Catherine Xu Lin

What made you decide to do an EMBA?

I had been in the same industry for many years and was looking to step up into a new role, either become a leader of a mid-size company or start a business. However, I didn’t think I had all the skills needed for that kind of role, so an EMBA would help. Also, an EMBA would help me expand my network, which was very important for my career development.

Why TIEMBA?

The TIEMBA class is multinational because of the variety of nationalities and the participants are from different industries, from different regions. To keep up with the pace of the fast-developing world, being in a diverse environment helped me to better understand the world, new technologies, other perspectives and even better understand myself.

How has the TIEMBA helped you in your career so far?

As I was starting a business, TIEMBA has provided me with various skill sets to oversee everything myself. For example, the learnings from Strategy and Corporate Finance modules helped when we pitched to investors and the knowledge from Organisational Behaviour module helped to structure the company in an effective way.

The final course “First 100 Days” was also helpful as it was a simulation exercise that correlates your first a hundred days after taking over a business. All these helped me mitigate risks and mistakes. The networks also connected me to people who gave useful insights and advice for my business set up.

Please share more about your classmates.

My classmates were very active, very curious and full of energy. Everybody wanted to share their experience and ideas, which made the whole class experience very dynamic.

Can you share more about the Leadership Development Programme (LDP)?

I would describe the LDP as a continuous process where you understand, fine-tune and practise leadership. The reason why I call it continuous is that you start by evaluating yourself, defining areas to work on, putting things into practice, and then you adjust/adapt and start the process over and over again to make yourself a better leader.

What is the biggest takeaway you have gotten from the programme?

My biggest takeaway is learning how to work with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. I had many talented, smart and successful classmates and we worked together on wide-ranging projects. We debated, compromised and aligned our thoughts and ideas throughout the journey. So it was about strategy, communication, the big picture and how to use your skill sets.

In one sentence, how would you describe your TIEMBA experience?

It was the best decision of my professional life and a very rewarding journey for my personal development and growth.