A Tale of Three Brothers

A Tale of Three Brothers 

The Wiedenmann brothers, Pierre, Francois, and Frederic, are true citizens of the world. Before arriving in Hong Kong, they already had rich experiences and insights to draw upon, but their time at HKUST School of Business and Management helped to springboard them even further.

The three Wiedenmann brothers have all taken different paths to their current careers, but they’re united in crediting their time at HKUST, in Asia’s economic center and with a super-diverse student body, as being the experience that spurred their entrepreneurial spirits, work ethic and potential. Even as polyglots — all three speak French, German, English and Mandarin — the brothers were grateful to be part of such an international student body, and they shared in the university’s culture of friendliness, hard work and open-mindedness. At HKUST, the brothers gained an international exposure that they don’t believe they would have got studying anywhere else in the world.

They all realized the potential of enrolling at HKUST, one of the top universities in Asia. Pierre was the first to enroll after seeing first-hand the valuable skills and experience that studying at HKUST could offer. After Pierre completed his bachelor’s degree at HKUST, he decided to further his studies, by embarking on a one-year full-time Master of Science in International Management (MIMT), offered by HKUST School of Business and Management (SBM) in collaboration with CEMS, a global alliance in management education. It was the MIMT that inspired his brothers to pursue the same postgraduate degrees. Pierre found himself on the fast track to the academic knowledge and business world experience he needed to develop his career. “I’ve always felt about universities that there’s a bunch of tangible material you learn,” he says. “But the most valuable thing is the way you’re taught to think.”

Pierre’s leadership aspirations made the MIMT program — designed to combine academic theory with business practice and international exposure — a winning choice. He was confident that he would meet like minded peers with similar multicultural aptitudes, who possessed similar drive. Francois, the middle brother, echoed Pierre’s sentiments after completing the same master’s degree. “The course allowed me to learn hard skills that are essential for daily work life,” he says, “but it also taught me an academic mindset — how to analyze situations, look at different options, make calculated decisions. It’s a framework that has been so important to me.”

In business, as in life, things rarely go to plan, and the analytical skills the brothers gained at HKUST have empowered them to tackle issues and answer questions whenever something does go wrong — and these skills have served them all well. In particular, the practical international internship as part of MIMT gave the brothers the opportunity to actively participate in challenging real-world projects with some actual autonomy.

During his time at SBM, youngest brother Frederic learned he has a flair for diplomacy, and often found himself acting as a bridge between students from the East and the West in the program. The student body of MIMT comprises a rich mix of vibrant cultural and academic backgrounds, which allows students to gain immediate insights into a wide spectrum of issues in the global economy and to benefit from working with close-knit cross-cultural teams to understand real-world business problems. His experience living in Shanghai coupled with his skill at mingling with people from lots of different backgrounds were a distinct advantage, in both study and work.

The shared global mindset of the three brothers is perhaps not that surprising: though German, they have ties to Hong Kong dating back to just after WWII. Their grandfather had an import–export company in the city, and their father, who was born in Hong Kong, believed that Asia would be the future of the economic world. His sons, all of whom spent 12 years in Shanghai, grew up believing that expanding their cross-cultural exposure would be the key to their future success.

They may be on unique career trajectories, but it is clear the Wiedenmanns are destined to be leaders in their respective fields and to make positive impacts within society as a whole. As Francois says, “With what I have learned and experienced, I can shoot for the stars.”