Venisa CHU, Full-time MBA alumna (Class of 2012), discusses how she discovered her mission as her true calling in sustainability through the MBA program.   

As the Regional Sustainability Director of Asia Pacific for the L’Occitane Group, Venisa oversees sustainability strategies across nine diverse markets, aligning APAC with the group’s global sustainability vision. Having started her career in the technology industry, discover how Venisa found her true calling in sustainability through HKUST’s MBA program.  

Discovering a New Career Path  

“I’ve always been drawn to sustainability without knowing it,” Venisa says, recalling her student years, where she volunteered for causes that resonated with her. With a background in electrical engineering, Venisa embarked on a diverse career journey across various industries, spanning North America and Asia. Yet, her career choices consistently prioritized driving positive societal change.  

With nearly five years of corporate experience, Venisa enrolled into HKUST’s MBA program – a choice driven by her curiosity of business decision-making processes. However, the true epiphany occurred while exploring her career options during her MBA. Through business case study discussions in class and participating in case competitions, she realized sustainability was a great career option for her combined skills. “It’s like general management. You need to know how each corporate function works to propose relevant sustainability actions for each of them.”  

Nothing is Too Difficult   

 

Reflecting on her career leaps, Venisa credits her supportive network as crucial to her growth. In sustainability, where existing solutions often don’t align with specific roles or companies, mentorship plays a crucial role in innovation and resourcefulness. Throughout her career, Venisa’s mentors have consistently encouraged her to remain open-minded and explore new opportunities.  

During her MBA, Venisa purposefully embraced new experiences by joining various student clubs. She also attended finance classes to gain a better understanding of various business functions, even though finance wasn’t her forte. “My mentors gave me the confidence to attempt the seemingly impossible,” she says. “In sustainability, you have to think like that in order to make bold steps.”  

Read the full interview on HKUST Business School Alumni Kaleidoscope