Tencent has joined CUHK’s Co-operative Education Programme (Co-op@CUHK) this year as a key corporate partner, supporting aspiring students in their career development in the Greater Bay Area.

Three students were selected for placements of six to eight months at Tencent’s Shenzhen headquarters, working in the finance and investor relations departments, enabling them to consolidate professional knowledge, enhance their competencies and improve their soft skills such as communication and networking.

At a gathering with the CUHK students, John Lo, Tencent’s Chief Financial Officer, encouraged young people from Hong Kong who are eager to develop careers in the GBA or other mainland cities to keep an open mind, be brave in stepping out of their comfort zones, stay curious and keep learning. He noted that Tencent was committed to nurturing more young talent with significant resources, including increasing the recruitment of capable and high-potential students from universities.

He commended Co-op@CUHK’s excellent selection mechanism, which not only helped companies attract talented individuals but also provided a platform for students to gain valuable work experience.

Mr Lo shared his own journey of moving from an international accounting firm to Tencent, then an unlisted mainland company back in 2004. He chose to step out of his comfort zone and deviate from conventional career paths to explore his future in the emerging internet industry on the mainland. Tencent’s rapid growth provided him with the latitude to realise his ideas, develop professional and management capabilities and accumulate diverse experience in various roles. He advised young people to obtain professional qualifications early, continuously learn, grasp market trends, keep up their passion and make bold career choices.

Dr John Lai, Director of Co-op@CUHK, expressed gratitude to Tencent, Mr Lo and his team for providing meaningful placement opportunities for CUHK students. He noted that Co-op@CUHK, having launched the Greater Bay Area and Asia Placement scheme this year, was aimed to expand to various other cities across mainland China and Asia to offer students even more enriching opportunities.