Sean: Global Masters in Management

A long-held desire to explore worldwide business experiences led Sean to apply for the Global Masters in Management at London Business School (LBS). There, he was able to take his interest in China and aviation to the next level and, with the help of the Career Centre, find a role in his dream industry.

I grew up in California but I have always had a desire to pursue a career and experiences outside of the United States. During my bachelor's degree at Northeastern University in Boston, I was able to study at four different universities in Europe and undertook internships in the US and China. The time I spent in China really captivated me and piqued my interest as somewhere to live and work in the future.

The Global Masters in Management was an obvious choice for me as you get to study — and complete two masters degrees — at two universities with worldwide recognition. Firstly, London Business School — and then Fudan University School of Management, which has a strong reputation within China, especially if you’re an overseas graduate. The idea of spending a year in each of these dynamic cities appealed to me. I studied in Cambridge as part of my bachelor’s and travelled to London quite a few times. It’s one of my favourite cities, with energy that stems from its rich history and the incredible diversity of people who come from all over the world. Shanghai, where I did my first internship, also left a lasting impression. With its constantly changing skyline and a metro that makes it easy to get around, Shanghai is a modern city with a real buzz to it. Like London, it also has a fantastic mix of people, but this time from all corners of China as people seek opportunity in the ever-growing metropolis.

Beyond geographical diversity, being able to network with people from various industries, at different experience levels, meant I could draw on their experiences as I formed a vision of what I wanted my career to be. I got to take electives with Sloan, Executive MBA and MiM students. There was a good industry split — there were those who were heavily interested in finance, those who had a lot of internship experience in consulting, and people like me who had interests outside of those two. The diversity amongst us was second to none. Everyone was from a different country, so you had to adapt to cross-cultural communication, adjust to everyone's working style and navigate how to best work together.

The learning experience was truly transformative and pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’ve been interested in the airline industry since my early teens so I was naturally gravitating towards consulting projects in that sector, but was also keen to explore other industries. A memorable project for me was the ‘Creativity in Business’ elective, where two companies came in to present at the beginning of the week: The Economist and Cathay Pacific Airways. Although I'd initially been excited about the Cathay Pacific Airways project, I ended up choosing The Economist and worked closely with a couple of Sloan students on a proposal for a new line of products for their data and consulting services. Working with more experienced individuals was a great learning experience and I felt supported as well as challenged. For my LondonLAB project, I got to work in education technology. We were collaborating with a company that had created a product for taking attendance in primary schools. We conducted market research and interviewed schools across the country to understand how their system worked and what the pain points were. This helped us define how to best present the product, allowing us to demonstrate how it could alleviate those pain points and surpass other products on the market. In both instances, I thrived on the challenge of completing projects in industries that were new to me and it gave me knowledge in areas I wouldn't have typically been exposed to.

The second year in Shanghai brought exciting challenges. Being immersed in a different culture and navigating daily life was a huge learning experience. There are different platforms and apps in use over there, and because Mandarin is a vastly different language from English, even simple tasks felt complicated. The focus of the second year was on Chinese companies, their operations, development and history since China’s opening up. This was explored through classes, discussions and speaker sessions from leaders of Chinese organisations. We also went on a lot of company visits, which were all fascinating, especially the ones with larger warehouses and logistics. It meant that we got an additional level of in-depth learning about the Chinese market and a better understanding of major success stories like Alibaba, BYD, JD, Huawei, Tencent, and Nongfu Spring by seeing their operations in action.

The skills I gained during my time at LBS were instrumental in my early roles. During my second year on the programme, I interned in digital marketing at Bosch’s Shanghai office. I then secured a 3-year Executive Trainee Scheme with Jardine Matheson after graduation, where I was assigned to work in their Jardine Aviation Services subsidiary. Initially in Passenger Service, I transferred to Process Improvement to implement Robotic Process Automation projects due to the pandemic and a significantly reduced passenger volume. Later, I worked on an IT system replacement in Manpower Planning. In 2022, I joined their Business Development department, rebuilding relationships with mainland Chinese partners, which led to being promoted to Business Development Manager upon completing the trainee scheme in 2023. The skills I gained during my time on the programme were invaluable — from business information systems to project management skills, as well as the cultural soft skills and language proficiency that have allowed me to navigate people-oriented roles and improve my ability to integrate into culturally different teams.

I have London Business School and Fudan University School of Management to thank for my career. It was through campus recruitment and the help from both Careers Centres that I secured the positions I’ve had. I also reached out to alumni in these organisations, to find out more about their experiences. I even met someone who, coincidentally, had also done his bachelor's degree at Northeastern University and then gone on to study at London Business School. We got on well and discussed companies he had worked in, which gave me an idea of whether those companies were a right fit for me. It also helped me understand how the application and interview processes work, which was very important because assessment centres can be quite hard to navigate. The power of LBS's network lives well beyond your time on the programme.

The two degrees I received, and the experiences I had on the journey, were invaluable in building my career in Asia. Breaking into the airline industry in China as an expat is challenging. When I applied to Jardine Matheson, I was unaware of their involvement in the aviation industry. Being assigned to their aviation ground handling subsidiary and working at Hong Kong International Airport was a lucky coincidence. Global ground handling leader Menzies Aviation has taken a stake in the business recently and is bullish on further expansion into China. I have many things to look forward to in my current Business Development role, including working on these ground handling and cargo expansion projects. I'd recommend London Business School and their programmes to everyone considering a future in management, regardless of where in the world you've been or where you want to go.