"One important aspect of the master program that has influenced me positively at work was the solid training on working in teams”

Right after the completion of the ZLOG program in Zaragoza you joined Beiersdorf, the number one in skin care. Six years later, you are now based in Dubai working as Supply Chain and Logistics Manager. What has been your biggest challenge to date?

The biggest challenge to date is how supply chain strives to constantly add value to business in a dynamic world today.

We are in the FMCG industry, so “fast moving” is already the nature of business. Our environment is also ever changing – new channels / business models are emerging, leading to increased complexities and competitions; Currencies especially in emerging countries are highly volatile. Prices of commodities are changing drastically.

Supply chain is not just about delivering the right product at the right cost to the right place. It is not just a supporting function within an organization anymore. Supply chain needs to be integrated to the business and it needs to be end-to-end and demand-led.

Understanding business dynamics, making sure supply chain is fully integrated and adding value to the business is certainly the big challenge for all supply chain professionals today.

A Taiwanese girl who studied in Spain, Australia and USA and working experience in Germany, Taiwan, China and Dubai. Looking at your diverse experience, your profile can most certainly be described as “global”. In terms of perspective, do you enjoy that aspect of your career?

Certainly! Especially working in a multinational company basing in Dubai now, I would give the credit of the quick settling-in in my new job and new life to the past “global” experiences I had.

I was lucky enough to experience living in different countries in the past years. It’s always enriching to learn different cultures and backgrounds and on the other hand, its also interesting to find out how other people perceive you due to where you are from.

As working in teams, even working in multinational teams, is a must in the workplace nowadays, the global experience helps a lot because I get to respect different opinions, understand better where the difference opinions come from and how others may react and finally handle and manage diversities.

Specifically, how has the ZLOG master program influenced your career path? What are the most significant aspects of the master that you have applied at work to achieve success?

Certainly the ZLOG master program has prepared me to be a supply chain professional and enhanced my career in this field.

One important aspect of the master program that has influenced me positively at work was the solid training on “working in teams”. Besides attending classes, my life or everyone’s life during the master program was more or less dedicated to group work. Believe it or not, the late night or even overnight work became one of my most cherished memories in that year.

A great deal of group work has provided excellent trainings such as:

• Work in diversified teams
• Learn to think critically and drive results
• Sharpen analytical skills
• Handle different opinions in a constructive way

I am very delighted that I had these good trainings from ZLOG that I can apply in workplace.

How do you look back on your Spanish Experience? What have you gained in terms of personal growth?

Besides the academic achievement, I value “diversity and network” the most from my Spanish experience.

ZLOG was the first truly international experience for me. Although I studied in the U.S. and Australia before, the experiences were not like the one at ZLOG. There were 25 students in my class and we represented 16 different countries. The diversity does not only come from different nationalities and cultures, but also from various industries and capabilities. It was fascinating to work with an intelligent and fully diversified group.

More importantly, the network that expands after the study is the most precious. I have classmates working in different companies across different continents. We are always there to support each other.

In summary, I’ve gained an international family that I can count on in both professional and private fields. That is certainly the biggest gain out of the one year Spanish experience.

How is life in Dubai? Warm?

Life in Dubai has been amazing. It is a city full of surprises. There are ongoing development projects everywhere to make the city an even more convenient, beautiful and exciting one. We have lived in Dubai for just over 3 years and it is hard to get bored because we always find new things to see and to do.

Dubai is truly international as expatriates make up more than 85% of the population. It is a city where you don’t feel like a foreigner as almost everyone else is one. You always find activities such as concerts, exhibitions, shows, sport events and etc coming from all over the world.

One common impression people have about Dubai is the heat! That is certainly right because we live by the deserts! In the summer time, it is easy to reach 50+ degrees Celsius. However, we do also have 8 months of beautiful and pleasant weather a year that one can go to beach and enjoy any outdoor activities any time.