MBA

Profiles

Jolie Chow, MBA 2010

At age thirteen, Jolie Chow lifted her voice among hundreds of choir members who were celebrating one of the defining moments of the twentieth century: the transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese Authority in 1997. "It meant a lot to everyone," Jolie says, "but no one knew what to expect next. Many of my friends emigrated to other countries out of fear, uncertainty."

Jolie, however, was filled with curiosity. "The handover prompted me to wonder what it means to be part of an international community," she says. Living in Hong Kong, an important Asian financial hub, inspired another perspective as well. "I wondered what business might mean to governance, to sovereignty, to ordinary lives."

That curiosity led to an undergraduate education in the United States. "In Hong Kong, ambitious students were supposed to become doctors or lawyers," Jolie says. "But I was interested in international studies. And I wanted a perspective outside of Asia."

After completing a BA in Economics and International Studies at Yale, she returned to Hong Kong for two years of investment banking experience with Morgan Stanley.

More than one right answer

As an advisor to many Chinese media and technology companies making their IPOs, Jolie found herself "helping them position their companies and building business models. I liked this advisory role, but to be more successful, I needed to look at business through lenses outside of finance."

HBS has changed the way Jolie sees leadership and decision-making. "I used to think that there was one right answer," Jolie says. "In my first cases, it was hard; I was scared to pick choice ‘A, B or C.' But what you see in your section is different leadership styles shaped by different backgrounds and environments. Here, it is okay to go in different directions and arrive at different results. What you learn is that it's important to understand why you came to a certain decision. And that you need to create supporting plans to help you achieve the results you want."

Back to Hong Kong

In her section, Jolie organizes informal lunches "with presentations in which we talk about our home countries." She also organized a recreational trip to southern France.

For the summer, "I'm working with Star TV, a subsidiary satellite network of News Corporation, to work on strategy and business development," Jolie says. After graduation, she would like to return to the media industry, "perhaps through finance, or directly in a media company. I want to find ways to positively influence people's lives," she says. Jolie sees media experience as a key step toward her ultimate goal, "to become the Chief Executive of Hong Kong."