Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), is leading the vanguard for innovation, applied technology and value creation, bringing Hong Kong into the new generation of business connections with the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and other cities in Mainland China, Asia and beyond.
Born in Hong Kong, Mohamed was raised locally, before studying in Minnesota for his undergraduate degree at Winona State University. A graduate of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program, Mohamed cut his teeth on a plethora of projects in different sectors with more than two decades at General Electric (GE), including roles with GE Consumer and Industrial Sourcing, and serving as President and CEO in Asia Pacific for Security, Lighting, and Transportation in three separate roles.
At HKPC, Mohamed is greatly focused on promoting technological innovation in manufacturing technology, upgrading and transforming local SMEs in the GBA, at the same time providing a boost to enterprise R&D and enriching the talent pool in Hong Kong. “HKPC and GE are very similar in many ways, especially with their development of talent and innovation, and an ethos to serve the needs of the community and bringing things to the public that can change their lives,” says Mohamed. Aside from the GBA, HKPC is expanding its reach to Southeast Asia. “Innovation, transformation, upskilling, these are all essential components of our operations, along with managing government funding. We engage with manufacturing technologies, focusing on applications, production lines and IP,” Mohamed says.
One concept that Mohamed took from his time at HKUST was to follow the mantra of being high impact at work but keeping a low ego. At Kellogg, the focus often turned from learning to sharing real-world experiences, which Mohamed sees as a big plus. “We had classmates from all over the world, and this provided me with an international perspective that I have needed throughout my career. Networking was a strong aspect of the program, and I was able to learn and gain new perspectives from people in a range of different businesses. I made a lot of friends, that was a bonus, it helped my career immensely,” Mohamed says.
The next five years will be critical to keeping HKPC ahead of the game, particularly with transformations abreast in supply chains, with geopolitical changes happening all across the globe. Talent is key, with 15 percent of employees on an internship as of September 2024, helping invigorate the organization with a youthful spirit, while developing the next generation of talent. “We want them to learn real skills, and hopefully they will want to work with us in the future. Seeing is believing, we bring them to the GBA and tell them a good story about Hong Kong.”
Learn more about Mohamed’s story from Alumni Newsletter Winter 2024