McGill Alumni Portal

Who would have thought that a biochemistry degree at McGill could lead to a marriage, a hobby and a change in China’s eating habits?

That’s what happened to Adolf Ho, BSc’77, a Hong Kong-based corporate leader and academic advisor.

“Born and raised in Hong Kong, I come from a family of proud McGillians,” he says. “I started at the University in 1974 and that’s where I met Phyllis, a fellow Science student and Psychology major, who’s now my wife.”

“It was also at McGill where I developed my passion for classical music by attending all those free concerts organized by the Music faculty.”

After returning to Hong Kong, Ho joined the multinational food giant Campbell’s Soups, where he rose to the level of Managing Director in the company’s Greater China region.

“I was lucky to find a career in food, where my biochemistry background had added value,” he says. “An understanding of Asian food culture also helped me to develop new lines of soups for Campbell’s.”

A skilled marketer, Ho took a lesser-known U.S. chicken soup and developed it into one of the core ingredients in southern Chinese cuisine.

“The press called me the ‘Father’ of Swanson’s Chicken broth,” he says. “I took it as a compliment because Chinese consider chicken broth as a health tonic that was historically prepared by mothers to show tender loving care of their children.”

Ho is now CEO of his own company, Classic Management Consultants Ltd, which offers strategic advice on issues such as brand marketing, corporate positioning and human capital.

He was also appointed Adjunct Professor of Marketing at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where he passes on the benefits of his experience to the next generation of ‘Fathers.’

In addition to this busy schedule, Ho recently published初入職場的越級挑戰 (Managerial Challenge for Career Launch) – a practical guide in Chinese to help graduates and young executives improve their business skills and career prospects.

Following on from the guide’s success, Ho is working on his second book, which focuses on advice for mid-level executives who aspire to senior appointments.

“Networking is of paramount importance,” writes Ho at the top of his list of tips for securing a dream job.

To reinforce the point, he’s calling on McGill alumni holding senior level positions across various professions and industries to contribute their stories.

“Given the wide range of successful McGill graduates in the region, I’m sure I’ll get some interesting and useful contributions.”

To contact Adolf Ho and share stories about your career experiences, email: adolf@coachyoungleaders.com.

(Alvin Chung, MA’99, Director, Development and Alumni Relations McGill University Hong Kong and Mainland Office, would also be interested in hearing about your career path: alvin.chung@mail.mcgill.ca)

- By Richard Andrews