What’s your China story? How long have you been in Shanghai and what do you do here?

I first came to China as a junior year exchange student in Beijing, followed on with a summer program in Harbin and then returned to the mainland to work for P&G China in brand management after a graduate Mandarin program in Hong Kong. I’ve been here 29 years now and I’m still loving life here. For the past few years, I ‘ve been running my own innovation consultancy, Shanghai Blossom, focused on delivering the deep cultural insights and corresponding creative ideas that drive growth for multinationals and for local startups in strategically important categories.

What do you think is unique about being a professional woman in Shanghai?

I don’t believe there is a market with more opportunities for professional women than Shanghai. If you envision it, you can find a way to make it happen in this dynamic city.

My biggest career challenge has been…making the leap to set up my own business….a second time. I was comfortable in both my corporate and consulting careers. Moving out of this comfort zone to truly stretch oneself is challenging, and certainly running and scaling a traditional business that isn’t digital at it’s core is tough these days.

My advice to other female professionals in Shanghai is: There is no elevator straight to the top. Work hard, do your homework, build your network, but also be sure you are building a useful and relevant skillset and be able to articulate it. Lead by example and make sure others know you appreciate their contributions. And it goes without saying that you should help your fellow females, not just those below you, but your female peers. I always say if we women were better at helping each other the world would be so much better off!

A work or career highlight has been… launching flagship brand Tide Detergent for P&G in 6 months back in the 90s out of a local factory and having the satisfaction of knowing it remains a market leader even today….seeing concepts I’ve personally written and researched in Chinese with my teams brought to life, hit the shelf and delivering growth… and of course getting WEN up and going so that we now have 5 of 11 seats on the Amcham Board of Governors!

The career woman I admire the most is…

There are lots of renowned businesswomen whom I admire, but the women I most admire are my friends, people whom I actually know. I have respect for the things they do and the efforts they make every day to move the world and each other forward step by step.

You were nominated for the Women’s Leadership Awards, which involves reflecting on your accomplishments, what would you say was the most rewarding aspect of the process?

The recognition the nomination itself brought to WEN and the hard work I’ve put in to establish the group. It’s been heartening to have so many people, male and female, reach out to say well done and keep going!

Lean in China’s 2018 Report on Women, Work and Happiness found that a high number of women respondents indicated a lack of networks negatively impacted professional advancement opportunities. Have you received support from networks here in Shanghai, and what value have they brought you on your professional journey?

A lack of professional networks negatively impacting professional advancement opportunities? Really? I have benefitted from so many networks in China, both formal and informal, those I joined and those I started. Too many to mention! There are networks everywhere and you can also make your own. But like any ecosystem, they require cultivation (read = it’s a process of giving as well as taking)… I find people expect to get a lot before they ever consider giving and I truly believe they would ultimately have a lot more return on the time they invest in networks if they thought first about what they could offer and later about what they might get.