A seasoned credit investment specialist, Warut Promboon (MSGF '14), chief rating officer for Dagong Credit Rating in Hong Kong, reflects on the ROI of his MS in Global Finance from NYU Stern & HKUST.
A year and half out from completing his master’s degree in global finance, Warut Promboon (MSGF ’14), a seasoned credit investment specialist who is the chief rating officer for Dagong Credit Rating in Hong Kong, sums up his return on investment this way: “I have always wanted to pursue another top-quality advanced degree. I would have regretted it had I not taken the Stern/HKUST MS in Global Finance (MSGF) program.” A Wisconsin native who was raised in Thailand and has worked in the financial industry since 1990 – for the past decade in Singapore and Hong Kong – Warut followed up his undergraduate education at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University with an MBA from the University of Kentucky, with two years of work experience in between – a period he came to realize was inadequate for getting the most he could out of his MBA. Now that he had significant real-world experience and had lived through several credit crises, he says, he was motivated by “the need to interact with academia and the thirst to know more. I always see myself as a researcher and always want to check out how the best in academia view different business situations.” The MSGF program was far and away his first choice, Warut says. “Stern has one of the top three finance programs in the world, in my view. HKUST also is one of the best in Asia. This was a chance for me to interact with world-class classmates and, without a doubt, world-class professors from both institutions. I’d read their books and have idolized them since I was in college.” The ability to complete the degree in one year while maintaining his job made the decision easy. Once he entered the program, Warut came to appreciate other aspects. “I valued the fact that the program focuses more on the practicality of finance rather than on theory or how you derive the formulas. Having lots of group projects also helps you identify some colleagues who you can do business with, not to mention that group work helps the class become very close.” Warut still maintains relationships with classmates and with both Stern and HKUST faculty. He also remains connected to the program through alumni events. Warut credits the MSGF program for putting a crowning touch on his CV and for boosting his confidence as he continues to establish himself as a vital player in Asia’s developing bond markets. “My career goal in Asia is to promote more independent credit research and liberalize a fixed income market in Asia with more credit investment products, already widely known in the US and Europe. I have always wanted to help make Asian bond markets more efficient and more available to small investors or even individuals. At this point in my career, I believe I can use my research experience to help enforce or even design a better corporate governance practice in Asia. The goal is simply to have a more level playing field for everyone in the society and to continue striving for a more merit-based professional community in Asia.”
Original Source: Tales in Possible, NYU Stern