Financial EMBA Female Group: A Blossom of Inner Charm, in Honor of Female Power

Release time：2021-03-08    

We have witnessed “female power” emerging in this era.

Females are stepping into this competitive world fearlessly,

and, by improving little by little,

creating a beautiful time of their own.

Female students make up nearly 40% are of all FEMBA students. Over 85% of these female students are senior management, taking the office of vice president and above. Undoubtedly, females are showing unprecedented confidence in expressing themselves to the outer world, and they play a pivotal part in the reform and development of modern business.

Ceaseless Power of Females

We should reject traditional female labels, as women can be whatever they want and achieve whatever they desire. Today, with the coming of the International Women’s Day, FISF FEMBA “Female Group” makes their debut in the center of the stage, representing the ceaseless power of females.

Xiaohui Gui

“There’s no gender difference in talents. Say no to the stereotype of ‘males’ and ‘females’. I’m just myself.”

Xiaohui Gui

Co-partner of Smart Consulting Co., Ltd.

Traditionally, “female beauty” has been defined from perspectives of males by global luxury and fashion industry, but in recent years, the number of females taking positions in senior management has increased. Xiaohui Gui, with 15 years of working experience in luxury and fashion industry, attributes this phenomenon to female creativity. “Compared with males, females are better at discovering beauty and  love. They can closely capture customer needs, and acute perception for product design, user interaction experience while establishing trust and reputation.”

“I know the public is showing more concern about female entrepreneurs, but I don’t want to be defined.” In Gui’s eyes, females should not be limited by definitions and stereotypes. “Aging will inevitably bring physical fitness downward, but in the meantime, it also means the increase of life confidence, courage and self-belief. I have no way to change what others think or say, but it’s more and more irrelevant to me. It is how you view yourself and whether you live a life you like that brings the true pleasure.”

Actually, the gender bias exposed or hidden in workplaces is a two-way hazard. It restricts the development of ambitious females and blocks their judgment of their own strength. On the other hand, it also fetters striving males by imposing higher expectations and pressure. Xiaohui Gui thinks working people should display features of both genders. “Female power is not simply copying male features. It’s an organic combination of the advantages of both genders, soft but strong.”

Over time perceptions have improved. Females are more actively pursuing self-value. Gui expressed optimism in females’ entrepreneurial prospects. “Definitely the number of entrepreneurs in China will rise, because in this new era, a more flexible and freer working environment is needed to inspire creativity, and there will surely be more women to join in this entrepreneurial fever, competing with their unique strengths.”

“The breaking point of females lies in our heart. Don’t set limits or self-denial to yourself.”

Fang Zhao

Board Director of Suzhou Aview Image Technology Co., Ltd.

“When problems come, just try to solve them. May be I was born with a pressure-resisting ability that never fears encountering trouble.” Fang Zhao launched a startup with her husband. Though she repeatedly stressed that her husband who is responsible for the technology is the core role of the company, yet the entire developing process, starting from scratch to complete optical-electro-mechanical design, research and development, product assembly, after-sale services, team management, and to a high-speed development stage, is obviously not attributable to her “technology-centered” husband alone. Majoring in marketing management and being outgoing, Zhao performs much more decisively when facing market opportunities.

In daring and resolution, Fang Zhao yields to no male boss. Ever since beginning her startup, she has never thought about earning short-term profits. At the initial stage, she invested a large amount of money into research and development.

“An enterprises ceiling height depends on the height of its long-term strategy.” Zhao knows in her heart that the improvement of Chinese industry is rooted in the solid progress made by technology companies in various subsections. “We need to bear the cold stool and stay calm in advancing technology for a long time. We need to focus on fundamental development while taking customer value into account by improving our business performance, and reflecting upon the weaknesses and strengths of the value of entire industry chain.” Her enterprise took the lead in realizing import substitution of subsection technology, and has acquired a number of patent technology achievements in the industry.

“Females should never set limits on themselves or self-denials.” Many people subconsciously believe that female leaders are more sensitive than decisive, but Fang Zhao has broken this stereotype with her own firm resolution displayed in her entrepreneurship.

“Throughout the world history, females have been acting as the connecting link between the preceding and the following. Females have paid unremitting efforts for next generations.”

Jie Chen

Co-partner of Asian Staff Human Resource Management Consulting Company

Jie Chen entered a securities company just after graduation, and grew rapidly in famous companies like Ernst & Young and Hewitt. After becoming the vice president of a transnational corporation, she resolutely resigned and started up a human resource consulting company. Looking back upon the 20 years of working career, she was “lucky” enough. However, luck often favors those that strive for excellence.

When talking about her working experience in Hewitt, her former employer, Jie Chen described it as busy and fulfilled: four days in four different cities. “Packing and catching a flight at night, attending a meeting with customers the next day, flying to another city in the afternoon. And even on the only day in Shanghai I worked into the early morning, with 2 to 3 hours left to sleep before meeting customers again.” In such a tight way and under such high pressure, Chen persevered for 4 years. And it is the rapid growth and continuous efforts during this period that made her career move forward.

Compared with males, females naturally face the coordination problem between society and family. The biggest question for a female senior management is “how to balance family and business”. Unlike many strong women with a dedicated heart and soul to business, Jie Chen has run a happy family while carrying on her business. As a mother of two, she introduced her enterprise managing experience into her family. “I’d rather resort to a third person to outsource necessary items, and do the critical part that I need to perform by myself. My husband and I will cultivate our children according to their inner interests and advantages instead of just following the trend.”

“Indeed, females do need to spare some time for their family, but naturally females are more “stable” than males as they have longer plans.” Chen laughed, talking about her strong wish after bearing children of “a peaceful world filled with green trees and clear waters so that the next generation can see a better world”. She holds that the “soft” nature unique to females can endow them with abundant perception, empathy, communication, and especially the capability of group holding and plan designing during the key point of enterprise development, so that the front line can move forward fearlessly and the back line can make preparations without worry.

“It is reversible to be either strong or weak. You can find your own way of survival in the jungle dominated by males.”

Jingjing Guo

Director of Suchow Securities Research Institute

“I may not have as strong physical strength as males, but I have the features unique to females that can help me own a place in the jungle dominated by males.” As one of the only few female directors of research institutes in the industry, Jingjing Guo has never met “gender ceiling” during the 17 years’ working in the industry. Instead, thanks to her exquisiteness and sharpness of being a female, she has a stronger emotional connection with the team.

In the securities industry, interpersonal communication rather than data analysis is the required course for managers. Mediating among researchers, sales teams and customers, Guo succeeded in solving problems with the help of the female features of “exquisiteness and sharpness”.

Securities research institutes have been competing fiercely, with over 20 at the front line. Suchow Securities Research Institute manages to transform and gets a firm foothold in the market in the charge of Jingjing Guo. Her exquisite character is indispensable. She knows that each researcher has his or her own subtext, so she personally formulates the employee assessment and incentive mechanism that quantitatively manages employee performance in a public and transparent way so as to avoid employees’ energy waste arising from schemes and intrigues. In this way, there has been a spurt of infinite cohesion in the team, and she convinced all that everybody can achieve what they desire by following her lead.

“Always set new goals for yourself. Never believe you have reached your destination. Even in the most dangerous jungle, believe that you are sure to find your own way of survival.”

On the International Women’s Day,

We’d like to salute all the marvelous females:

Thank you for being so distinguished,

And thank you for bringing colorful beauty to this world!