The BUddy Post – HKBU Alumni Affairs Office

Alumnus Arthur Lam Tsz-fung (History) graduated from HKBU with first-class honours. During his undergraduate years, Arthur actively participated in various leadership programmes and received a number of scholarships, one of which was AIA Young Elites Scholarship in 2013. Through the Scholarship, Arthur got an internship opportunity at the Company and he started to learn about the insurance industry. Upon graduation, he decided to develop his career in the insurance industry. As a fresh graduate of Bachelor of Arts, Arthur has strived hard to expand his network while attaining a number of professional qualifications. He is currently the Assistant Unit Manager at AIA Hong Kong and Macau.

1. What inspired you to join the insurance industry? As a graduate without fundamental knowledge in Finance, how did you adjust yourself at work in the beginning?

I wanted to be a teacher when I was a child. However, a drastic incident happened when I was studying at secondary school, and it changed my career aspiration. At that time, my parent contracted one of the most critical illnesses. My family then approached doctors and insurance practitioners for operations and claims. Knowing that those health-related policies had been cancelled around a year before, what came to mind was disappointment and financial need for the surgery and the subsequent treatments. I, at that moment, inevitably felt hopeless when health and financial burden both became issues.

When there is a cloud, there is a silver lining. Our family had a tighter bonding following the incident. I was also grateful that my parent won the battle with the disease, which has a one-third case fatality rate. I would never forget the moment when I was waiting outside the operating room. I told myself not to let similar things occur to my family and friends again in my life. This experience has opened up my curiosity to the insurance and financial planning industry.

To better prepare myself for the industry, I took part in the internship programme in 2013 before I graduated. Lacking knowledge in Finance and interpersonal skills was a disadvantage for me as an Arts student. During the two years of training, I had learned a lot about theories of risk management, product features, basic financial planning cycle, practical skills and effective communication skills.  It was really a rough and tough time for me to adjust myself to be competitive as an intern. I recalled that I had to stay with my phone for tens of hours, making hundreds of cold calls so as to expand my network. What does not kill you makes you stronger. I am glad that I have already found my desired career path with mission, passion and confidence.

Now as a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), I feel even more confident in this industry.

2. Trustworthiness is essential for a professional industry. As a fresh graduate, what effort did you make to gradually build up a trustworthy image of yourself to clients?

This is a really good question as winning customers’ trust is one of the most important factors to succeed in any career. I think from the very beginning, passion was instrumental for getting others’ approval.

Fresh graduates are green who lack experience. It usually takes time for people to have a vote of confidence on them. However, it can be an advantage if they can demonstrate their extraordinary vision and passion, quoting myself as an example.

I remember that when I encountered questions about my length of service and exposure, I shifted the focus in my reply.

“Experience is important but willingness to help, learn and serve is even more important. I can promise you that I will keep improving and serving you wholeheartedly in the long term. New generations need a chance so would you be the one to witness my progression, so I can grow together with you?” These are the words from my heart, if not rhetorics, to convince clients and help friends overcome hard times when I am still a rookie in the industry.

We all need others to give us a chance, don’t we?

3. What is your plan for further development in the industry?

I strive to further widen my knowledge and scope of services in the wealth management industry. Also, I will not give up my dream to contribute to education, if opportunities arise.

Financial services really cover a wide range of scopes, targeting at both individuals and companies with different needs and at different stages of life. Therefore, I am planning to gain more exposures in various areas, ranging from estate planning, keyman insurance, trusts, pre-IPO, you name it. Applying what we have learned is very important and fruitful, enabling us to achieve a win-win situation with clients.

One of my concrete goals this year would be a master’s degree in corporate and financial law. There is a close bonding between law and finance, specifically for high-net-worth clients. In light of the increasing collaborations among cities with tighter regulations, cross-border businesses and assets become more sensitive, resulting in the higher demand for professionals to deal with issues such as taxation, legal services and estate planning. That is why I will pursue studies in the field.

Besides, I would like to pursue studies in children and juvenile FQ (financial quotient) education. To fulfil my dream of being a teacher in another way, I would like to better equip myself in teaching, like learning more about financial education and acquiring the skills as a facilitator by attaining the Certified Children FQ Instructor accreditation. Through sharing financial knowledge with younger generations, I hope I can develop a new path on education later in my career.