HKUST Alumni Entering a new era for HKPC Mohamed is greatly focused on promoting technological innovation in manufacturing technology, upgrading and transforming local SMEs in the GBA, at the same time providing a boost to enterprise R&D and enriching the talent pool in Hong Kong. “HKPC and GE are very similar in many ways, especially with their development of talent and innovation, and an ethos to serve the needs of the community and bringing things to the public that can change their lives,” says Mohamed. HKPC’s headquarters in Kowloon Tong has a spacious feel to it, with a recent round of new renovations adding a large wow factor, especially with its public exhibitions of advanced manufacturing and robotics capabilities, and buzz brought by visiting school students eager to learn more about all this future tech. “When I "rst started the role this site was ready for a new lick of paint, and now I beam with pride, every time I walk in and see the advances that we have made. So many of our displays and exhibits look like they could be part of an Instagram highlight reel,” Mohamed says. “We have incredible scientists and engineers, so one thing we worked on deeply was telling our story,” he adds. Aside from the GBA, HKPC is expanding its reach to Southeast Asia: “Whenever there is a need from Hong Kong enterprises, our mission and goal is to be there with a helping hand, whether that is in Beijing, the Yangtze River Delta or as far as Bangladesh,” says Mohamed. “Innovation, transformation, upskilling, these are all essential components of our operations, along with managing government funding. We engage with manufacturing technologies, focusing on applications, production lines and IP,” Mohamed says. FEATURE Talent, innovation and the future HKUST alumnus Mohamed Butt (2007 EMBA), Executive Director of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), is leading the vanguard for innovation, applied technology and value creation, bringing Hong Kong into the new generation of business connections with the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and other cities in Mainland China, Asia and beyond. Born in Hong Kong, Mohamed was raised locally, before studying in Minnesota for his undergraduate degree at Winona State University. Mohamed’s father hailed from a South Asian background, and moved to Hong Kong, marrying his mother, who was a local Hong Kong Chinese. A graduate of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program, Mohamed cut his teeth on a plethora of projects in di#erent sectors with more than two decades at General Electric (GE), including roles with GE Consumer and Industrial Sourcing, and serving as President and CEO in Asia Paci"c for Security, Lighting, and Transportation in three separate roles. Whether it was working in Indonesia building train networks or working on whole city lighting in Sydney, GE helped Mohamed hone the necessary chops to be the leader of HKPC, which is largely focused on supporting the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) business, comprising approximately 70% of the work they do. When he was inbetween jobs at GE, Mohamed received a fortuitous call from a head-hunter, who introduced him to HKPC in 2017. 4 5 Reminiscing on HKUST days With so much experience, what did being at HKUST add to his career? “We had classmates from all over the world, and this provided me with an international perspective that I have needed throughout my career. Networking was a strong aspect of the program, and I was able to learn and gain new perspectives from people in a range of di#erent businesses including banks, family o%ces, entrepreneurialism, media, and more. I made a lot of friends, that was a bonus, it helped my career immensely,” Mohamed says. One concept that Mohamed took from his time at HKUST was to follow the mantra of being high impact at work but keeping a low ego. This philosophy encompasses being competitive without having arrogance. At Kellogg, the focus often turned from learning to sharing realworld experiences, which Mohamed sees as a big plus. The next "ve years will be critical to keeping HKPC ahead of the game, particularly with transformations abreast in supply chains, with geopolitical changes happening all across the globe. Talent is key, with 15 percent of employees on an internship as of September 2024, helping invigorate the organization with a youthful spirit, while developing the next generation of talent. “We don’t let them do scanning, "ling and making co#ee, we want them to learn real skills, and hopefully they will want to work with us in the future. Seeing is believing, we bring them to the GBA and tell them a good story about Hong Kong.” At HKUST, we had classmates from all over the world, and this provided me with an international perspective that I have needed throughout my career.
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