Media OutReach
HKBU Masters Information Day x i-ConNet Career Expo 2025 Concluded
A transdisciplinary collaboration between the School of Business and the School of Communication empowered students to shape a better future
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 April 2025 – The HKBU Masters Information Day x i-ConNet Career Expo 2025, jointly organized by the School of Business and the School of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), concluded today. The event, themed “i-Explore, i-ConNet, i-Shine,” served as a vibrant platform for 2,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students to engage with nearly 100 leading employers, facilitating connections to internship and job opportunities.
Insights Enlightened at Career Expo: Hong Kong and China Employers Sought Human-AI Collaborations Amid the Era of Artificial Intelligence
Nearly 12% of the featured employers at the Career Expo were from mainland China, offering positions both in Hong Kong and the mainland, opening pathways to exciting and diverse career prospects for students. With soft skills continuing to rise in importance in the era of artificial intelligence, the employers from both territories expressed high demand for talents possessing critical thinking, creativity, strategic minds, emotional intelligence and resilience- strengths that technology cannot easily replicate.
An emerging trend of collaboration between AI and humans is reshaping how the recruitment process works globally. A highlight at the Career Expo was the pioneering AI mock job interview, supporting three languages — Cantonese, English and Putonghua, a first for any Hong Kong university. Run by the Career Centre, this innovative experience simulated a realistic 20-minute interview scenario, with an AI interviewer dynamically generating questions in real-time based on the interviewees’ different responses. Participants received an AI-generated report detailing their strengths and areas for improvement, effectively boosting their confidence and preparing them for real-world interviews.
Beyond the AI mock job interview, participants also benefited from personalised career support from a dedicated CV clinic and networking opportunities with employers from diverse sectors aided their future career planning. Ms Marina WATT, Vice President of the Hong Kong Public Relations Professionals’ Association, delivered an insightful keynote theming around “Reimagining the Future of PR”. In the talk, Professor Regina CHEN, Head of the Department of Communication Studies under the School of Communication, also emphasised “messaging for impact” as a fundamental aspect of the public relations profession. She stated, “At HKBU, our Public Relations curriculum is designed to empower future professionals to harness the power of communication, enabling them to create meaningful impacts for individuals, organisations, and society, especially in an era filled with challenges and opportunities. Achieving this goal is no easy task. Therefore, the curriculum strikes a balance between theory and practice, as well as human insights and technologies.”
Transdisciplinary Collaboration at Career Expo Realized Both Schools’ Commitment to Academic Excellence and Career Relevance
Professor ZHANG Han, Chair Professor and Dean of the School of Business at HKBU, concluded that the Career Expo connected academic excellence with industry impact, “In an AI-disrupted world, the most valuable professionals won’t just adapt to change — they’ll drive it. We cultivate strategic thinkers who innovate across boundaries in ESG, Web3, and sustainable finance. Employers need visionaries who connect technology, business, and human impact — precisely what the School of Business nurtures.”
Professor ZHONG Bu, Dean of the School of Communication at HKBU, also stressed the importance of nurturing talent who can shine in the era of AI, “Our School’s AI Media Centre aims to set global standards in AI-driven media research and to produce practical AI-powered solutions for societal benefit.” He also described the Career Expo as the latest example of the transdisciplinary collaboration between both Schools, “The world today faces unprecedented complexity, and that the challenges ahead demand collaborative, interdisciplinary solutions. By integrating our strengths from both Schools, we empower students with a holistic skillset, enabling them to thrive regardless of industries and roles.”
In alignment with HKBU’s commitment to empowering students to shape a better future, the academic programmes of both Schools are designed to meet society’s pressing needs. The event featured Master’s Programmes admission talks and information booths, where those planning to pursue further studies accessed information on the 15 Master’s Programmes available through both Schools.
Provided by the School of Business, the Master of Science in Finance (FinTech and Financial Analytics) trains AI-fluent leaders who bridge finance and cutting-edge technology. The Master of Science in Corporate Governance and Compliance integrates AI governance, preparing future directors for the ethical and strategic complexities of digital disruption. For those drawn to the creative economy, the Master of Science in Marketing for the Creative Economy explores innovative strategies within the new economy.
Programmes such as the Master of Science in AI and Digital Media and the Master of Social Sciences in Media Management, offered by the School of Communication, exemplify the School’s interdisciplinary focus, merging cutting-edge technology with strategic communication and media expertise. Such programmes equip its graduates with the essential skills demanded by the job market and position them at the forefront of their industries.Hashtag: #HKBU
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Media OutReach
Skyro Rolls Out Reusable Digital Credit Across the Philippines, Explores Opportunities in Southeast Asian Markets
SkyroCredit is a reusable, revolving digital credit line that provides access to a fixed credit limit without a plastic and without relying on the Visa or Mastercard networks. Once approved, a customer’s credit is available within the Skyro app and can be used instantly by scanning any QR Ph code, the Philippine QR payment standard accepted at more than 90% of merchant outlets nationwide. Leading merchants include SM, Mercury Drug, Watsons, Jollibee, McDonald’s, and DALI Supermarket. Customers can borrow, repay the amount they have used, and reuse the same credit limit without reapplying.
NasimAliev, Skyro co-founder, said:
“Our goal is to provide access to affordable credit for underserved communities across Southeast Asia at a time when everyday expenses continue to rise and consumers’ financial priorities are evolving.
“Today’s consumers need financial solutions built around real-life spending needs and changing financial priorities. With SkyroCredit, we bring flexible financial solutions to our customers’ fingertips. The credit line offers all the benefits of flexibility, including an interest-free grace period. This provides customers with maximum convenience for everyday use while even allowing them to save money through cashback.
“By expanding our portfolio of point-of-sale loans, cash loans, and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) products to include flexible credit lines, we are building long-term customer relationships based on everyday use, responsible borrowing, and trust.”
Eligible customers receive initial credit limits of PHP 1,000 to PHP 10,000 (approximately USD 17 to USD 170), with the opportunity to increase their limit to as much as PHP 100,000 through regular, responsible use. Purchases carry 0% interest for up to 45 days. Every purchase also earns 1% cashback, which customers can redeem on future purchases through the app.
Skyro’s expansion into reusable digital credit addresses one of Southeast Asia’s largest financial inclusion opportunities by enabling sustained customer engagement. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, only half of Filipino adults have a formal financial account. As QR-based payment networks continue to expand across the region, Skyro can leverage this infrastructure to deliver accessible digital credit products that meet growing consumer demand.
Hashtag: #Skyro #SkyroCredit #DigitalCredit
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Skyro
Skyro is a high-growth, digital-first fintech group delivering scalable, responsible access to financial services across high-potential emerging markets. Powered by proprietary data science, AI-driven credit decisioning and alternative data scoring, the company combines a mobile-native experience with modular fintech architecture to serve underserved customer segments at scale.
In just three years, Skyro has grown to serve over one million active customers in the Philippines, underpinned by a robust credit portfolio exceeding $200 million. The company’s strategic ambition is to establish itself as the preeminent full-spectrum financial services group across dozens of emerging markets worldwide.
Media OutReach
Peach Garden Celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival with Singapore Flyer-Inspired Mooncake Keepsake Gift Set
The Singapore Flyer design roots the collection in a recognisably local identity, with the launch timed to the National Day period as the city moves into the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival gifting and reunion season. Pre-orders open from 13 July to 10 August at $61 nett inclusive of GST (usual price: $91.11).
A Keepsake Built Around the Singapore Skyline
Designed around a circular silhouette that echoes the Singapore Flyer’s iconic form, the Graceful Showstopper is crafted to hold its place in a home well beyond the festival.
Rooted in a recognisably Singaporean aesthetic, it functions as a decorative display piece as much as a festive gift, whether set out for a family gathering, presented to a business client, or kept as a personal memento of the season. Logo customisations are available on corporate orders of 50 boxes or more.
Handmade Daily, in a Range Built for Modern Palates
Returning alongside the centrepiece is Peach Garden’s low-sugar mooncake range, available in baked and snowskin varieties. The Deluxe Combination of Four spans four flavours across eight miniature pieces:
- Mini Lemon Yuzu Snowskin
- Mini Pandan Lotus Snowskin with Melon Seed
- Mini Low Sugar White Lotus Snowskin with Macadamia
- Mini Lychee Snowskin with Lychee Martini Truffle
Every mooncake in the range is handmade fresh daily across Peach Garden’s six outlets, a practice the group has maintained amidst an industry where production has shifted increasingly toward automation.
The collection will be available at more than 20 festive kiosks across Singapore for the first time, including Takashimaya from 20 August and VivoCity from 25 August, both through 25 September. Collection is available from 11 August to 25 September at all six Peach Garden outlets, from 11am to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm.
Hashtag: #PeachGarden #GracefulShowstopper #MoonCakeFestival #MidAutumnFestival
https://www.peachgarden.com.sg/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/peach-garden/
https://www.facebook.com/peachgardensg
https://www.instagram.com/Peachgardensg
https://www.instagram.com/peachgardencelebrations/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Peach Garden
Peach Garden is one of Singapore’s leading Chinese restaurant brands, renowned for its contemporary Chinese cuisine, exceptional hospitality, and award-winning festive creations. With six outlets across Singapore, the brand continues to bring families, friends, and businesses together through meaningful dining and gifting experiences.
Media OutReach
Rethinking Urban Development: Vietnamese Developers Shaping Future Cities
For much of the past century, urban development followed a relatively straightforward equation: build housing, expand infrastructure and accommodate population growth. This formula is now showing its limitations. As climate risk intensifies, biodiversity declines and cities compete not only for investment but also for talent, developers around the world are now forced to redefine the very nature and purpose of what they build.
From the Gulf to Singapore, and from Scandinavia to Southeast Asia, large-scale urban projects are evolving into integrated ecosystems where mobility, green infrastructure, education, healthcare, digital services and environmental restoration are planned together. The industry paradigm has shifted from constructing buildings to designing places capable of sustaining both economic growth and quality of life over generations.
Vinhomes has initiated a comprehensive repositioning to navigate this global transition.
Known as Vietnam’s largest residential developer, the company is increasingly recognized not merely as a builder of housing projects, but as a creator of large-scale lifestyle ecosystems, communities where urban planning, technology, ecology and public services are conceived as parts of the same system.
When Nature Becomes Urban Infrastructure
For decades, environmental considerations were often introduced after a city’s masterplan had already been completed.
The emerging model reverses that sequence. Across many of its recent developments, Vinhomes operates on the principle that natural systems should become the starting point of planning. Hydrology, coastal conditions, biodiversity and existing vegetation are treated as design inputs that shape the urban layout from the earliest stages.
This philosophy marks a notable departure from conventional large-scale development, particularly in rapidly urbanising markets where natural landscapes have frequently given way to intensive construction.
With more than 30 developments across Vietnam and a land bank equivalent to roughly two-thirds the size of Singapore, Vinhomes has the unusual opportunity to test this planning approach at a metropolitan scale.
Rather than replicating identical urban formulas, each project is designed around the ecological characteristics of its location.
The company maintains that the long-term success of a city should ultimately be measured not by how much has been built, but by whether natural ecosystems continue to thrive decades after residents have moved in. That perspective aligns with an increasingly influential school of urban planning in which green infrastructure is viewed as essential public infrastructure.
Factors Compelling Cities Toward Regeneration
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks have become standard across global investment. Urban planners, however, are beginning to question whether sustainability alone is sufficient.
Maintaining today’s environmental conditions may no longer be enough if tomorrow’s cities must also respond to rising temperatures, sea-level change and growing demographic pressures.
Vinhomes’ strategic response is crystallized in its ESG++, a framework that extends beyond conventional ESG principles by introducing two additional objectives: Regeneration and resilience.
The distinction is subtle but important.
Regeneration implies restoring ecological systems rather than simply reducing environmental impact. Resilience focuses on designing cities capable of adapting to changing climatic, technological and social conditions over many decades.
Projects such as Vinhomes Green Paradise Can Gio and Vinhomes Global Gates Ha Long are intended to demonstrate how these concepts can be incorporated into large-scale urban planning, combining renewable energy, smart infrastructure and ecological restoration within a single development model.
This shift highlights a growing global consensus: the success of next-generation cities will ultimately be measured by their ability to adapt to increasingly complex environmental challenges.
Vietnam’s Urban Story Is Becoming Part of a Global Conversation
For many international audiences, Vietnam remains associated primarily with its cultural heritage and natural landscapes. Urban development may become an equally important part of that story.
Rapid urbanisation, expanding infrastructure investment and a national commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 have created conditions in which entirely new urban models can be planned without many of the legacy constraints facing older cities.
This developmental opportunity is capturing increasing global interest.
Commenting on Vinhomes Green Paradise’s participation in the global 7 Wonders of Future Cities initiative, Jean-Paul de la Fuente, Director of the New7Wonders Organisation, described Vietnam as undergoing a “transformative step change” in its national identity and global positioning. He pointed to the country’s progress in reducing the carbon footprint of urban mobility as an example of coordinated action between government and the private sector that offers valuable insights extending beyond Southeast Asia.
For Vinhomes, participation in international platforms such as 7 Wonders of Future Cities is therefore less about showcasing a single project than about contributing to a broader discussion on how rapidly developing economies might approach urban growth differently. The company’s evolution mirrors a wider shift taking place across the global property sector.
Increasingly, the core value proposition for developers is no longer anchored in how many buildings they can deliver. Instead, it centers on whether they can create cities that remain economically competitive, environmentally resilient and socially relevant long after construction has ended.
Hashtag: #Vinhomes
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.


