- Alumni
Alum Alessandro Livio attended Hangzhou International School (HIS) from 2007 until graduation in 2020. During his 13 years at HIS, Alessandro had many fun experiences, remembering China Trips fondly, as well as the sports teams and business club. HIS taught Alessandro the importance of teamwork and building strong relationships.
When did you attend HIS and for how long were you here?
I joined HIS in kindergarten in 2007 and called it my home for the next 13 years, until I graduated in 2020. Before that, I was attending a Chinese school, as I had already been living in China since 2002.
Can you share more about your experiences and journey at HIS?
HIS was the first and only international school I ever attended, and over time, it truly became a second home.
The hardest part was the beginning: I came from a Chinese public school, spoke only Mandarin, and suddenly had to adapt to a completely new environment and language.
Once I got through that phase, though, HIS became the place I looked forward to going to every day – to see my friends, my teachers, and to find out what new things the day would bring.
Being at HIS helped me become more open-minded and more extroverted, and it made me much less nervous about sharing my ideas – all things that later became incredibly important at university and now in my working life.
What are some of your favorite memories from your time here?
Over 13 years, there are more memories than I can count. Starting from Grade 6, the annual China Trips were always a highlight – a week full of adventures, discoveries, and moments that turned into inside jokes and stories we still talk about.
In the later years, many weekends meant going bowling, which always became way more competitive than it needed to be, followed by the mandatory stop for Japanese food.
I also have very fond memories of Mr Strombeck’s TOK (Theory of Knowledge) and History classes and the now legendary “Pigeon Gang.” What I miss most is that every day feeling of being part of a tight-knit community.
What kind of CCAs did you join at HIS, and how did these help you at university?
During my time at HIS, I played badminton, football, and ultimate frisbee.
Sports taught me how to work in a team and connect quickly with people I might not have interacted with otherwise – skills that are very useful later in life.
Around Grade 10, I also helped found the HIS Business Club. We attended different events and competed with other schools in business decision-making and business plan competitions.
That experience turned out to be especially valuable when I went to business school, because it gave me a first taste of real business thinking and made my life a bit easier at university.
After graduating, what university did you attend? Did you feel well prepared?
Following graduation in 2020, I moved to Zurich and studied International Business Management at the University of Zurich. Later, I completed a master’s in Finance at IE Business School in Madrid.
The IB prepared me well, especially in terms of time management and handling fast turnarounds for assignments. During my bachelor’s, I often felt less stressed than many of my classmates, and even during my master’s I sometimes thought that the IB had been more intense.
The Extended Essay was also great preparation for my thesis and thesis defense – I already had a sense of the process, so I felt more confident going into it.
What are you currently up to?
I’m currently working at Deloitte as an M&A and private equity associate. At the same time, I’m part of the strategy committee for Euro–China business relations, helping Chinese businesses come to Europe and European businesses enter China.
That means I spend a lot of time at events around China, discussing economic and financial topics with business leaders and looking at how Europe and China can continue to work together in the future.
What are your plans for the future?
In the future, I want to keep focusing on the connection between Europe and Asia – not only in terms of business, but also in relation to bigger themes like AI and other important global developments.
In the short term, I plan to continue in the M&A sector and potentially move more into wealth management later on. Long term, the big themes for me are learning, understanding the changing world, and creating value that can drive future growth.
Looking back on your time at HIS, what values or lessons do you still carry with you today?
HIS taught me to be open-minded and curious, to be comfortable in international environments, and to speak up and share my ideas.
I also took with me the discipline and time management that came from the IB, as well as the importance of teamwork and building strong relationships. These values still guide how I work, how I make decisions, and how I connect with people from different cultures.
What advice would you give to current HIS students?
To current HIS students, I’d say: don’t be afraid to ask for help – whether it’s from teachers, friends, or counsellors. The IB can feel intense, but learning to manage your time and take breaks is just as important as getting good grades.
When it comes to university, focus on finding a place and a program that truly fits you, not just the one that looks best on paper. And after university, it’s completely okay not to know exactly what you want to do.
I always thought I would go into asset management; now I’m doing almost the opposite, and I’m happy I did, because it gave me fantastic opportunities to meet amazing people, gain new perspectives, and slowly figure out what I really want.
Have you kept in touch with any of your HIS classmates?
Yes, I’ve stayed in touch with a few classmates, even if unfortunately, not with everyone. We still talk regularly, and over the years we’ve managed to meet up in different parts of the world.
It’s always special to reconnect with people who shared those formative years at HIS.