Changemakers: Sarah Yang

Who inspires you? Someone who represents conventional success – a business guru maybe, or a visionary entrepreneur? Or perhaps a political orator, philosopher or great writer? For Sarah Yang MBA2011, inspiration is much closer to home: her grandmother is the most motivational presence in her life.

“My grandmother, who eventually made her way to Canada, was born and raised in a small village in China with no access to education. When I was starting out in my career, it struck me that I wanted to do something to help people like her.”

The realisation that she had a calling, however, didn’t come to Yang instantly. There was some joining of the dots to do first: “It wasn’t until I was actually making my application to do my MBA at London Business School that I understood what it was that I really wanted to do with my life,” she says. “When you’re writing your personal statement, you’re asked what it is that motivates you and I asked myself that question. The answer was that I wanted to help people like my grandmother have access to the kinds of opportunities that I’ve had.”

It is a mission that has galvanised and shaped her career from that moment. Straight after graduating from LBS in 2011, she headed to Shanghai, where she met her business partner and launched MNE Creations, a gamification business making educational apps for high-school children and university students.

“I had the idea from the start of my time at LBS. Gamification as a concept was starting to take off and, from a business perspective, China felt like a really good developing market. What propelled me from idea to action and really empowered me to go for it as an entrepreneur was the understanding that usually the only thing that’s holding you back is you.”