Nina Song

“Moving to Shanghai during the second year of the Global Masters in Management exposed me to so many new ways of working”

How can you prepare for a career in global business? For Nina Song, having an understanding of how different cultures operate is crucial – and the GMiM allowed her to gain exactly that with a year in China.

 

My career so far has taken me from Hamburg to Hong Kong and Shanghai. I’ve interned as an M&A Analyst at Jefferies in Hamburg, worked in Business Development for Rocket Internet SE in Hong Kong and am currently based in London with WeWork as their Senior Manager for International Strategy. Working in different cities has helped me develop a global mindset, which has benefitted me greatly when interacting with LBS’s incredibly diverse cohort.

 

The experience of moving from London to Shanghai during the second year of the GMiM exposed me to so many new ways of working. Going through that experience with people I’d spent my first year with was really special and meant we formed an even tighter bond.

 

Having the chance to work in Shanghai early on in my career was an incredibly valuable experience. While there, I was introduced to a member of the alumni community via a professor, and through that individual secured a part-time job as an Investment Analyst Intern at Fosun Group. That role helped me develop a strong understanding of how business practice differs around the world, and also helped me develop my Mandarin skills.

 

My year in China had a massive impact on my career. In my current role at WeWork, I focus on the Chinese market – and I don’t believe I’d be where I am today without the experience gained while studying at Fudan University.

 

The LBS community puts on a wide range of club activities, giving people the opportunity to get to know each other and forge meaningful connections. Informal events like Sundowners, a regular social gathering organised by different LBS clubs, have allowed me to meet senior individuals as well as peers. The chance to connect with other students and alumni in this way has made it easier for me to reach out to them for advice, which in turn helped me build my network.

 

If you take a look at the LBS class directory, you’ll find individuals who are both established and emerging in their fields. Having contact with the professors is also really useful: they’re always open to your ideas and offer impressive levels of care and support (particularly considering they’re globally-recognised leaders within their fields).

 

What sets LBS apart is the sense of community – and one of the things I’m most grateful for is meeting my alumni mentor, Louise Sondergaard MiM2010. She guided me through some of my biggest career decisions and most difficult times, helping me with interview prep and highlighting areas of finance I should pay close attention to. Having such a great support network has been amazing, and we’ve since become really good friends.

 

Learn more about our Global Masters in Management programme.