I’m Yann, a French Doctor of Pharmacy. My life goal is to leave a positive legacy on the Asian healthcare landscape. I want to enhance the quality of patients’ lives through improved access to innovative medical treatments and disease education. This is my story and how CEIBS is helping me to achieve these goals.

My former colleagues at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University.

Home and healthcare

Both of my parents work in healthcare, so growing up I saw the impact that they had on our local community and it inspired me to dedicate my life to improving patients’ quality of life. There are many ways to do this, and in my youth I wanted to explore as many as possible. I became a Doctor of Pharmacy after studying at the University of Strasbourg, but more importantly it gave me valuable opportunities to work in hospitals in China and Singapore. The experience would be a life-changing one and one that led to my goal to make a positive impact on the Asian healthcare landscape.

Marketing my way around the world

To differentiate my skillset, I decided to move into marketing via an MSc in Intelligence Marketing from HEC Paris. After graduating, I renewed my passport and started my career in global marketing for AbbVie, a Pharmaceutical company operating between Paris and Chicago. Working globally within multicultural teams galvanized me and pushed me to expand my international exposure. I then worked as a Sales Representatives for AbbVie in the UK, followed by a position as a Global Brand Manager for Sanofi in Boston. After sometime in this position, I reflected on my goals and realised it was the right time for me to transfer to Asia in order to work towards my life goal.

Me with the former Prime Minister of France and now Distinguished Professor at CEIBS - Dominique de Villepin.

My bridge to Asia – CEIBS

Given my aspirations, I knew an MBA could equip me with the right skills, network, and insight to bring me closer to my goal. With this in mind, I applied and was accepted to three top schools in Asia – namely, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, INSEAD, and CEIBS. While all of them provide top global MBAs with leading professors, speakers, and alumni networks, CEIBS had a unique appeal to me for three reasons:

1. China depth: China is the largest consumer market in the world and its influence is expanding. I firmly believe that the only way for a foreigner to understand a country going through such a dynamic transition as China, is to be there on the ground. The expert talks combined with day-to-day exposure is the only way to obtain the depth of knowledge required to make an impact.

2. The healthcare specialisation: With around 20% of MBAs going on to work in the healthcare industry post-graduation, you feel it is a real priority for the school. There are multiple healthcare related electives, career events, and healthcare club activities.

3. A soft landing: CEIBS provides all the support you need to move to China. The Mandarin classes, the alumni network, and the opportunity to do consulting for a local company are all initiatives I knew could bring me closer to my life goal

On campus with my classmates.

So far at CEIBS

My time at CEIBS has been amazing and has brought me more than I expected. I have had the opportunity to engage with worldwide leaders such as two former French prime ministers, multiple general managers, and a vice president of a top multinational company. I have been able to participate in a global healthcare case competition at Kellogg and travelled to multiple locations in Asia with the school. Finally, CEIBS is not just about the MBA, it is about people. Our batch has a great diversity of backgrounds, origins, and industries. But diversity alone is not what make my batch amazing – it is the way we come together. People are mixed and willing to share their differences and help each other. Thanks to them, I’m now closer to my goal.