Since she was a kid, alumna Li Qian (UCLA – NUS 2020) has always been fascinated by her father’s business case study books. She was drawn to how firms like Toshiba and Toyota could manage staff and machines, which number in the thousands, in an efficient manner. Qian finally had the opportunity to delve deeper into these business cases when she enrolled into the UCLA – NUS Executive MBA (EMBA) programme years later.
Prior to returning to school, the Canadian-native spent a decade working with Shell in locations throughout Canada and the US after completing her undergraduate science degree from Queen’s University. Having focused on engineering-based roles, Qian wanted to transition to business-related functions and realised an EMBA could help advance her career.
“I’d love to be more directly involved in the business side of the company. So enrolling into a business school and getting an EMBA becomes the natural option,” she said.
Returning to NUS
Qian is no stranger to NUS having spent a semester on exchange here during her undergraduate days. “The exotic weather, the delicious food, the friendly staff and classmates, and the outstanding academic environment here in NUS made my experiences so memorable that I knew I’d be back one day,” she said.
She has been following NUS on LinkedIn since and found out about The UCLA – NUS EMBA programme. “I was super pumped because I can gain a global perspective from two prestigious universities in the US and Asia.”
Developed jointly by UCLA Anderson School of Management and NUS Business School, the programme consists of six intensive sessions, each taking two weeks, at three-month intervals. Course modules are held in 4-5 different cities in 4 countries: two sessions in Singapore, two in Los Angeles, one in Shanghai, and one in Bangalore and New Delhi.
Qian was also attracted to the part-time programme’s sessions that were spread out over 15 months. “I move around a lot for my job, making it challenging to commit to a regular business program. I explored many different EMBAs and this was the only programme that was flexible enough to suit my professional and personal life,” she said.
The programme met her expectations since day one, according to Qian. She likes the overall structure which started with the basic fundamentals such as accounting and microeconomics, before progressing to complex applications such as corporate governance and financial modelling. It then culminates with the management consulting project where she can apply her newly-acquired theories.
“Every module blends Western and Asian contexts, which gives us the global perspective on the integrated world economy we’re in today. I love it,” she said.
Li Qian (UCLA – NUS 2020) (middle) with her classmates
The impact of COVID-19
One massive challenge for Qian was striking a balance between her studies, work and her family.
“Having a support system is so important. Luckily, my family and manager were super supportive and always had my back. That said, you’d be surprised how much capacity one has to juggle all elements of life,” she said.
An even more significant challenge came up in the form of the global pandemic. Qian and her classmates were able to finish their segment in India before the world went into lockdown. Unfortunately, her exchange programme to Brazil had to be cancelled and the segments in Singapore and the US became online lessons.
The time zone differences proved to be challenging. Qian stays in the east coast of the US, which meant her lessons started at 8 pm, and ended at 1 am. “I also missed the person-to-person interactions and company visits,” she added.
The programme office mitigated the challenges with shorter but more frequent classes to deal with students’ fatigue and invited corporate speakers to give virtual talks to replace company visits.
“Considering the new normal we live in, we got the most out of the experience,” Qian said.
Completing a childhood dream
The EMBA has already created a positive impact on her professional life. “I can analyse scenarios through a business lens. My managers have noticed my transformation, and I am well-positioned to advance my career,” Qian said.
Qian credits the Management Practicum module, a consulting project with business firms, as a key factor in her transition into a business savvy executive.
“It is a perfect opportunity to apply all the concepts and theories we learned in class, accounting, financial analysis, strategic leadership and implementation, to real life,” Qian said.
“On top of that, you utilise soft skills such as client management and dealing with conflicts making the whole project and experience dynamic, challenging yet rewarding.”
Qian added, that for her consulting project, she worked with a company to implement a strategic 10-year growth plan. “It truly was a great learning experience to be able to use all the tools from the NUS-UCLA program to add value to the client and their organisation. The satisfaction I gained from the project is so remarkable that I couldn’t describe with words,” she said.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Qian feels she has completed her degree at the right time as the oil and gas industry is looking to hasten its journey into renewables. “I’ll be looking at commercial and strategy roles. The EMBA sets me up to navigate this space as the sector transforms itself,” she said.
Going back to school made Qian reminisce about those days when she would pore over her father’s collection of case studies. The difference now is that she can put herself into the shoes of the organisation and come up with solutions to the challenges in business cases. “It’s like fulfilling a childhood dream,” she said.
