Shuhua Mou

China Europe International Business School

“Full of ideas, warm-hearted, willing to contribute, responsible.”

Hometown: Shanghai, China

Fun fact about yourself: I’m a newbie addicted to snowboarding – even though I spend more time falling than snowboarding.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

The University of Hong Kong, Bachelor of Journalism.

New York University, Master of Arts (International Affairs).

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? EY Fabernovel, Senior Strategist

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023? Lanvin Group, Shanghai

Where will you be working after graduation? Graduating in April, I will work in two streams: one, planning and strategist role in marketing and advertsing company to help brands build new growth model; two, advising Chinese brands in seeking opportunities overseas.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Section Representative of MBA 2024 batch
• Core Organizing Team of TEDxCEIBS 2023
• Lead Organizer of Shanghai Night, the signature event of CEIBS
• Awarded Community Service Excellence Scholarship

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? One of my proudest achievements was successfully organizing the TEDxCEIBS event as a core member. This event challenges students in all aspects, including proposing a theme to the TED global team, raising funds, inviting speakers, organizing the venue, building online and offline exposure, dealing with internal parties (such as school administrations and interested clubs), and guiding external vendors to deliver promised outcomes. As a core member of the organizing team, my primary responsibilities included sponsor management, speaker relationships, and the D-day operation.

Thanks to our team’s collective efforts, TEDxCEIBS hosted over 600 offline audiences and garnered more than 1 million online viewers. The event not only spread ideas worth sharing, which is a fundamental spirit of TED, but also extended the impact of TED and CEIBS to the wider community.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? As a core member of a consulting project, my colleagues and I assisted a China-based entity of a world-leading luxury group. Our goal was to redesign the organizational structure to better respond to the fast-changing business landscape in China and reshape the corporation’s culture.

Despite challenges communicating with and obtaining approval from the entity’s global level, we gradually instilled a change mindset throughout the corporation. We were delighted and proud to see various departments incorporating our suggestions and ideas into their operations, resulting in a successful outcome that improved work life of its 500 office employees.

Why did you choose this business school? From the geographical perspective, I focused on schools in China because it will be the main market where I will build my career, working for both international companies aiming to enter or grow in China and local companies aiming to go global. From the school resource perspective, CEIBS has a reputation for a close and diverse alumni network I could borrow power from.

From the educational quality perspective, it offers internationalized education that returnees like me are used to receiving. Westernized education in our early age laid a solid foundation. Now, studying the same internationalized system could save us time on getting accustomed to the domestic education system so we can focus more on the exchange of business knowledges and infusion of ideas from both sides.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Bala Ramasamy is our professor of Economics, and he also holds the positions of Associate Dean and Director of the Global EMBA program. His class was informative and engaging, with a touch of humor in his teaching style. Additionally, his references, explanations, and comparisons between China and the global market make the course at CEIBS perfectly match the expectations of current and future business leaders, who want to understand the practices in this unique market. This is a true reflection of the value of CEIBS from the perspective of students.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? I found the Module classes, which were designed to explore cities, regions or countries from specific business angles, to be the most interesting and practical.

I participated in the Shanghai Module, which took us to visit six companies in Shanghai from various industries including hospitality, real estate, food manufacturing, and machinery and equipment. The focus of the module was to understand how European companies tackle the fast-paced technological innovation in China and how they strategize to localize and internationalize to stay competitive outside their home market. The Module classes were well-structured, incorporating real-time visits to companies and conversations with their leaders alongside the lectures.

This approach helped to eliminate the controversies surrounding MBA education about its timeliness. It also most directly demonstrated the how to look at real-world problems through academic frameworks and break them down into solutions by the frontier business leaders.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? The Shanghai Night event is the signature event amongst many city-themed events that CEIBS students celebrate together. This event is my favorite not only because I was the lead organizer, but also because it introduces the beauty of the city where our main campus is located.

Additionally, the core spirit of such events is to invite students to celebrate the traditions of our international students’ origins. Our batch also hosted Taiwan Night, while previously CEIBS had Indian Night, Asian Night, and others. This tradition has created an active and embracing environment for all students to learn beyond business knowledge, including culture, music, cuisine, and nature. Moreover, it builds cohesion among students, which helps in our school work and future work too.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I came to pursue an MBA with the goal of breaking free from my inhibitions and trying everything I had held myself back from. As a result, I made an effort to openly converse with everyone I met, listen to their stories, try out activities my peers were passionate about, study diligently in subjects I was unfamiliar with, and take on responsibilities I had never handled before. The entire MBA experience opened my heart to the world and gave me the courage to face future challenges. Initially, I had planned to say that I should have applied for the MBA program earlier, so that I could have upgraded myself sooner.

However, I realized that everyone in my cohort has been a gift to me in their own unique way. They are friendly and willing to share their stories, thoughts, and experiences with me. They have offered their help, both intentionally and unintentionally, in my pursuit of the above-mentioned purpose. Without them, everything could be different in another way.

What is the biggest myth about your school? I was recently asked about the demographics of students at CEIBS and the language in which courses are taught. I can confirm that all MBA courses at CEIBS are taught in English, and the enrollment system is the same as other international business schools. While we had a higher proportion of students with Chinese ethnicity in the previous year due to pandemic-related restrictions, the 2024 batch includes students from various countries including the UK, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Canada, and South Africa. We expect the proportion of international students to return to pre-pandemic levels.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Shanghai is a highly globalized city that boasts world-class infrastructure, advanced technology in daily life, and a community of top-ranking talents who live and work in the city. The city’s networks have matured, and there is a blend of Eastern and Western lifestyles, making it a place where everyone can find different charms.

What surprised you the most about business school? The workload intensity right from the start of the academic term is almost greater than that of the final stage of a consulting project during my previous job. Business school education is not only focused on academics, but it challenges all your abilities simultaneously, including time management, interpersonal skills, pressure management, communication skills, technical skills, and more.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I greatly admire my classmate, Patricia Tam. She always maintains a relaxed demeanor despite the challenges we face in our MBA program. She also demonstrates a high level of responsibility in delivering quality results. Additionally, she is a sports enthusiast who not only practices regularly but also injects fun and joy into our busy schedules. I am impressed by her ability to switch between roles as a charismatic leader and a supportive team player, which reinforces my belief in the importance of being an interdisciplinary talent. Patricia is not just a good friend and a like-minded playmate, but also a diligent study buddy and an inspiring role model from whom I always learn.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I aspire to participate in various aspects of a business, including assisting international companies in entering the Chinese market or helping Chinese companies expand globally. My business education has given me the necessary skills and confidence to handle diverse challenges. With a broader perspective gained from my education, I am eager to put more of my skills into practice and take on new opportunities.

Secondly, I am also preparing to run my own business alongside my future job if it doesn’t fulfill my goals mentioned above. With a keen eye to identify the essential elements and good taste in design, I am actively seeking opportunities to bring my entrepreneurship into reality.

What made Kate such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“As the class coordinator of the MBA2024 batch and someone who knows Kate MOU the best in the MBA office, I strongly recommend Kate to run for the Poets & Quants’ MBAs To Watch honor. Kate has been a dedicated Section Representative, working hard to foster class culture and cohesion, and organizing internal and cross-section activities. Her classmates and the MBA office have given her highly complimentary remarks for her excellent work. Kate has demonstrated her maturity, appropriateness, creativity, and leadership by organizing, coordinating, and interacting with others in school-level events and occasions where she represents the MBA.

In the classroom, Kate is an ideal student too – knowledgeable yet inquisitive, talkative yet thoughtful, leader-like yet humble and gracious. She consistently brings in-class conversations to a higher level by sharing insightful comments, observations, and questions. She is a deep thinker and a clear communicator.

In addition to her outstanding academic performance at CEIBS, Kate’s excellent educational and work background represents the overall quality and level of CEIBS students very well. At the upcoming MBA2024 graduation ceremony, Kate will also speak on stage as the student representative. I believe that in future work and study, Kate will continue to pursue excellence and become an outstanding alumni representative of CEIBS.”

Christina Cheng
MBA Programme Manager

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2024