HKUST Business Review

51 HKUST Business Review A City and School He Believed In After completing his doctorate and spending several years at the National University of Singapore, Professor Hui felt drawn back to Hong Kong. Its pace, energy, and culture of constant renewal resonated with him. Equally appealing was the opportunity to join HKUST Business School, where information systems thrived at the intersection of technology, business, and society. “In a business school,” he explains, “you can study problems that are academically interesting and immediately relevant to the world.” HKUST offered the freedom and intellectual space to pursue emerging topics such as privacy, cybersecurity, and data governance long before they became mainstream concerns. The Privilege of Academia Professor Hui often credits his mentors—especially Professor TAM Kar-Yan, his supervisor—for shaping his academic philosophy. Professor Tam returned from the US not to join a well established institution but to build one. “With that kind of spirit, I would call him a settler,” Professor Hui says. “You’re coming here to settle this place, to expand this place.” It was a mindset that influenced Professor Hui’s own approach to leadership: “Very often it is not what we can accomplish that matters, but what we hope to accomplish—our ultimate vision.” He describes academia as a profound privilege. “Being a professor, we enjoy our freedom. You really can choose to do what you want.” This autonomy enabled Professor Hui to pursue forward looking research into digital issues that would later become central to global policy and business. One value has anchored his entire career: an unwavering commitment to quality. “We always look for the best. We don’t settle on the inferior path.” His advice to students reflects this ethos: focus on doing your current work well. “When I settle on a task, I will want to make sure I do it at the best.” Looking Ahead As HKUST celebrates its 35th anniversary, Professor Hui sees an institution that has matured significantly while preserving the spirit that defined its early years. It is more structured and professional today, he notes, “but still very much vision driven,” maintaining the boldness and curiosity that shaped its first generations of alumni. Looking ahead, he is steadfast in his belief that HKUST will be successful at what it has always aimed to do: nurture people who will build not only for today, but for the decades to come. “We’ve benefited from the environment our predecessors set for us,” he says. “Now, we need to think about who will be our future beneficiaries.” Braving extreme conditions with alumni and students in a Gobi Desert race—a powerful reminder of endurance and persistence in leadership. Celebrating the accomplishments of graduates at congregation.