About
Name: Wee Lee Sim
Nationality: Malaysian
Programme: MBA 2012
Education: BA Economics, Messiah University, USA
Current role: Director, Financial Planning & Analysis at CAA-GBG Global Brand Management Group, London, UK
Pre-MBA role: Director, Getaways, Groupon, Malaysia
What stood out for you in the academics?
One of the biggest lessons I learned during the MBA was in my management practice class. The thing I hear over and over in my head is “my world is not your world” – different people approach a problem or situation differently, whether it’s because they work in a different function or they come from a different culture. That really made me stop and think every time I’m in a meeting with different people from, say, marketing or from our American or Chinese office, it’s to, first of all, understand where each person comes from a cultural and personality perspective and try to address their needs in a way that is more collaborative.
Tell us about your pre-MBA career.
Just before the MBA, I worked at Groupon and I was the Director of sales for one of the verticals there. In that role, I was managing a team of 5 and we were tasked with going out and meeting with hotels, travel agencies and airlines to negotiate packages that we would then promote on the Groupon website.
Prior to that role, I was in investment banking and corporate finance in Malaysia. I moved to Groupon because I had been in a very corporate role, and I wanted to see what it would be like to work in a startup in the tech sector.
How has the MBA influenced your career journey in general?
I was interested in using the MBA to pivot into the retail and consumer goods sector. When I arrived in Cambridge, I had my finance, sales and business development experience, but I wanted to learn more about other parts of being a complete business person, such as marketing and operations.
I went to recruitment sessions for these types of companies. One of my classmates, who used to work for Li & Fung, told me about a programme they were running called the Programme for Management Development. This was a good programme for me because, coming from a banking background, I didn’t know anything about how things were sourced, made, and sold.
How has your career progressed since the MBA?
For a year after you join the programme, you are rotated to different divisions within the Li & Fung Group, and ultimately you then choose a placement within one of the different companies that the Group owns.
Initially I started with the division called Global Brands Group.
What was the most useful lesson you learned from your MBA experience?
Many MBAs after graduation will be working in cross functional roles and you have to empathise and communicate with people very different from yourself. Do that well and you will be successful.