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Lessons for cross-cultural Korean-Chinese business

After completing her MBA at HKUST, Lena Yun was able to implement a successful career switch. Previously, she had been sales manager for the Korean office of a German company specialising in laser-marking applications. Now, she is making her name as a fast rising executive with Samjong KPMG Consulting, handling a variety of business process restructuring projects.

In which ways did the programme most help your career?

I didn't have any background in consulting and hadn't studied a business-related major for my undergraduate degree. My previous job was technology-based sales and marketing and it was only while taking the MBA programme that I realised the extent of the consulting industry. Seeing the possibilities, I then took more courses relevant to the sector.

Which course did most to change your perspectives?

It was the course dealing with strategy and uncertainties in China. This class gave me new ideas about how to analyse real business cases in China, ideas which could also be used in other contexts. We discussed appropriate strategies for entering, managing and exiting the market, which really expanded my understanding of general management issues.

What are your medium-term ambitions?

It has been two years since I started consulting and I have been involved with projects for various industries. The likely career path is to become a specialist in one area, but I would also like to apply my knowledge and experience to developing cross-cultural Korean-Chinese business in a multinational environment.

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