Yiqun | Senior Consultant, Boston

I was born in China but spent most of my pre-college years in Ohio. During my college years at MIT, I became interested in both pure science and research (hence my pursuit of the Ph.D.) as well as technology entrepreneurship and sustainable development on the global scale. I was involved with research projects in biomaterials, pharmaceuticals and high-throughput combination drug therapies at MIT and at a start-up company in Boston. I explored many business-related extra-curriculars to understand how cutting-edge research from the laboratory could be transferred to the market. It was also during my MIT years that I developed a love for understanding global cultures and the adaptation of technologies for use in underserved communities. I took many trips to China and worked in impoverished communities to identify simple technologies that could be adapted to improve local living conditions. I pursued a Ph.D. to further strengthen my technical expertise, and worked on the development of novel bio-sensors based on liquid crystals.

I decided to pursue consulting following my Ph.D. to expand my horizons and understand why companies succeed or fail. I wanted to understand the main issues companies face in the market today and the thinking that drives the strategic decisions for companies. I joined the Boston office of Roland Berger for its work in corporate strategy, the global reach of the consultants and projects, and its close-knit and entrepreneurial culture.

I have worked on several corporate growth strategy projects for mid-sized chemical companies selling products that range from paper and carpet binders to batteries and magnetic materials. I have been involved with high-level discussions focused on the forward looking strategies of these companies. These projects have taken me on many interesting adventures, including a recent trip to several cities in Germany and ending with a nice vacation in Spain!

My second life outside of consulting is competitive ballroom dancing and related activities such as yoga, pilates, ballet, etc. I spend most of my weekends dancing and hope to become certified in pilates instruction in the next few years!