Mark Zhu (MSc in Finance 2017) Capitalises on Inventive Impetus of Greater Bay Area, China’s Innovation Cradle
“Innovation” is the byword for the Greater Bay Area (GBA). In the eyes of Mark Zhu (MSc in Finance 2017), Business Development Manager at CareCapital, innovation represents not a slogan but a living promise – one that leads to opportunities and prospects. Tasked with investing in the development of dental and oral care services in the GBA, Mark is constantly looking to build connections with local suppliers. “Businessmen in the GBA dare to dream big. They have a clear vision and a direction for the future, supported by decisive actions along these lines.” That is, in Mark’s words, the “differentiating factor” behind the success of the GBA.
Growing to Greater Heights
Mark has never been someone who plays by the book. With an undergraduate degree in translation and self-taught programming skills, he pursued a career in the financial sector. To make up for this rather unconventional background, Mark soaked up financial knowledge at the CUHK Business School’s MSc in Finance Programme, with an eye on the GBA.
Mark Zhu describes his campus life at CUHK as extremely fulfilling, growing together with a group of like-minded aspirants. The experience helped shape his wide-ranging vision and mindset. “Frequent exchanges with professors, seasoned practitioners, our careers counsellor, tutors and classmates from various backgrounds have inspired in me the ability to approach and embrace new things.” The acquired eclecticism has encouraged him to leave his comfort zone to meet the challenge of having to communicate with almost all walks of life in his initial experience as a business development executive. From this particular vantage point, Mark sees a whole new GBA unfurling before him.
Mark shares an entrepreneurial spirit and devotes earnestly in very chapter of his life.
Forging an Innovative Path
In the process of building collaborative partnerships with suppliers, Mark honed as much his business communication skills as he did his own insights into the uniqueness of the GBA. He came to realise that the region’s spirit of innovation has grown beyond product research and development to comfortably establish itself in the investment mindset and lifestyle of its people. “Innovation is intrinsic to Shenzhen and GBA as a whole”, Mark concludes.
In the medical sector, he says, digitisation is an overwhelming industry trend; digital products such as intraoral scanner are mushrooming in the market. Technological innovation is far better received in the GBA than in other developed regions in China. “Medical institutions in the GBA are willing to invest in cutting-edge equipment, even if the technology falls beyond the familiar.” The entrepreneurial spirit of the GBA, coupled with the synergies between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, paint a buoyant outlook for the innovation of dental and oral care industry in the region. “As a competitive dental market, the GBA is expected to be several years ahead of other regions in terms of applied technologies”, Mark declares.
Dare to Dream Innovative Dreams
With an increasing understanding of the region, Mark’s attachment to the GBA grows. To him, it is a land of innovation and a cultural mosaic, where cities of unique characters converge. The cultural confidence of Shenzhen, the Cantonese heritage of Guangzhou, the mercantilism of Chaoshan: cultural diversity has found its way into the lifestyle of Mark. “I have chosen to settle in Shenzhen. I believe it is the flagbearer of multiculturalism in its historic position as a testing ground for economic reform in China.”
Spurred by the adventurous spirit of the GBA, Mark is now venturing into the territory of entrepreneurship himself. “The creation of CareCapital investment platform from scratch echoes my own entrepreneurial journey. I can feel the passion along the way, and the innovation effort comes into palpable fruition”, he says. The journey for Mark in the GBA sees no bounds; it will take him to a future of endless possibilities.