Rooted in Macao and oriented towards the world, Macao University of Tourism (UTM) leverages its English-medium instruction, strong business foundation, practice-oriented approach, and global perspective to cultivate outstanding talent across finance, high-end operations, international aviation, and corporate management.
Eric Huang Kexiang, currently a First Vice President at JPMorgan Chase, graduated in 2014 with a degree in Tourism Business Management. He began his career in hospitality, serving as Head of Human Resources at W Guangzhou and later at Crowne Plaza Zhuhai. Determined to pursue a broader vision, he stepped out of his comfort zone and moved to the United States alone, working, preparing for exams, and continuing his studies simultaneously. This June, he earned his MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Eric notes that UTM’s curriculum extends far beyond traditional hotel management, covering core business courses such as accounting, economics, and finance. The University’s emphasis on hands-on experience led him to intern in the Learning & Development Department at Grand Hyatt Macau in his Year 3, where he first encountered the field of human resources, an experience that proved pivotal to his career trajectory. Beyond professional knowledge, he emphasises that UTM instils essential soft skills, including professional presentation, dining etiquette, and interpersonal communication. These qualities later became key competitive advantages when serving high-net-worth clients in private banking.
According to Eric, UTM enjoys strong recognition within the tourism and hospitality industries. The global vision, English proficiency, professional discipline, and refined etiquette cultivated at UTM equip graduates with powerful tools for global careers. He highly recommends UTM to mainland students seeking an international pathway.
Angel Zhang Xinyu, from Zhuhai, graduated in 2018 with a degree in Tourism Business Management before pursuing a Master’s degree in Air Transport Management in the United Kingdom. She credits her inspiration to courses at UTM, which covered aviation, event planning, and travel agency operations. It was through these classes that she discovered her passion for aviation.
To turn interest into profession, she interned at a ground handling company at Macau International Airport in her Year 3, gaining firsthand exposure to frontline aviation operations. She also chose an aviation-related topic for her graduation thesis, further strengthening her professional expertise under faculty guidance. Taking advantage of the University’s exchange programmes, she studied in the UK, an experience that broadened her horizons and solidified her decision to pursue postgraduate studies there. After graduation, she joined the Beijing office of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), later entering Qatar Airways’ three-year management trainee programme. She now serves as Cargo Strategic Partnerships Manager, at Qatar Airways.
Angel believes that UTM offers more than academic knowledge, it cultivates transferable skills and a global mindset applicable across industries. Group presentations, project management, and teamwork training proved especially valuable in overseas workplaces, while the fully English learning environment enabled her to adapt quickly to international study and work settings.
Sisi Wang Gege graduated in 2022 with a degree in Hotel Management and continued her studies at UTM’s partner institution, Les Roches Global Hospitality Education in Switzerland, where she pursued a Master’s degree in Hospitality Strategy and Digital Transformation. After graduation, she worked in real estate development and investment in Switzerland and now serves as a Relationship Manager at BNP Paribas. In just a few years, her career has taken her from Macao to Geneva and Lisbon, charting a path from hospitality into finance with a global outlook.
Transitioning from hotel management into the financial sector and building a successful cross-industry career, Sisi remarks that although hotel management may seem unrelated to finance, the training she received at UTM became her strongest foundation. Courses in finance, accounting, and marketing provided essential financial literacy, facilitating her transition into real estate and banking. Meanwhile, the service mindset, customer insight, communication skills, and public relations techniques emphasised in hospitality management remain equally critical in financial client relationship management.
She also highlights the strength of UTM’s alumni network. While alumni may not directly secure job placements, their shared information and experience help younger graduates avoid detours and navigate career development more smoothly.
From investment banking to corporate management, from high-end operations to international aviation, countless alumni have broken boundaries and forged diverse career paths. UTM is not the starting point of a single track, it is a platform that opens global perspectives and embraces limitless possibilities.