Learning to Fly Even Higher
General Manager of Greater China at AirAsia Digital, Celia LAO, believes in the power of lifelong learning and is testament to how even the most visionary and accomplished leaders can take their expertise to the next level with further study.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy and dynamism of the international travel industry can feel like a distant memory. But travel is in Celia Lao’s blood, and she has a steadfast commitment to the sector and work she loves. For nearly two decades, she’s worked in the airline and aviation industry, including 18 years with AirAsia, where for the last 5 years she’s been the CEO of Hong Kong and Macao. She was AirAsia’s first employee in Greater China, and her work has seen her solidify her expertise in government and airport affairs, regulatory compliances, marketing strategy, negotiation, and operations.
It was when Celia was promoted to her position as CEO that she saw the company’s business challenges holistically and realized that intellectual stimulation would be key to her success. To help her business thrive and survive, she would need to acquire new skills, build a global network, and advance her career as a high-impact leader. Setting her sights on an Executive MBA, she was relentless in her criteria: quality program content, structure, academics, classmate profiles, and university culture. The world-class Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA, jointly offered by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the HKUST Business School, fitted the bill perfectly.
"The Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA is passionate about its mantra to be a ‘High Impact, Low Ego’ program, which means I will be able to see immediate parallels with what I learn and experience at work."
The course’s motto, “High Impact, Low Ego”, resonated with Celia, who found herself in the company of peers with an average of 16 years’ prior work experience in a wide range of backgrounds. Intellectually curious, Celia has always been studious, even as a child.
Born in Guangdong, she moved with her family to Macao when she was five years old. A model student, she found many opportunities waiting when she graduated in 1995 but felt she needed to improve her communication skills further. Embarking on a degree in marketing, and discovering a fascination with diplomacy, she searched for a job that would bring these things together. The year she graduated, Macau International Airport opened its doors, and she leapt at the chance to be at the forefront of aviation for the SAR. A few years later, it was her initiative to approach the AirAsia Group CEO to present Macao as an option for the airline, and she secured the role of Country Manager. From there, AirAsia, and Celia’s, success grew.
COVID-19 hit a week after Celia started her EMBA in January 2020. Suddenly, the world turned upside down. Classes went online, passenger air travel stopped, and an unparalleled crisis loomed. Diversification was imperative, and Celia stepped up to the challenge swiftly. Seeing how the company needed to switch strategies quickly, she realized the challenge was to embrace being a non-airline business, almost overnight. She sought support from Kellogg-HKUST which connected her with alumni, and senior professionals around the world, who offered their counsel. She spoke with logistics and tech experts, and was able to develop a strategy that worked, turning the company into an e-commerce platform specializing in cargo, food and beverage, logistics, and more.
Humbled by how the alumni were willing to help, Celia describes those she met, spoke to, and worked with as like family — even though she’d only been a student for a week! The experience was defining for her: “I’m totally flexible and scared of nothing these days,” she says. “I know that whatever I want to dive into, I have this big pool of professionals behind me.” Attending the program enabled Celia to upgrade her skills and knowledge both inside and outside the classroom. She was excited to learn from world-class professors, join engaging class discussions and group projects, and meet remarkable people during networking events. Seeing the parallels and being able to transfer her learning to her work immediately has been the confirmation she needed that she made the right choice. As a result, as the world begins to open up to travel once more, Celia, and AirAsia Hong Kong and Macao, are poised and ready for a new age of aviation.
