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After receiving his undergraduate degree from Xi'An Jiaotong University in 1996, Xiaodong Zhang spent 12 years gaining career experience in an international landscape, from marketing and sales to IT and business process management.
Upon graduation, Zhang started out as a product engineer in manufacturing where he acquired extensive practical knowledge in resource planning. Three years later, he joined an agency that offered services to governmental projects. Here he established excellent connections with customers and governmental organizations, while assisting foreign investors with technical discussions and business negotiations.
In 2000, Zhang leveraged his experience in manufacturing resource planning and project management, becoming an account manager in a startup consulting firm. Within this small but dynamic team, his tasks ranged from marketing to sales and consulting, though his main task was to provide advisory services and solutions on accounting systems - a field which was completely new but thoroughly exciting to him. He taught himself accounting principles and practices by reading accounting books and familiarizing himself with the system. Meanwhile, Zhang developed his IT skills by managing the office's IT system and built credibility by achieving the certification of Microsoft Certified System Engineer and Citrix Certified Administrator.
Next, Zhang joined the China operations of Bucyrus International Inc. where he was employed as an IT manager. He was the only IT employee and was responsible for all IT and communication systems and equipment, PCs and servers, LANs and internetworking, ERP and financial report design. With the complete overview of all business aspects and understanding of the whole IT system, Zhang was able to provide advice from different perspectives and deliver solutions quickly and effectively, which lead to high user satisfaction. Later, due to business growth, the company increased IT manpower by contracting an IT engineer, whom Zhang took under his wing to lead and coach.
In 2006, Zhang was nominated to be part of an international developmental program and was offered the opportunity to relocate to Bucyrus International's Euro-Asia headquarters in Germany. He joined a team of 15 members who managed more than 1,000 PCs and various business critical applications like SAP and Pro/Engineer. Zhan was given the chance to select one function - IT infrastructure or application, and it was then that he realized he had deep passion for both.
As the only Chinese employee in the company's Germany branch, the next two years broadened Zhang's horizon significantly, as he was constantly confronted by the stark differences between fast-developing and well-developed organizations, and the different cultures.
These differences allowed Zhang to realize that running a management consulting and IT outsourcing firm in China - targeting multinational companies - would integrate his past experience, interests and strengths. He determined that an MBA from the SMU Cox School of Business - and additional working experience in a top consulting firm - will pave the way to his long-term goal of setting up a business specializing in management consulting and IT outsourcing.
"An MBA education at Cox will contribute to my career goal by offering systematic education in finance, accounting, operation management and IT, all of which would complement the practical knowledge that I have acquired so far and develop me into an all-rounded professional," said Zhang. "For example, in ITOM concentration, I will learn to manage information technology strategically, support data-driven decision making, and improve business operations."
Zhang says the Cox school's small, private-school environment and renowned faculty offer lots of opportunity for international students to interact with the professors and American classmates. He is also excited about the SMU Cox Associate Board Mentor Program.
"Looking back on my own career development and the successful outcome of my coaching to Bucyrus' contracted IT engineer, I became aware of the significant effects of a mentor," he said. "Additionally, SMU Cox demonstrates its commitment to students and globalization through activities like the international exchange program, which helps international students improve their language skills and culture awareness, and the American Airlines Global Leadership Program."
Zhang's willingness and ability to think and act globally will be enhanced by studying in the USA and more specifically, in the Dallas/Fort Worth area which boasts most of the Fortune 500 companies located within the region. Therefore, SMU Cox was the natural fit to help make his dreams come true. Zhang will graduate from SMU Cox's full time MBA program in 2010.
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