Cindy Gao

University of California Los Angeles’ Anderson School of Management

“A curious girl who is willing to try new things with a risk management mindset.”

Hometown: Shandong, China

Fun Fact About Yourself: Went hiking on an inactive volcano at 2 a.m. in Indonesia.

Undergraduate School and Major: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Finance

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: ICBC International, Associate

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I set up a venture capital fund and exited with 112% IRR.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Hungry. We are not satisfied with the status quo and would like to continue to challenge ourselves.

UCLA Anderson is founded on three pillars: Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. Which pillar resonates most with you and why? Share success. I am doing recruitment for investment banking. Though the industry is highly competitive, I always saw my classmates make room for each other in the “circle of death” during the company networking session. We shared business cards, company information, and the due diligence on deals.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you?  Location. LA is so diversified and vibrant. I like the people, culture, and lifestyle here.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school?  Wellness & Yoga. I am a practitioner of Body Balance, which is a mix of Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi. I am the Director of the Wellness & Yoga Club and looking forward to bringing Body Balance to Anderson. Also, I think it is a great way to relieve stress for MBA students.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? The questions were not from UCLA Anderson Admission, but another school. The question was can you give me suggestions on the MPF selection? MPF is the mandatory pension fund scheme in Hong Kong.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I want to make some changes in my life and would like to have the experience of studying and living in US. I can see my limitations in soft skills, like leadership and general management, and would like to polish and learn them in an organized way.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to a variety of programs in the US, UK, Europe and China, but my heart was always with my UCLA application.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I interacted with current students and recent alumni of different schools. The people and culture mean a lot to me. I contacted several students and recent alumni at Anderson. They were all very helpful and sincere and introduced me to other resources, too. Also, the alumni network is vital. I knew that I always want to stay in the financial industry and I knew Anderson and the broader UCLA alumni have a strong network in the financial industry.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? It is the time when I hiked at an inactive volcano in Indonesia to see the blue fire. I was tired because I woke up at 2 a.m. and had walked for 2 hours. However, I saw that the sulphur mining workers walking alongside me were so energetic. They hiked up and down the mountain every day to transport the sulphur but kept an optimistic attitude. They even engraved the small pieces of sulphur into small animals and sold them to tourists. Their hardworking spirit always motivates me to thrive.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I will be leading a team focused on impact investing, generating both financial returns and social benefits to investors.