Tsinghua SEM once again lived up to its high standard of having empowering speakers share their experiences and wisdom with students and guests. On November 3, 2010, Tsinghu MBA Programs hosted the C200 Reachout at Tsinghua SEM with the theme “Empowerment of Women in Business”. The speakers combined their very unique and diverse backgrounds to inspire all of those in attendance.

 

The Committee of 200 is an invitation only membership organization that is made up of some of the world’s most successful female entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. Their more than 400 members represent over 100 industries in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada and Latin America. Together, their mission is to connect and advance women for a lifetime of business and socially responsible success.

 

During the welcoming remarks, Gao Jian, assistant Dean of Tsinghua SEM, expressed warm welcome for distinguished guests and introduced degree programs in Tsinghua SEM to them. Hu Chao, Founder and Chairman of Leyou, a retailer and supplier of supplies for pregnant women and infants, explained that believing in yourself is necessary for being successful. She quoted political leader Sun Yat-sen’s famous saying “If you believe you can succeed, moving a mountain is achievable. If you don’t believe you can succeed, simply rotating the palm of your hand is an impossible mission.”

 

 

With the theme “The New Normal: Success in a World Turned Upside Down.”  There, the participants discussed a wide variety of issues including their experiences both in their professional and personal lives. All of the speakers offered their views on how they became successful and how those in the audience could benefit from learning from their experiences. One such piece of wisdom was to use it to your advantage if you are underestimated and not taken seriously. “Not being taken seriously is actually a competitive advantage,” explained Margery Kraus, President and CEO of APCO World Wide, a global communication consultancy firm that has 29 offices around the world. “You can do things and maneuver under the radar. When you aren’t taken seriously, don’t get discouraged. I would never have been able to have been so successful if I had been taken seriously early on.”

 

 

 

 

After the main panel, the event broke into three panels themes “The Entrepreneurs: The Road Less Traveled,” “Developing Your Personal Brand: Differentiating Yourself,” and “Career/Life Balance: Success and Sanity.” During the first panel, Ling Geng, Managing Director of Soundfirm Beijing, a post-production film company, explained how she was successful by spotting an opportunity and capitalizing on it. After getting involved in the film industry doing translation, she eventually assist directors coordinate their post production work in other countries. From there, she saw the tremendous potential that existed in being able to do top quality post-production work within China and decided to start her own company.

 

 

“I never dreamed of being an entrepreneur when I was young,” explained Geng, whose company now does the post-production work for over a quarter of the films made in China. “Back when I was growing up in China, people did not aspire to be entrepreneurs. I just saw that there was an opportunity and wanted to give it a shot. When we started, we had eight employees. Now we have over 100.”

 

 

In the second panel, the participants offered their views and experience on how people can approach building their own brand. Gay Gaddis, President & CEO of T3, a digital marketing and advertising firm, explained that it is important to serve the customers but still stay true to your own set of values.

 

 

“The customers are always right, but never compromise your value and the way you conduct business, because that’s what makes you a different person,” Gaddis said. “When your core values get eroded, you’ll have nothing to stand on, not to mention a personal brand.”

 

 

After the panels concluded, the Committee of 200 awarded scholarships of US $3,750 to four exceptional female MBA students. After receiving the reward, first year MBA student Lily Zhou was clearly emotional and extremely appreciative.  

 

“I am deeply honored to have received this scholarship,” said Zhou, a native of Gansu Province who co-founded an education and technology company before beginning her MBA. “To be given such a generous award from a group of successful and strong women like this is truly humbling. They certainly have set the bar high and I will do my best to prove myself worthy of this scholarship.”

 

 

 

After the scholarship presentation, Executive Director of MBA programs Pearl Donghui Mao concluded the event by thanking the all of those who were responsible for such a powerful and invaluable event.   

 

 

“Our students are greatly inspired, thrilled and honored to connect with such special people,” Mao said. “We sincerely appreciate them coming to Tsinghua and sharing their passion, knowledge and friendship with us. We believe that in the future the world will continue to get smaller and smaller. Even though most of the speakers today come from the west, I am sure that we will meet them all again somewhere in the near future.”