Why光华MBA | 加速发展亚洲事业

WHY GUANGHUA

#Why Guanghua# is a special feature on our MBA students’ stories with Guanghua School of Management. Amy Chan, as the only China-based market researcher of her company, joined Guanghua MBA to grow her business knowledge, develop her understanding of Chinese tobacco market, and build her network in China at the same time.

#Why光华#系列访谈由光华MBA国际事务部特别出品，旨在介绍光华MBA在读学生及其在光华学习的故事。Amy Chan是她所在公司唯一常驻中国的市场研究员。加入光华MBA的她希望能够进一步学习商业知识，增进对中国烟草市场的了解，并同时拓展在中国的人脉。

Amy Chan

China – a place to expand your horizons. If you want to develop your career in Asia and expand your network, I believe that there is no better place than China. Your time at Guanghua School of Management will be filled with many challenges, opportunities, and memories – all of which come together to bring out the best leadership qualities in you. 

中国是一个开阔视野的地方。如果你希望在亚洲发展事业和拓展人脉，我认为中国是最好的选择。你在光华管理学院的时光将充满挑战、机遇，并留下许多美好回忆，所有这一切，将最终塑造出你最优秀的领导者品格。

Hometown: I always say Singapore, as it is where I spent the majority of my life. However, I was born in Victoria, B.C. (Canada).

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am obsessed with the reality tv show Survivor 

Previous School and Major: University at Buffalo (State University of New York), Communications

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: P.T. Indonesian Tobacco, Overseas Market Researcher

家乡：我一直都说自己来自新加坡，那是我生活时间最长的地方。但是我出生在加拿大BC省的维多利亚

个人趣事：我是真人秀《幸存者》（Survivor）的发烧友

毕业院校：纽约州立大学布法罗分校，传播学专业

工作经历：P.T. Indonesian Tobacco，海外市场研究员

1

Can you give us a brief introduction of yourself?

P.T. Indonesian tobacco is a company which was first started by my grandparents and is currently managed by my father. Prior to my MBA, I worked in the marketing and communications department of the company, developing the company brand image and advertising strategy, focusing on the Indonesian and Southeast Asian market. In recent years, I worked as an overseas market researcher here in Beijing, hoping to gain more understanding of the Chinese tobacco market.

P.T. Indonesian tobacco 是一家由我的祖父母创立的公司，现在由我的父亲管理。在我就读MBA前，我在该公司的市场传播部工作，发展公司品牌形象和广告策略，专注于印度尼西亚和东南亚市场。近几年，我常驻北京，担任海外市场研究员，希望进一步增进对中国烟草市场的了解。

2

How did you enter your industry? What has been the biggest change along the way? What aspects you learned have helped you the most in your career development？

Despite what people tend to assume with owning a family business, my father was very open to letting me pursue other jobs and try career paths. However, it was my decision to stay and grow the company.

A big change definitely came when I moved to China, as I was the first and only employee based overseas. This change allowed me to develop my own understanding of the tobacco business from an overseas perspective.

During my time in China, I interned at an NGO called Migrant Children’s Foundation (MCF China), where we helped migrant children receive education and healthcare aid in Beijing. It was a very eye-opening internship for me, and it taught me an important lesson of how a company should exist in a cycle of giving back to the community they operate in. With my experiences from MCF, it is a goal of mine to expand and develop the CSR initiatives of P.T. Indonesian Tobacco in the future.

尽管人们可能会对家族企业存在刻板印象，但我的父亲非常开明，他同意我选择其他工作和职业发展道路，但我自己选择了留下来发展家族的企业。

我是公司唯一一名常驻海外的员工。来到中国是一个巨大的变化，这一变化让我得以从海外的视角增进对烟草业务的了解。

我来到中国后曾在一家名为“打工子弟基金会”（MCF中国）的非政府机构实习。该机构为打工子弟在北京上学和就医提供支持。这一实习经历令我眼界大开，让我明白一家公司应该回馈它业务所在的社区，这种循环是非常重要的。在MCF实习之后，我定下目标，希望在未来开拓和发展P.T. Indonesian Tobacco的企业社会责任（CSR）倡议。

3

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?

When I moved to China, I had two goals I wanted to achieve, one was to build my Chinese network, and second was to gain insight and understanding of the Chinese business landscape. However, after a few years, my career was in a stand-still and it was progressing very slowly due to the limited resources I had. Pursuing an MBA would give me the acceleration I needed to grow in my business knowledge while allowing me to build my network.

来到中国时，我给自己定下了两个目标。一是建立我在中国的人脉，二是对中国的商业形势有更深入的认识和了解。然而，几年过后，我的事业陷入瓶颈期，由于资源有限而进展缓慢。就读MBA可以让我快速学习商业知识，同时建立人脉。

4

What was the key factor(s) that led you to determine on PKU Guanghua instead of other school, and why was it so important to you?

I always planned to pursue an MBA in America later in life, however, studying in America would run counter to the career I wanted to have in China. I became familiar with Guanghua School of Management when I was a Chinese language student at PKU (PKU really teaches everything!). Even though I applied to other MBA programs in China, what won me over at Guanghua was how much help I received from the Student Ambassadors and admissions office at the school. The community at Guanghua is very warm and engaging, and I knew that this was the type of environment I could grow best in.

我之前一直计划着未来在美国就读MBA。但在美国学习将与我希望在中国发展的事业南辕北辙。当我在北大学习语言的时候（在北大真的可以学习到所有东西！），我开始熟悉光华管理学院。虽然我也申请了中国的其他MBA项目，但我最终选择光华的原因是我从学生大使和学院招生办公室获得了很多的帮助。光华是一个非常温暖、令人向往的集体，我知道这是能令自己成长的最佳环境。

5

What was the most challenging part of the admissions process?

Haha, the MOST challenging part? I would say that each step had its own challenges, but I found writing the application essays to be the hardest. 

Your essays act like your own personal ad to the school on why they should accept you! Here is a tip to future applicants – start early. And when I mean early, I mean give yourself a good seven to eight months. Applying for an MBA is no walk in the park, and there are many factors to consider. I spent a good amount of time meeting with admission staff, Student Ambassadors, and GSM Alumni to really find out about the school and make sure it was a good fit for me. It was worth it, as the effort you put into the application shows how willing you are to be a part of the program.

My interview was also…interesting (those who were interviewed by Prof P. G. would know what I mean). However, take it easy and be yourself!

哈哈，最具挑战性的部分？我认为每一步都有各自的挑战，但我认为写申请书是最难的部分。

你的申请书就像你自己的个人广告，学院将就此决定是否录取你！给未来申请者的一个小提示——尽早开始。我说的尽早是指要给自己七到八个月的时间。申请MBA并非易事，需要考虑的因素有很多。我花了很多时间请教招生工作人员、学生大使和光华校友，让自己对光华有真正深入的了解并确定是否适合自己。我的努力没有白费，因为你在申请过程中的努力也说明了你加入这一项目的意愿。

我的面试也非常有趣 (由 P. G.教授面试的申请者将深有体会)。不过，尽量放轻松，展示真实的自己吧！

6

Which course/event/activity impressed you the most in your MBA Studies?

Definitely the Career Development Courses (CDC) provided by the school were some of the most engaging and exciting classes I attended. These classes invite different guest speakers each week where they share career insights and tips on working in China. One of speakers conducted a leadership personality workshop on us, to help us determine our MBTI traits and how to lead and understand those with different character types.

学院开设的《职业发展课程》（CDC）绝对是我参加过的最生动有趣和激动人心的课程。这门课每周会邀请不同的演讲嘉宾分享他们关于职业发展的洞察和在中国工作的建议。其中一位嘉宾为我们开设了领导力性格工作坊，帮助我们确定我们的MBTI人格特征，并学习如何领导和理解不同性格类型的人。

7

What quality best describes your

MBA classmates and why?

Ah, another tough question. Perseverance, passionate, and progressive.

Here are some examples why: 

Perseverance – Out of my class of 44, ten students currently work and study full-time, six (or seven) are parents to young children, and a few run their own businesses. When I said applying for an MBA is not a walk in the park, pursuing one is definitely not either. I always admire how, despite their personal commitments, these classmates always attend and participate in class. They also rarely give excuses towards groupwork (haha). In fact, some of the most hardworking students come from these batch of people! I value their capacity and work ethic.

Passionate– When I mean passion, I mean the determination and energy that some of my classmates always carry towards their work and relationships with others. Our class has a general passion for giving, where we often share notes, resources, and our time with one another (no, we don’t share test answers haha). We also love to celebrate each other’s birthdays too! One of our classmates works in the entertainment industry, and as a class, we were given a preview of the music video he produced weeks before it was released!

Progressive – Our class is always learning. We learn in-class from our teachers, but we mainly learn from each other’s experiences. My MBA classmates always find new ways to continue developing their leadership potential through attending courses, reading, or even networking events. The fun in this comes in knowing that as your classmates’ progress, so do you! As one of the youngest (or maybe the youngest?), I am grateful for this opportunity to learn from them and have taken away many invaluable leadership skills from my classmates.

啊，这又是一个有些复杂的问题。应该可以用毅力、热情和进取这三个词来形容。

下面这些例子可以说明原因：

毅力 – 我所在的班级有44人，其中十位同学在工作的同时全日制学习，六位（还是七位）同学的孩子还很小，还有一些同学开办了自己的公司。我说过申请MBA并非易事，就读MBA当然也非易事。这些同学虽然还有很多的个人事务，但他们从不缺课，并且在课堂上总是积极参与，令我非常佩服。他们也很少找借口不参加小组作业（哈哈）。事实上，他们中的一些人是最努力的！我非常敬佩他们的个人能力和职业道德。

热情 – 我说的“热情”是指我的一些同学在学习工作和人际交往中所展现的活力和决心。我们的班级总是乐于助人，我们经常相互分享笔记、资源，并经常一起交流（但我们不分享考试答案，哈哈）。我们也喜欢一起过生日！有一位同学在娱乐行业工作，我们全班提前几周观看了由他制作并即将发布的MV！

进取 – 我们的班级时刻都在学习。我们在课堂上向老师学习，更在课下学习各自的经验。我的MBA同学总是能通过上课、阅读甚至是社交活动找到新的途径以持续发掘自己的领导潜能。这件事的乐趣在于，当你的同学进步了的时候，你也一样！作为班上年纪最小的学生之一，我很感恩能有机会向同学们学习，并从他们身上学到了很多宝贵的领导技能。

8

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I really enjoy reading books. I’ve recently been reading up on Chinese politics and economics. Honestly, business books bore me and self-help books are self-explanatory. (*laughs apologetically*). 

Feel free to ask me for a recommendation list! When I am not reading (or watching Survivor), I like swimming, cooking, and taking care of my plants.

我很喜欢读书。我最近在读中国政治学和经济学的相关书籍。说实话，我不是很爱看商业类书籍，励志书嘛，道理不言自明。欢迎向我索要推荐书籍清单！

当我不在看书或看《幸存者》时，我喜欢游泳，烹饪，摆弄花花草草。

9

Name one person that influences you the most:

My parents and my pastors – both have given me many wisdoms in my life.

我的父母和我的牧师——他们都给予了我许多生活上的智慧。
Why光华 | 加速发展亚洲事业

10

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are?

I remember being very disappointed when I could not enter into my dream university. It was a hit to my self-esteem, and I felt that I had “failed” in life, with no future in sight (dramatic eighteen-year-old me). However, this experience taught me the importance of making use with what I have. My university gave me the chance to redefine my life goals and pursue a degree in something I had a lot of interest and passion for. It also taught me to learn how to step away from a failure and move on. Without this experience, it would be much harder for me to grow as a person and as a leader.

我记得在我没能进入理想的大学时，我非常失望。这件事打击了我的自尊心，我感觉自己非常“失败”，看不到未来（抓马的十八岁）。然而，这一经历教会了我要充分利用自己所拥有的资源。我的大学让我有机会重新调整人生目标，并学习一个我很感兴趣、充满热情的专业。它也教会我如何从失败中走出来，继续前行。如果没有这一经历，我应该很难成为今天这样具有领导力的自己。

11

What’s the plan after graduation / where do you see yourself in ten years?

Remember my two goals I wrote about above (maybe not if you just skimmed this article for the “good syuff”). Of course, these goals of a “Chinese network” and “business knowledge” are very abstract and unquantifiable, but I hope that I would have made a significant dent in them by the time I finish two years at Guanghua.

In ten years, I see myself working at the same company, hopefully, in a senior management role. But of course, I am open to any opportunity to grow my career in different directions. By then, I also hope to start my own family (hopefully) and become a part of the GSM Alumni Network.

记得我在上面提到了两个目标（如果你只是匆匆浏览，只看“干货”的话可能没注意）。当然，建立“在中国的人脉”和学习“商业知识”的目标非常抽象，不可量化，但我希望自己在光华度过两年后将在这两方面有较大的收获。

我觉得自己十年后还是会在同一家公司，但希望担任高级管理职务。当然，我对在不同方向发展自己的事业也保持开放的心态。到那时，我也希望能组建自己的家庭并成为光华校友网络的一员。