Ken Shimizu

China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)

“Studying in Switzerland missing wife and two kids in Japan.”

Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love to live in different countries. So far, I have lived in the USA, Canada, Bangladesh, and Switzerland.

Undergraduate School and Major: Industrial Engineering – Waseda University

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senior Analyst, Toyota Motor Corporation

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the MBA curriculum or activities that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Integrated China Strategy Project (ICSP) was the key part that led me to choose CEIBS. The strength of CEIBS is that they allow us to not only to study and accumulate academic knowledge about business, but also to actually connect with companies in China and engage in consulting projects.

Furthermore, by working with Chinese classmates, I expected I could learn business customs as well as language and culture. After graduating with an MBA, the experience would be greatly beneficial to me. This year, many international students are out of China and need to attend online, so it is imperative to overcome time differences and communication issues.

What is the biggest appeal of earning an MBA in China? It was the experience and learning of business customs, language, human network and culture in the fast-growing economy, China. The challenge for Class of 2022 international students who are currently taking classes remotely is to learn these online until we can get to China.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: When I was a trainee at USA Toyota in the United States, I led the multiple departments to install new Engine line in a factory. It eventually increased the capacity of the engine and led to an annual profit increase of several millions USD.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? As the president of Data Analytics Club, the leadership team, including me, organized sessions such as Data Analytics course support session, machine learning session, etc. The activities helped students understand data analysis and increase their knowledge of how machine learning can help their business in the future.

What quality best describes your MBA classmates and how do they demonstrate this quality in your interactions? We are in the extremely difficult situation (Because of VISA, we cannot enter China and have to study from Switzerland). However, my MBA classmates, both in Switzerland and China, give me so much power and energy and I always get motivated from them. Even under this situation, they demonstrate passion, enthusiasm, strong-driving force and active participation in class and group projects and focus on what we can do for now.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Tsinghua University

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? It was for a career change, Chinese language skill improvement, and the MBA degree itself for my future career as a manager.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE CIEBS MBA CLASS OF 2022