COLLEAGUES, SPOUSES AND CLASSMATES
OFTEN, when already married, people get distracted and abandon their ambitions in terms of education and professional development. But not so for Desmond Siew, 43, and Cheah Yean Kee, 42.
Despite their busy work schedules, having to manage a toddler and their hectic day-to-day lives, married couple Siew and Cheah have found a unique way to spend time together — in a classroom.
The duo, who will be married for six years next month, recently enrolled into Coventry University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Global Financial Services at INTI International College Subang to level up in their careers and fulfil a lifelong mission of upskilling their academic qualifications.
Foregoing the usual date nights at cafes and movies, the couple now spend more time studying together and helping each other in their subjects akin to love-struck college couples.
The duo first met in India while working with Huawei, a global information and communications technology solutions provider.
Kuala Lumpur native Siew, armed with a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Western Australia, was part of credit management in the India office and was required to be stationed there.
Cheah, a Bachelor of Public Management graduate from Universiti Utara Malaysia, who hails from Sungai Petani in Kedah, was his successor for the position.
“During the three-month job handover in India, probably because we always have the same issues to discuss, I realised that I grew fond and appreciated my wife.
“After I returned from India, our regional department organised a meeting in Colombo in Sri Lanka. We travelled to Maldives after the meeting, and that’s where we started our relationship, which was the time before I was struck with cancer and started my cancer treatment,” he shared.
Siew was diagnosed with two types of cancer.
“Due to constantly having to take medication for treatments, my emotions were somehow affected. My emotions fluctuated easily, and Cheah supported me during those hard times and calmed me down so that I could manage the overwhelming emotions,” he said.
They got married in 2013 and since then Siew and Cheah have moved on in their careers.
Siew, who is in remission, continues to pursue all that he loves and is now part of the family business Batu Tiga Trading Sdn Bhd, which focuses on financial management for hardware businesses.
Meanwhile, Cheah is head of treasury at Tranglo Sdn Bhd, operater of a global digital commerce switching hub for financial institution and telecom providers.
With their 2-year-old son, the couple have a more fulfilled outlook on life and have even signed up for bread-making classes to strengthen their relationship and keep their mutual interests as husband and wife going. Showing no signs of stopping, the two continue to support and challenge each other in the classroom as they work towards gaining their MBAs.
On why they are pursuing their MBAs, Cheah said: “I believe I have reached somewhat of a bottleneck to move forward due to my educational background in public management, specifically in the public sector related administration.
“I look forward to a greater role in the next three to five years (hopefully at C-suite level) and I hope to close the gap by gaining an MBA. The second reason for pursuing an MBA is that I wish to retire from a management role in 10 years, hence, gaining an MBA would allow me to build my second career as a part-time lecturer or trainer.” For Siew, it is a show of support.
“My wife felt that she was reaching a certain limit in her career, and she decided to take up an MBA course hoping for a step further in her future. As she does not possess any accounting background like I do, she asked me to accompany her on this journey in obtaining her MBA. Hence, we are now able gain another relationship together as college mates,” he said.
“My wife is heavily involved in her line of work which makes the juggling part a little more challenging on her part. However, I try to support her as much as I can by getting things ready for her; at least she won’t need to worry if she is in a rush especially since my time is a little more flexible than hers in this,” he said.
Cheah and Siew count themselves lucky that their family are around to help out.
“My mother is staying with us. Since our son was a baby, my mother has cared for him especially when the both of us are out for work or occupied otherwise with other commitments. With her support, we are able to squeeze some time to pursue this course,” said Desmond.
On how he and his wife cope with work, family and studies, Siew said: “We don’t really compete with each other; on the contrary, we help each other out and we always share information if we find something useful for each other.”
Cheah said while her mother in law provides precious assistance at home, there is still the pressure of being busy with work and needing to submit coursework in a timely manner.
“But, with help from my husband, I would say it has been manageable.”
Having started in September last year as part-time students, the couple expects to graduate by August 2020.
“After graduation, if I am still attached to the family business, I believe I will be able to manage things more efficiently by using the skills and knowledge gained in the classroom. It’s also beneficial in having new perspectives and seeing things in different aspects,” said Siew.
For Cheah, an MBA is not just a qualification. “The knowledge and experience I gain during the course of this programme, along with the experiences shared by other classmates are truly invaluable. Of course, all this also helps equip me with better tools and more in-depth knowledge to progress in my career. In fact, I feel this course opens me up to a world of career options,” she said.
On advice for couples out there who feel they have yet to fulfil their full potential in terms of academic achievements, Cheah said everyone is looking to lead a better life, and continuous learning is a way to keep ourselves up to date.
“Working is one of the ways to keep myself engaged with the world outside while gaining an MBA is another way to keep me competitive in the job market. While the both of us do enjoy the slower paced life, we do keep ourselves updated from time to time. For us, married life shouldn’t be about foregoing and burning all our passions in life, but rather it’s about fuelling us more to pursue our passions together.”
Knowledge can only be gained through learning, said Siew.
“I would not have known this if I did not make the leap with my wife and pursue this MBA course. Things change very frequently, and we might only be interested in things we are familiar or comfortable with. Education can help in covering other areas that one might not necessarily be interested in as there are always different perspectives to learn, understand and be exposed to,” he said.
“My advice for couples is that unless you both were schoolmates in the past, you may want to consider taking a course together to gain knowledge and develop a new relationship as two people on a learning journey.
“Doing something like an MBA together helps enhance the topics of conversations as a couple outside of work, family, and commitments. It creates common ground to share knowledge at the same time. In fact, if you were schoolmates before, why not experience it again?”
INTI’s Coventry University Master of Business Administration in Global Financial Services programme is designed for working professionals who have a background in accounting, banking or finance and also tailored for entrepreneurs looking to start their business in the international exports and imports trade. It supports a professional’s ability in making sound strategic financial decisions on a global scale.
Graduates of the programme are provided with knowledge and expertise in business strategy, marketing in finance, leadership, financial markets and institutions, corporate finance, banking regulation and risks and business ethics in an international context. The programme is fully coursework based and the teaching and online materials are provided directly from Coventry University, UK.