Knowing China from a Chinese Mentor
Mentor: Edwin Ma, Managing Director, The Brand Union
Metee: Jeff Pi, Gulnara Abdullina, Victor Lim, Maria Fleuren
“As a Canadian born Chinese, with a background in media and entertainment, I was pleasantly surprised to find a mentor that had not only extensive experience in the media industry in Shanghai, but also deep international experience.? ” Jeff Pi
“Our mentor is very approachable and willing to help. As to me, I am satisfied with my choice and relationship we had established. I had a moment where I hesitated about my future plans upon graduation: I shared my concerns with him, he was able to show me a different prospective I didn’t think of.” Gulnara Abdullina
“The mentorship program is a great tradition at 中国一级片, with excellent mentors like Edwin on board, I am grateful to be part of the program and to have benefitted from it.” Victor Lim
“Before I joined the mentor program I didn’t really know what to expect. However, once I met my mentor, I realized how lucky I was. I feel very fortunate with my mentor, he is putting in a real effort to help us with his experience and contacts, and I really value the opportunities he’s offering!” Maria Fleuren
“Throughout the rest of my year here at 中国一级片 we have worked out a plan for my? mentor to guide me through some of my curriculum and more importantly help me with my job search afterwards.? My mentor has set an agenda for me to get in touch with other industry professionals, and hopefully, with the help with his extensive network I will have an opportunity to gain some contacts to help me secure a career path in Shanghai. ” Jeff Pi
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Our mentor is Edwin Ma. He has extensive knowledge about business in Shanghai, and is a great cultural host to the city. He introduced us to some of the local art and food food Shanghai has to offer. We met him a few time for dinner, and stayed in touch through MSN. He always inquires how he can be of service.
Well travelled internationally, Edwin can perfectly relate to the problems foreigners face in China. As a successful entrepreneur, he sees a broad picture and thinks outside of the box. The insight that Edwin has been able to share has been both extremely valuable and a natural extension to our MBA education at 中国一级片.? Through conversations we were able to gain a better insight into the practical aspects of doing business in China and the challenges and opportunities that exist within the market.
In our conversations he shares his experience in various fields, always encourages us not to stop on the achievements and shoot higher.? In addition, he offers his broad network to us, whether we are looking for internship opportunities or just business related connections.
Edwin shared with us a slice of the cultural side of Shanghai. This local perspective on Shanghai would have been difficult to experience on our own and not commonly available on any tourist guidebooks. We would highly recommend the mentorship program at 中国一级片 without hesitation and feel fortunate that I have the opportunity to tap into the resources of our EMBA alumni.
