Cream of the crop

Text: Zelda Lau/ Photos: Hazel Chow

Aaron Cheuk Hiu-fung:

CGMA Global Business Challenge 2022(North Asia): Champion &Best Future Business Leader Award(Best Speaker)

Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarships 2022/23

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships- Undergraduate Scholarship 2019-2023

Department of Marketing and International Business Scholarships 2020-2021

Department of Marketing and International Business Student Enhancement Programme Scholarships 2021-2023

High Achievement on Academic and Sports Awards 2020-2021

Lingnan University Dean’s List 2019-2023

Pursuing a BBA degree in marketing with a minor in data science, final-year student Aaron Cheuk Hiufung has received the prestigious Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarships 2022/23, one of only six recipients among Hong Kong universities, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships since his first year of study at Lingnan.

He and his team also took home the champion of the CGMA Global Business Challenge 2022 (North Asia), one of the biggest case competitions worldwide, and Aaron himself won the Best Future Business Leader

“Internship is a fairly time-efficient, low-cost way to explore my potential interests. Working as a digital marketing intern, I have gained sound knowledge in various industries, and professional customer relationship management skills, involving a digital mindset with in-depth analysis of how to set ads.”

Aaron has done internships in KPMG, Deliveroo, Cosmose, and Soqqle Edu, covering fields of accounting, FMCG technology, AI marketing solutions, and educational technology respectively.

“At Cosmose, I was responsible for launching and executing an in-house e-commerce platform with a marketing KOL management budget plan. Our team gained over 4,000 Instagram followers within two months. Eventually, the platform ranked among the App Store’s top 5 in the first week.”

Aaron was in a relatively small group setting where an entrepreneurial mindset was particularly essential. “Analysing consumer behaviour helps to show how the KOL or awareness campaigns drive engagements from the fans and new users,” he adds.

To him, internship is not only about salary, but an opportunity to learn how to navigate the corporate structure and communicate with people from all walks of life. “There are things that you cannot do; you have to learn and observe the best practices yourself.”

“I love dedicating myself to a team, and working with other people as I think it is always important to exchange ideas and understand other points of view. I learn where their ideas come from, and why their arguments or ideas are better than mine,” he explains, adding that according to the MBTI personality type, he is a commander (ENTJ) with strategic and critical thinking traits.

His team spirit also manifested in the leadership of LU’s Taekwondo team. In his first two years at Lingnan as team captain, he revived the Taekwondo team which had lost most of its members due to remote learning during the pandemic.

“At first, it was quite difficult for me to keep the passion going, because there were only one or two teammates,” he recalls. “I rekindled the team spirit by organising a training camp, and did some marketing as well. I took the initiative by opening an Instagram account to increase awareness of the LU Taekwondo team. In addition to publicity, I laid the groundwork for buying gears and apparels for new members of the team.”

Aaron is proud to see that more students are joining the team, and the team has won two gold and other medals in this year’s USFHK Taekwondo Competition.

Thanks to the intense Taekwondo training, he has become mentally strong and resilient. “We train four to five times a week, 3.5 to 4 hours each session. It is the stressful training that allows me to discover my strengths and weaknesses, which is a great way to track my growth.”

Aaron always reflects on his weaknesses, and his ambitions for the future. “It is important to be critical of yourself, and confident enough to accept your own mistakes as well.”

After graduation, Aaron wants to set up his own business.

I would like to create a startup for owners of small food and beverage businesses in Hong Kong, offering them digital marketing solutions at a lower cost, especially by placing ads in Google or Facebook.

Could AI tools like ChatGPT replace digital marketing professionals? Aaron does not think so. “It is true that many functional AI tools make copywriting or creating presentation decks easier, but I think it would be difficult to replace the creative content that people and the market now enjoy.”

In view of the considerable opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, Aaron stresses the importance of keeping an open mind as it develops fast and integrates with Hong Kong.

“Students, including myself, should not be swayed by its geographical nature or other factors, but explore and observe about what the Greater Bay Area offers, and consider the suitable career paths it offers to us.”