Strategic Marketing & Leadership: Driving Engagement and Real-World Impact

Roanne Law, Assistant Director and Head of Marketing, CUHK MBA

Roanne Law is the Assistant Director and Head of Marketing at CUHK MBA, bringing over a decade of experience in admissions, marketing and program development. After earning her undergraduate degree in Hong Kong and a master’s degree in Australia, she returned to Hong Kong and joined CUHK MBA in 2011. Initially focused on marketing and admissions for the local market, Roanne expanded her role to oversee Greater China and international recruitment. Her expertise spans strategic marketing, digital engagement and applicant consultations. She also liaises with internal university stakeholders to streamline admissions processes. Over the years, she has taken on leadership responsibilities, mentoring junior team members and driving innovative marketing initiatives, including video content and alums engagement.

In her current role, Roanne plays a key role in shaping the MBA experience beyond marketing, participating in curriculum development and leading international business field trips. Her long-standing commitment to the CUHK MBA reflects her passion for higher education, student success, and global business education.

Through this interview, Roanne Law shares her insights on integrating contemporary marketing strategies, leveraging technology for engagement and fostering a student-centric leadership approach. She highlights the program’s industry connections, digital engagement and strategic innovations that enhance student experiences and career opportunities.

Integrating Contemporary Marketing & Customer-Centric Approaches: Enhancing Engagement and Real-World Relevance

As part of the marketing and admissions team, we have the unique advantage of directly engaging with prospective MBA students and gaining insights into their expectations and interests. This allows us to create tailored video and written content that informs and attracts the right candidates. Beyond admissions, we collaborate closely with alums, current students and senior industry professionals—whom we call Industry Masters or Elite Mentors—to share insights on emerging business trends.

“Successful marketing isn’t just about promotion— it’s about understanding students, their future employers and industry trends to create meaningful connections and lasting impact”

Given the dynamic nature of the business landscape, we continuously adapt our storytelling and content strategies to resonate with different student groups across regions. While strongly emphasizing academic excellence and industry connections, we position our program as an Asiancentric platform for leadership, HR and future business development. Additionally, we curate specialized content on entrepreneurship to engage diverse audience segments, ensuring our curriculum remains relevant and impactful.

Leveraging Technology in Marketing Education: Enhancing Learning, Engagement, and Communication

We provide detailed course descriptions to our faculty with substantial industry experience and connections, ensuring course content remains relevant to market trends. While we don’t focus on teaching specific marketing tools—since many of our MBA students already have industry experience—we emphasize strategic skills like business negotiation and audience targeting from a psychological perspective. However, for courses like design thinking and presentation skills, faculty integrate the latest software and platforms to enhance student learning, adapting tools based on industry trends and ease of use.

From a marketing admissions perspective, we leverage platforms like WeChat, Bilibili and Xiaohongshu to engage the Chinese market. Additionally, we introduced a simplified AI chatbot in our corporate lab to manage initial website inquiries. We later refined it to connect prospects directly to our team via WhatsApp and WeChat for personalized interactions.

We developed an internal platform for student engagement and communication to centralize event registration, inquiries and networking opportunities. This helps students navigate the high volume of emails and activities within the MBA program while allowing our team to track response efficiency, conduct surveys and build FAQs. The platform ultimately improves student support and enhances overall engagement.

Leadership Philosophy in Management: Open Communication, Continuous Learning, and Student-Centered Decisions

I prioritize open communication with my team, as they interact directly with students and understand their needs. We ensure that every initiative aligns with our strategic vision— delivering excellent academic programs that bridge students to the industry with an Asian focus. To enhance the student experience, whether in admissions or learning, I encourage my team to conduct research, engage with students and industry leaders and integrate new insights into our approach.

Driving Growth and Innovation in Marketing: Prioritizing Customer-Centric Strategies and Industry Alignment

Successful marketing innovation starts with a deep understanding of the customer—in our case, students and their future employers. Our mission goes beyond serving students; we aim to develop business leaders who thrive in their careers or entrepreneurial ventures. Staying attuned to industry trends and market needs is crucial. While technical skills in online marketing are easy to learn, strategic thinking—especially in targeting the right audience—drives impactful results.

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