Jason Cheung, a student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, was crowned Champion at the final session and award ceremony of the Chamber's Pitch Perfect Programme on 30 May. 

The programme, organized by the Chamber's Young Executives Club (YEC), ran over the course of five months, with almost 100 students from 11 universities taking part in training sessions, mentorship and company visits. For the competitive stage on 30 May, the student participants were interviewed for a hypothetical job with one of the seven sponsor companies. 

The seven winners of each of these rounds each won a cash prize of $8,000. They then proceeded to the final, where they faced off in another interview grilling – this time with Chamber CEO George Leung, LegCo Representative Jeffrey Lam, and YEC Co-Chairman Eric Fok and Vice Chairman Olivia Kung.

As Champion, Jason will enjoy opportunities including job-shadowing and serving as a Chamber Student Ambassador, as well as an additional HK$10,000 in cash.

Speaking to The Bulletin immediately after the final, Jason said that the interview sessions had been an "intense but exciting experience." 

"The final competition was very fierce and everyone did a very good job," he said. "I anticipated that the questions from the judges wouldn't be easy, but it was still hard to prepare good answers while not spending too much time thinking about them." 

Jason said that he had enjoyed the variety of the programme, which started with a number of training sessions at the Chamber, to introduce the working world and share tips on job-hunting. Then mentorship sessions gave the participants the opportunity to discuss career development and preparing for interviews during Zoom sessions with their mentor. 

For the company visit, Jason was assigned to Megasoft, a homegrown Hong Kong firm that focuses on Internet of Things and other advanced technology. The students saw how the company's services and products can help streamline the workflow in different industries like retail and healthcare.  

"It was really eye-opening," Jason said. "As a customer, you don't usually see how things work behind the scenes – so to see new technology being applied to different industries was really surprising."

YEC's Eric and Olivia not only served as judges for the final, but were also responsible for coming up with the idea for the Pitch Perfect Programme and launching it last year. 

They agreed that choosing an overall winner had been a difficult decision for the final judging panel.  

"We had very strong candidates coming from all universities and different backgrounds," Eric said. "Jason stood out because he had the best overall capability in terms of presenting himself and also in making his answers relevant to the theme."

Olivia added that Jason's answers were not only well thought-out and presented, but that he was witty and entertaining in his delivery, showing his confidence and enthusiasm.

Eric and Olivia both said that they had been impressed by the standard of entries overall. In particular, they commended the students' commitment to attend the various sessions over the five months of the programme, especially as the fifth Covid wave delayed some of the planned activities.

"I was also impressed by the fact that some of the students asked really good questions during the training sessions," Olivia added. "They were quite proactive in terms of approaching the trainers with questions." 

One of the aims of the Pitch Perfect Programme is to foster the ties between the business community and young people in Hong Kong. To encourage these links, winners received a 12-month HKGCC Student Membership to enable them to learn more from businesses, attend training sessions and events, and expand their career horizons. We look forward to seeing them back at the Chamber at some of our future events.

Pitch Perfect Programme Overall Champion

′  Cheung Pok To, Jason, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 

Pitch Perfect Programme Winners 

′  Chan Hiu Ying, Elly, Lingnan University

′  Cheung Pok To, Jason, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

′  Jesse, Chinese University of Hong Kong

′  Lau Kin Yu, Samuel, Education University of Hong Kong 

′  Ng Sze Wing, Christy, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

′  Tang Wing Lam, Natalie, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

′  Tse Ka Tung, Jennifer, Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Sponsor Companies
′  Cathay Pacific Airways 
′  Chevalier Group 
′  Lan Kwai Fong Group 
′  Megasoft 
′  MTR Corporation
′  NEC Corporation 
′  Pan Asian Mortgage Company 
(with support from the Home Affairs Bureau)