the financial investments of a totally different industry, and take the company to be nominated as one of the 50 most enterprising Singapore companies in 2011, without my Executive MBA,” Shio Hwi says.

As Shio Hwi now embarks on further business challenges post-EMBA, she has a valuable network of business school faculty and EMBA classmates to call upon for advice. “Many good friendships were formed on the personal front,” she says. “And in a more ‘economic’ context, these friendships have transformed into knowledge-sharing of how businesses are run and the lessons and issues observed.”

For women who would like to pursue their EMBA degree but are worried about the balancing act, Shio Hwi has some valuable advice: “Effective time and goal management!”