MBA Student Profile: Ye Ping, IE

Ye Ping has many stories to tell of her MBA course and rich experiences while at IE Business School.

1. Ye Ping's awesome record for academic and professional excellence earned her IE's Asian scholarship. Professors and peers subsequently discovered that this was merely one superlative facet of this extraordinary young woman. Starting out as a secretary, she was transferred to the consulting area where self-study and tenacity permitted her to clinch deals in competition with far more experienced professionals. As her obvious entrepreneurial and leadership skills came into play her career took off.  An International MBA was the next obvious step.

From a traditional Chinese family, and with a Degree in Spanish, Ye has contributed a highly unusual brand of cultural blend to the MBA - East meets West with a Latin backdrop: Dignity, integrity, open-mindedness, innovative flair, and a passion for work and life. All this plus a rather English sense of humour, a throwback to when she was the director of  the Shanghai International Studies University English Drama Club.

2. Despite numerous awards for outstanding academic achievement, Ping admitted genuine concern that her arts background made her ill-equipped to tackle quantitative aspects. An A+ in financial accounting soon evidenced that her numerical skills were on a par with her outstanding conceptual skills.

Peers see her as someone who inspires confidence "a catalyst and a facilitator who can take something complicated and make it easy". Moreover, she is an empathetic listener who generates trust and loyalty, making for win-win situations. "You can usually find Ping at the centre of an idea, surrounded by people drawn by her because they know they can depend on her to make things work."

Ye feels that she represents the new generation of Chinese people, proud of her traditional upbringing but thirsty for experiences and knowledge in a global, multi-cultural environment. The cultural abyss and lack of historical connections between Spain and China often stymie the efforts of Spanish firms to penetrate the Chinese market, despite a huge demand for products and services. Ye aims to provide Latin countries and China with valuable insights derived from her intricate working knowledge of the cultural and corporate modus operandi of both regions. Her presentation on this theme, part of a series of inter-alumni networking activities, evoked enormous interest, resulting in a detailed business plan pending implementation by an IE team on completion of the programme.

Ye's willingness to act as an interface between IE and Chinese candidates has generated both pride and optimism at IE. She firmly believes that the transcultural style of MBA programmes in Europe and the specific skills of Chinese entrepreneurs and professionals could bring enormous mutual benefits. She is certainly a good example.

Ye originally started her MBA in October 2001, unaware her father was dangerously ill. He had kept it from her fearing it would distract her from her studies. When friends revealed the truth, weeks into the programme, she knew immediately she had to return to China, arriving the day before her father passed away. She feels part of her exceptional energy and dedication stems from his supreme example of selflessness.