John Ng
“You will quickly realize that as busy professionals, you can’t do the assignments all by yourself. Teamwork is relying on your teammates when you are pressed for time or not as proficient in the tasks. It also means that you need to step up when you can contribute meaningfully or have more free time than your teammates. Everyone has different capabilities and we learned to utilize our team’s capabilities on the task at hand.”
Global Executive MBA
Industry:
Prior Education:
National University of Singapore
Why I Chose Fuqua
Compared to many others in my cohort, I did not choose an EMBA hoping to pivot into a different career path. I work in the Life Science industry and find it immensely rewarding to develop life-saving drugs for patients. However, through many years of working, I realized my weaknesses and wanted to embark on an EMBA to improve in those areas.
In my 20-plus year career, I was fortunate to become the COO (Chief Operating Officer) for a biotech company, where I led Operations. As part of the executive team that needed to interact with the Board of Directors, I felt acutely my lack of understanding in many financial aspects. Operations Management was my strength, but it’s also necessary to be conversant in the financial metrics to communicate effectively with the Board of Directors and management. I realized that picking up financial books to beef up on finance was not going to be sufficient. I wanted to learn the information in a much more structured manner.
My CFO, David was an alum of the Fuqua Global Executive MBA program and had graduated as Fuqua Scholar. He recommended the program wholeheartedly based on his experience. He emphasized the team aspect, which resonated with how I managed my team at work. After reviewing the Global curriculum, I felt it was unique among all EMBAs and decided to choose Fuqua.
Before Fuqua
I was the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of a biotech company that was developing a drug for lymphoma. I was responsible for the Operations organization, which included Manufacturing, Process and Analytical Development, Quality, Program Management, Engineering and Global Supply Chain. I managed a team of 130 people that were based in Singapore and the US.
After Fuqua
I have taken on a new role as the General Manager of a Global Life-Science Consulting Company to set up their APAC branch. Our clients include biotech companies, VCs, and pharma companies. For the biotech companies, we help them on the development of their drugs and the challenges they face. I want to help startups in their path to develop life-saving drugs, and the GEMBA program provided me a deeper understanding of the financial aspects of a company and the PE/VCs they fundraise from.
Maximizing Your Global Executive MBA Experience
There are a few key highlights of this program.
- Amazing professors who are at the top of their field and an absolute pleasure to learn from.
- The thrill of being in a new country as part of the Global Program and trying to soak in as much as possible.
- Fantastic friends that you make during the program.
The best way to maximize in my opinion is to strive for balance among these three highlights. It is very easy to prioritize one over the other, but I caution against that. I see classmates either spend too much time exploring the country or skip it completely as they want to focus on studying instead. You want to enjoy the whole experience. As a student, you also need to balance your work and personal commitments with the GEMBA program. So, pace yourself and enjoy the journey.
MSQM:HA students "meet" in Durham without leaving home
Global Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
Financial Services (20%)
Consulting (5%)
Sales/Business Development (5%)
Energy/Chemical/Gas (9%)
Marketing/PR/Advertising (6%)
Consumer Goods (3%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Master of Management Studies: Duke Kunshan University
Undergraduate Majors
Business/Accounting (51%)
Economics (22%)
Liberal Arts (14%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (10%)
Other (4%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Master of Management Studies: Foundations of Business
Undergraduate Majors
Liberal Arts (33%)
Business/Accounting (24%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (18%)
Economics (17%)
Other (8%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Weekend Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
IT (16%)
Financial Services (14%)
Health Care/Health Services (10%)
Manufacturing/Operations (9%)
Sales/Business Development (8%)
Consulting (8%)