1) Full Name:
Aaron Lee Kwok Choong
2) Current Location (Country):
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
3) Graduation class year of:
1997
4) What comes to your mind as soon as you hear of GIS?
Amazing friendship, the joys of being a student
5) What is your most memorable experience in GIS?
It will have to be the time I spent as a member of the Stage Crew Production Team that was led by Mr. Fulton, the Physics teacher.
College/University
1) University courses:
a) Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo Japan, 2007 / 08 – Masters in Business Administration – International Business Strategy.
b) London School of Economics, University of London, UK, 2001 / 02 – MSc Management (Hons).
c) University of Sheffield, UK, 1999 / 2001 – BEng Electrical & Electronic Engineering (Hons).
When I applied for a Japanese tourist visa for a holiday vacation in 2005, I had some waiting time at the embassy which I spent reading through all the information on the notice board and found out that the Japanese government runs a whole host of educational and research scholarships ranging from undergraduate to graduate studies.
After going through all the information, I’ve decided to apply for the Monbukagakusho Young Leaders Programme (YLP). Applicants for the programme are required to possess a minimum of 5 years’ work experience, write a host of essays, and attend a final interview to assess the values of their contribution to the class. The MBA course is accredited by the international MBA society and the Hitotsubashi university is affiliated to HBS, LBS, HKU, Beijing U, etc.
For those who might be interested, all you need is a little initiative and effort in reviewing the Japanese Embassy website or, just head directly to the Embassy for more information.
2) Who or what inspired you to choose your selected field of study?
My personal interest in taking anything and everything apart! Dissecting into the various components that make up our everyday products. Thus, I pursued an engineering degree. I was also fortunate enough to have been advised on the advantages of an engineering degree, i.e. one is not limited to the field of engineering only.
3) What did you study before entering University (A-levels, SAM, etc):
A-Levels @ Taylor’s College – Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths. (GIS had not introduced A-Levels yet at that time)
4) How did GIS prepare you for University?
It is impossible to quantify how GIS prepared me for university. But in all honesty, it prepared me for the next stage in life, i.e. college.
5) What’s your advice to current students who will be making the same choice as yourself?
i) Never stop listening and learning. We are all on a long journey of discovery.
ii) We may not always make the correct choices in life, but no matter how hard we fall, persevere on.
iii) Try, and don’t be shy to ask.
iv) Enjoy what you work on; the personal satisfaction and rewards are not for others to quantify or measure, but for yourself to be happy.
E.g., I am an Engineer / Finance graduate, and my current business is in no way related to my field of studies. The university degree is only a pass to open the next door. It is a stepping-stone into adulthood. What you end up doing next is dependent on the choices you make in life.
Career
1) Current company and job title
a) Slurp & Burp Concept Sdn Bhd – Franchise Holder & Operator of Bankara Ramen Malaysia, acting as Managing Director.
b) Allanfrank (M) Sdn Bhd – Fashion trading, acting as Manager & Product Developer.
2) Who or what inspired you to choose this career?
Family’s entrepreneurial bug and personal interests.
3) The best and worst bits about the job
The best – Seeing a satisfied customer.
The worse – Work never ends! In fact, there is no end to it so, just have fun doing it.
4) Happiest moment at work
When everything runs like clockwork!
5) Would you have made the same choice if you were given another chance?
Definitely. My best advice is to draw up a 5-year career plan. Review it annually and set yourself reasonable goals to be achieved.
6) What advice would you give to the current GIS students who are interested in similar career choice?
At the beginning of your career stage, work for others to understand the challenges that an employee faces. Then apply the best practices if you decide to embark on the entrepreneurial path. A success of any business is dependent on the moral of the people who manages the daily operations.
General
1) What are your goals and dreams?
Cross off all the items on my long to-do list!
Achievements thus far that I would dare list are:-
– Never make enemies, there are amazing bridges to be forged, be it friends or business associates.
– Work for the family business, trying to change the people’s mindset and work methodologies.
– Invested in a new startup, and building it one step at a time.
My current to-do list:-
– Obtain my motorbike license, join a travel group for local and international travels.
– Still single, and really need to look for a girlfriend.
In future, definitely to settle down and raise a family.