Millennial entrepreneur sells high-quality leather goods produced by local Ethiopian manufacturers
Antoinette Bailey is a serial entrepreneur with a social conscience.She’s co-founded Maison Ethiopie, a social enterprise which sources high quality leather from manufacturers in Ethiopia, sells leather goods internationally, and reinvests into the country. The aim: to fund the development of women’s education in Ethiopia.
The half British, half Ethiopian entrepreneur is part of a millennial generation of MBA students looking to make a difference in their careers. And alongside an MBA at Hong Kong’s CUHK Business School, she’s been travelling the world – to the US, Europe and the Middle East - to promote the Maison Ethiopie brand.
Yet her social ventures don’t stop there. She’s set up a fashion fund to support Ethiopia-based manufacturers and designers, and a UK-based film fund looking to invest in an emerging Ethiopian film market. The film fund’s first live-action film - Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist - was featured at the Cannes Film Festival.
Antoinette previously managed the private family office of an ultra high-net-worth individual, whose product portfolio includes a premier league soccer club, a well-known retail outlet and hotel in the UK.
Now, her former boss is her business partner. And together, they’re driving development in Ethiopia, changing perceptions and looking to put the burgeoning emerging economy on the map.
Why did you decide to start up your own social enterprise?
I want to do something good for the country that I’m from and that’s part of my heritage.
Ethiopia is a great place to be investing in; it’s an emerging economy, and unlike some of the countries around it, it’s politically stable, tolerant and cosmopolitan.
While other countries have quite highly saturated markets, in Ethiopia you have the opportunity. If you have the talent, the skill-set, the patience and the desire, you can make something really amazing happen.
What is the future plan for Maison Ethiopie?
The idea is to use locally-sourced leather from Ethiopia to manufacture products and sell internationally with a percentage going back and re-investing into local development. We want to have a charitable impact; to use part of our profits to re-invest in education and get scholarship programs set up for women.
We’re currently selling on a small scale in London and in the UAE. We want to expand that, to start mass producing and selling in major retail outlets, and to build an international presence.
What advice do you have for MBAs looking to start their own business?
Your business plan is your blueprint. But ultimately, you’re going into the real world.
You’ll have days where it’s amazing and everything falls into place. And then you’ll have days where things aren’t going the way you want.
You have to be cope with uncertainty and ups and downs. If you can’t, then I don’t think entrepreneurship is the route for you.
Antoinette and her team in the workshop
What is the future for women in business?
People on all levels are gunning for female equality, society is changing, and in emerging economies it’s no longer so taboo for women to break gender stereotypes.
We’ll reach a stage where there’s less gender disparity in high level positions. And you’ll probably see the rise of more and more female entrepreneurs.
With entrepreneurship, you choose your hours. Granted, sometimes you need 32 hours in a day! But you have that flexibility. You no longer have to choose between being a CEO and having kids; you can merge the two. I think a lot of women are seeing the appeal in that.
Why did you decide to pursue an MBA at CUHK?
I wanted to continue on the entrepreneurial route and bridge any theoretical gaps that I had.
I was very well-travelled in the US and Europe, but I knew nothing about Asia. I wanted to find out why Asia has such a prominent presence in the global marketplace. And CUHK – with its entrepreneurship specialization - seemed like the perfect place to do it.
How have you profited from your MBA experience?
I know you have all the prestige of schools like Harvard and Stanford where you can learn and take electives about doing business in Asia. But I really don’t think you can appreciate how that translates on a day-to-day basis without actually having been immersed in the culture.
At CUHK you work with people who approach things from different perspectives. I’ve become a much more tolerant and patient person, and I know how to deal with situations of uncertainty and to be sympathetic to different ways of approaching situations.
Student Reviews
One of a kind
I studied Bioinformatics at CUHK last year. It was the only Master's degree in Hong Kong in this field. This program developed my analytical skills and equipped me to be a Bioinformatician in a very practical way.
I enjoyed my year here and met classmates from different parts of the world. If you are thinking to enhance your profile, this degree program would be a good option.
general education courses, unique college system, large campus
The university facilitates multi-dimension and interdisciplinary learning. In social science faculty, we need to choose courses as our faculty package from other departments (architecture, psychology, sociology, etc.) to learn more than our major required courses. We are also required to finish general education courses, which aid our critical thinking and humanistic sensibilities. I do recommend the social science broad-based program, and the professors I met so far are all responsible and erudite.
LLM
The faculty of law is relatively new. You do not need to have a LLB to pursue a LLM, which is special. The taught programme is great for mature students who want to obtain legal knowledge.
CUHK has good teaching staff too.
Amazing Campus and Great Educational Environment
Not only is CUHK's main campus breathtaking, it provides for a good educational environment for students. The university is well-equipped with modern and up-to-date facilities to help students with their study. We have 8 libraries in total around the campus; one for media, one for architectural studies, the medical library and the law library. The Professors are always helpful and are happy to talk to students when needed.
Moreover, the college system within the university brings forth the uniqueness of CUHK. Each student belongs to a different college, and in that students are able to meet different peoples from different countries and students from different faculties.
I think CUHK provides for a well-rounded university life for all students.
exthrillating
One of the most down to earth places in HK. A great opportunity to learn and embody the local culture. Also had one the most beautiful campus in Hong Kong up on the hillside. Glad to have graduated here.
Innovative and Supportive
My university provided me with all the support I needed, and encouraged me to be up to date with all the new developments in the world. They also provided me with the incentive to excel at what I do, and they take much pride in my achievements. I have had a very rewarding university experience.
Small, New But Friendly Law School
To being with, I think the campus of CUHK is the best and the biggest in Hong Kong, with fresh air and trees everywhere.
I am an undergraduate Law student at CUHK and I think the teaching here is great, with very friendly and nice professors and the new Lee Shau Kee Building.
In terms of the courses offered by CUHK, as one of the largest universities in Hong Kong, CUHK is an all-rounded university, offering a wide range of courses to students. Students may take the introductory courses of discipline other than their own major, or even declare a minor.
For law electives, due to the small amount of intake, the variety of law electives are not that huge. However, the Faculty is offering some international programmes, which can be treated as law electives, but at the same time, provide us with an opportunity to travel and know more about the legal system of another country.
The career support from the Faculty of Law is also amazing. The Faculty will organise CV Sessions and talks on how to get an internship from law firms or mini-pupillage from barrister's chambers. Each student will also have a Distinguished Professional Mentor, which is a current legal profession, providing us with practical advices and updates of the legal field.
Finally, from my personal experience, I think the students in CUHK are friendly and genuine. As Law students, competition is inevitable for grades, GPAs, vacation schemes and training contract. However, I think the competition in CUHK Law School is a positive one, in a sense that help us grow together, instead of fighting with each other no matter what. That is the biggest reason why I am having a very good time here in CUHK Law School.
A place to explore your interests
As a law graduate from CUHK (both undergrad and post-grad), I realise that I had many opportunities to explore my areas of interests (legal and non-legal both). The faculty/university requires us to take a certain number of non-law electives, and offers a plethora of courses to choose from. Personally, I took 3 modules in Korean --I can't say it's made me highly proficient, but it's definitely given me a good foundation (I can walk into a Korean restaurant and confidently order food, at the very least). The fact that language courses are offered also provides students who are more financially constrained an opportunity to learn a language without having to shell out a premium for a decent language course. On top of that, we have a range of law electives as well. I know of classmates who have developed lasting interest in different areas of law because of the electives they took in school. The two electives that I would say have changed me is (i) mooting and (ii) family law. I think my experience in an international commercial arbitration moot competition has helped tremendously in formulating legal arguments and legal writing. On the other hand, taking a family law elective has made me very interested in the family law practice, especially in terms of child rights. For these experiences which I have gained, I'm grateful for the opportunities provided by the school.
One main issue most students I know have is with the way our GPA is calculated and the lack of transparency in terms of how the honours system works. As our GPA is marked on a curve. it's highly unrepresentative of what we have achieved as individuals. Given that our GPA is the only criteria that is looked at when we apply for the compulsory post-graduate law course (mandatory should we want to practise law and/or be trainees in Hong Kong), it will put our own students at a distinct disadvantage when we compete for limited spaces with students from schools where GPA is not on a bell curve.
Valuable time in CUHK
I like the learning environment and people at CUHK. Surrounded by hills and Tolo Harbour, CUHK provides a balance between nature and hustle. You can always escape from the busy study life and meet your friend around the big campus for different activities.
