If you’re choosing a ride-hailing app for your journey home in China or even Mexico, Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing would be your best option. Jose Eduardo Coello Kunz joined Didi three months after it launched in Mexico in April 2018, after completing his MBA at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
Since then, Jose Eduardo has worked to develop strategies for Didi, which offers features like an emergency alert button for passengers and drivers. By the end of 2018, Didi became the most popular travel app in both Mexico’s Apple and Google App Store.
Jose Eduardo worked in finance in Mexico City before deciding to study an MBA at HKU—ranked number one in Asia for nine consecutive years by the Economist from 2010 to 2018. He says he wouldn’t have got the job at Didi without his MBA.
Studying at HKU gave him knowledge of and access to the Asian market. He also studied at London Business School as part of the MBA program, which sees candidates spend nine months in Hong Kong before four months on a specialized track either in Hong Kong or at LBS in London, Columbia in New York, or Fudan University in China.
By doing an MBA, Jose Eduardo says he was able to switch career track and do something he never expected to before.
BusinessBecause caught up with Jose Eduardo to find out more.
How did the job at Didi come about?
The job came thanks to my experience in Asia in such a recognized MBA. The school was very supportive. They were a mentor for me, helping me define if this opportunity was aligned with my goals and how I defined my success in the future.
How are you using your MBA learnings in your current role?
I am responsible for the supply side in the northern part of Mexico and I use my MBA learnings on a daily basis. Working in a startup like DiDi requires constant change and that means I’m involved in many sides of the business, like business intelligence, marketing, and product management.
Why did you decide to pursue an MBA at HKU?
I have always been a person that likes to push himself outside of his comfort zone and universities in the US and Europe wouldn’t have given me that. Instead, I looked toward Asia and HKU was one of the top MBAs in the region. I could not have made a better decision!
What are your top three most memorable experiences from the MBA?
Definitely, the three most memorable include my classmates.
First, we spent a month in Beijing where we came together thanks to team building activities, sightseeing, and learning mandarin.
Secondly, we grew together in an awesome city like Hong Kong, where we not only learned a lot from the courses, but we also shared festivities from such a united and diverse class.
Finally, we went to different countries to finish the MBA adventure. I went to London, where I had the opportunity to keep meeting people, improving my skills, and defining what I wanted to do next: Didi.
Would you be where you are today without it?
The MBA gave my career a twist that was unimaginable to me. I was in the finance sector, specifically in the sell side of the market. So I definitely think that the MBA defined my path toward my job having a larger impact on people’s lives.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) - MBA Programmes HKU Business School
Student
Verified
23/02/2023
On Campus
Academic
Very good academic, caes course amazing, ccs are all amazing, professors are excellent, the architecture and infrastructure is splendid, people here are awesome, made some really nice friends, and teachers support us
Hatim
Verified
6/02/2023
On Campus
Diversified culture
I highly recommend The University of Hong Kong to students all around the world because of their diversified culture, teaching standards, and the people which make the learning experience better every day.
Student
Verified
6/10/2017
A place where you best understand local and international cultures
With plenty of experiences available, HKU provides a plenty of experience for me to explore our own and other countries culture. She has excellent teaching and research staffs in the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity. Time allocate to students are considered sufficient and staffs are ready to reach anytime.
Besides academic, she has various subsidised programmes that allow students to explore. This credit should be given to GenEd (general education) Office to provide different interesting programmes. These ranged from guest speaker giving talks on China-Hong Kong relationship; Contemporary art in Asia; or holding mini forum on geopolitics. Most, if not all, of which are free of charge!
Student
Verified
1/10/2017
Life at HKU
Pursued the SHS degree at HKU, academic and clinical staff members were very devoted and passionate. The academic program is under constant reviews, staff members are open minded and willing to modify the program with regards to students' opinions. Career prospect is good. Uni life is fruitful, many different activities for students to choose. Great facilities supporting learning.
Student
Verified
29/09/2017
Student Life in HKU
As an Accounting and Finance year3 undergrad student in HKU, the university provides lots of opportunities for me to learn and explore my interests.
You could join a wide variety of activities, like being an committee member of societies and joining hall activities. As for me, I chose to join the winter exchange programme, be a committee member, and did volunteering servic and had latrine construction and volunteer teaching in Ghana, Africa. I also organized lots of activities for societies and had lots of meetings with company representatives. As for school work, it is okay normally but definitely u got a lot busier during November and April. You got a lot more free time compared to CUHK and HKUST. And of course, this is considered as the most ‘international’ uni in HK in a way that I could make friends coming from different countries.
Just wanna add, HKU has a good location for foodie as its near Central, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. For those who love night lifes dont miss this. I didnt speak of anything i dislike coz there isnt anything i dislike much, but if I do have to say, it is the hall life of many local students, such as having cheers at night and never sleeps that may disturb others.
Student
Verified
2/09/2020
Blended
Academics
I think it’s a great university that gives you a lot of opportunities in terms of academics as well as extracurricular activities. The education system is fairly westernized and the professors are good for the most part.
Student
Verified
3/11/2017
International, stratified and political
Adequate resources and very convenient campus with sufficient channels to expand your social and professional circle. Also politically active, and perhaps too biasedly so. Its law school is firmly established, with the longest history in Hong Kong. Practical and professional training, with a constant atmosphere of anxiety and competition that encourages a relatively focused and narrow vision of career outlook. Good range of extra curricular activities available.
Student
Verified
12/10/2017
Life in HKU
HKU provides students with lots of opportunities in multidisciplinary researches and experiences. This encourages students to widen their horizons and prepare for the future. The programme I attended organised both local and oversea field trips that allowed me to have the first hand experiences of relative aspects. It was very useful for my later career.
Student
Verified
6/10/2017
BSocSc
I am a graduate of the BSocSc programme several years ago. I appreciate that the programme provided a flexible choice of majors and minors. Even I was admitted into social sciences programme, I could explore various streams of studies in and out of the social sciences faculty, including global studies, human resources, politics, science and music. I did a double major in psychology and sociology. Among all learning experiences in lectures, tutorials, field trips…, I would say the internship experience was one of the most memorable part of my university life. The faculty offers a credit-bearing internship programme in which students can go to various NGOs to work on social issues, ranging from poverty, education to adjustment of ethnic minorities. Students can be placed locally or overseas, depending on placement quota, their personal preference and past experience. I went to a social service agency that serves adults who are intellectually challenged and have autism spectrum disorder. It was an eye-opening experience in observing how different professionals work together to provide training for those people and reflecting on how psychological knowledge could come into play. I was also able to gain some hands-on experience in leading an activity.
There are more and more internship opportunities for university students. It is just another way to gain practical experience apart from applying for interns in government agencies or business companies, especially in organisations that would not openly recruit interns but only work with tertiary institutions.
It should be noted that for some majors/courses, there are really a lot of people studying. When I was an undergraduate back then, we often expected a lecture with 100+ students and a tutorial with nearly 20 students. If you favour close student-teacher interaction in small classes, you may look into the enrolment of particular courses.
