Association continues to reflect needs of the business community

Hong Kong is renowned as a place of business opportunity - but in order to be inclusive to all willing to make the effort, lifelong learning and the value of striving for excellence ought to be encouraged.

Looking back at the work of the Hong Kong Management Association over the decades, deputy chairman Dr Dennis Sun says education and professional development are among the core HKMA values that have left their mark on society.

They are also close to the heart of what the role the association performs for its 12,000-strong membership. The organisation held 2,300 courses last year which benefited more than 48,000 people.

Links with leading international business schools offer the best in management education for executives, with courses equipping people with the necessary skills and knowledge to enhance their career choices. But it wasn't always so easy.

'In the early days, most people in Hong Kong never had the opportunity, like today, to go to college or university,' says Sun, who is also president of the Asian Association of Management Organisations and chairman of Fuji Photo Products Hong Kong.

'Lifelong learning is not only for a management career, but for those who have left directly from school. When the HKMA first started, it tried to provide training courses after office hours and related to business needs - from secretarial skills to human resources and management.

'We still feel there is a need through different paths to achieve quality standards, training and development,' Sun says. 'Most of our courses are certified accredited quality and connected through management networks. We're still performing the same role and still trying to reflect the community's needs.'