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Every graduate of the Kellogg-HKUST executive master of business administration (EMBA) began with change in mind. From the outset, their shared objective was to achieve some form of transformation – perhaps through faster promotion, a career switch, new international contacts, or by driving innovation within their own organisation and on a wider front.

So, it says much for the success of the programme – a partnership between Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, in the United States, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Business School – that when members of each class look back on the experiences, their general consensus is: “Mission accomplished”.

That is certainly true of Su Yin Anand, who has just spent the past two years in a high-powered position as head of shipping at South32 Marketing, the Singapore office of South32, an Australian mining and metals company with a global reach.

The Singaporean’s team had to organise and oversee freight contracts to a value of about US$500 million, a task often complicated by fluctuating prices and geopolitical considerations.

“In terms of the job, it’s about managing the supply chain – and people – in challenging and interesting times,” says Anand, who originally trained as a lawyer, spent 15 years in maritime litigation, and made it to partner before deciding to pivot into the corporate world.