Jason Ruifeng Zuo

New York University, Stern School of Business

“A guy with 10+ years international working experience, still chasing more fun in the world.”

Hometown: Beijing, China

Fun Fact About Yourself: Completed project-based work in 22 countries

Undergraduate School and Major: Harbin Normal University, Broadcasting and TV Arts

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Marketing Head of OPPO KSA

What excites you the most about living in New York City and how do you see it enhancing your learning experience? I was born in a generation influenced by American culture and learned about life in the United States from Friends. The advanced technology and open-minded lifestyle motivated me to seek out adventures and experience the world ahead. To me, New York City is about the opportunities to invest in your future. It is a place where I can combine my personal values and international experiences. I believe one of the best ways to experience life is to learn from others; having strong role models to learn from will be particularly rewarding. I am also looking forward to making an impact on my community.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of NYU Stern’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? At my previous company, I was lucky to manage an 11 member-team, and one of the team members was born from a lower-income Indian family. She later earned a prestigious award from a major news publication, and was so appreciative of my support that helped her receive an honor like this. This was the first time I really experienced being a role model to someone. I know Stern is infusing the same goal with its “Change” slogan. I want to change myself, change others, and change the world.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at NYU Stern? I am most excited for Statistics and Accounting. I graduated with a liberal arts major, so I am eager to enhance my math skills. I know managing data is an important skill today, as the ability to analyze data can provide greater value for the future work. And I am eager to challenge myself and learn new skills — which is exactly my purpose for attending Stern.

What does EQ (Emotional Intelligence) mean to you and when have you seen its value in your career? As a senior member in my company, I learned that negotiating and collaborating with team members and leaders was key to a project’s success. But that is not enough: building strong relationships with other departments is also essential.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was extremely proud of my work for the PR team, which was affirmed by my CMO of OPPO South Asia. When leading our team, we tripled PR mentions from the media, formed great relationships with top tech bloggers, and received a tech award – a first for OPPO India.

The biggest learning not only achieved significant results for my company, but also demonstrated the value of teamwork with a group of talented people from different cultures and backgrounds who grew together.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? The opportunity to learn! I know the more you accomplish, the more knowledge you have to gain. Being an international leader means having a real global vision and skills.

Besides OPPO, I am working on a start-up in AI cloud analysis and multi-scene interaction. As a founder of my own business, I aspire to bring my idea to Stern to accelerate it with knowledge and global resources. I would like to explore venture capital and financial services.

During the application process, I have met many Sternies who helped me and shared strong community connections, which makes me feel like I am at home.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? A documentary called Born Rich by Jamie Johnson, a member of the family that founded Johnson & Johnson. There are three points that influenced me a lot:

• No matter how rich or successful you are, there is one goal you can never skip: you will always want to keep proving yourself to the world.
• How do capitalists think to manage their fortune?
• Never stop improving your thinking and chasing goals.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? CBS, Wharton, Yale, Haas, UCLA Anderson, and LBS.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into NYU Stern’s MBA program? Think carefully about what an MBA is worth to you and what you want to do with it before you apply. Finding a group of like-minded people to work with is more important than making a hasty decision.

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