Bridging industry and academia

In today’s dynamic business landscape, the synergy between academia and industry is more important than ever. Our recent partnership with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), renowned for its dedication to grooming future business leaders and technologists, reinforces J.P. Morgan’s commitment to this strategy.

Invited by HKUST, our technology leaders in Hong Kong collaborated with the professor of HKUST’s Dual Degree Program in Technology & Management (T&M-DDP) to curate a bespoke business challenge specific to the asset management industry for their students. Over the span of three months, students undertook the challenge of crafting prototypes for a Global Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) Sales Dashboard that seamlessly integrated trends and synthesized information from various sources, including news, social media, and quantitative metrics. This immersive experience equips students with practical skills and knowledge relevant to business management and advanced technologies, which are essential for thriving in the real-world.

Additionally, with the support of Byron Wong, Head of Wealth Management Technology, Asia Pacific, who serves on the HKUST T&M-DDP Industrial Advisory Board, our partnership is further strengthened. The T&M-DDP also benefits from his extensive industry expertise, market insights, and understanding of job trends, which significantly enhances the overall effectiveness and relevance of the program.

More than an extracurricular activity, the business challenge offers academic credits toward students’ degree upon completion. Working in teams, students delved into the intricacies of the problem statement, guided by mentors from J.P. Morgan almost weekly throughout the course. The periodic reviews also provided a platform for constructive feedback, fostering a collaborative spirit and continuous improvement.

In addition to solution strategy and project management, the course emphasized understanding the asset management industry and mastering the emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning and user interface (UI)/user experience (UX) design. “Through participation in the course project, we aim to empower students to bridge theory with practice and become more commercially prepared for real-world demands,” said Philippe El-Asmar, Head of ETF, Digital & Direct, Asia Pacific.

Towards the end of the semester, teams showcased their solutions to a panel of judges from J.P. Morgan’s Asset Management and Global Technology, highlighting their creativity, ingenuity, and practicality. Winning teams were selected, marking the beginning of the next phase: integrating these solutions into our business intelligence platform, transforming concepts into tangible outcomes.

This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our decade-long relationship with HKUST. “Over the years, our collaboration with HKUST has empowered students while providing us insights into the latest academic developments,” said Bala Chandrasekaran, Head of Asset Management Technology, Asia Pacific. “We thank you Professor Betty Lin for the opportunity to collaborate on such impactful project. Looking ahead, we’re eager to strengthen our partnership with HKUST and other academic institutions, driving impactful academia-industry partnerships and nurturing the next generation of leaders.”