Xu Xuan graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting and Management from Nottingham University Business School China (NUBS China) in 2013, and gained her Master’s Degree in Management with a Specialism in Entrepreneurship from Cass Business School in 2014. Cass is among Europe’s leading business schools and in the global elite of business schools. After graduation, Xuan worked for KPMG Dubai as a Senior Associate Auditor, and qualified as a chartered accountant of ICAEW, which is Europe’s largest professional accountancy body. She joined the Dubai subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC) as an Associate Senior Manager in 2018. ICBC is one of the four largest banks in China. Part of the United Arab Emirates, the city of Dubai is one of the richest economies of the world.
During her time at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), Xuan achieved excellent grades and won many scholarships. In the second semester of her third year, she went to the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands studying Finance and Economics as an exchange student. In her fourth year, she was elected president of the Young Volunteers Association (YVA) at UNNC, leading over 100 student members and more than 1000 volunteers to organise and participate in volunteer activities both at home and abroad. At graduation, she was given the “University Excellent Student of Zhejiang Province” award.
Xuan is excellent in character, grades and abilities. She is always curious about the world, going on exchange to the Netherlands, completing her master’s degree in the UK and pursuing her career in Dubai. In this interview, alumna Xu Xuan shares stories about her studies and career with us.
“My days at UNNC were very enjoyable”
In 2009, Xuan, who is from Shandong province, was admitted into NUBS China because of her excellent performance in the National College Entrance Examination (also known as 'Gaokao'). At that time, NUBS China was only open for five years. According to her, choosing such a young and unique School was a bold but wise decision. “I have always wanted to go abroad to see the big world at some stage in my life. My parents advised me not to go abroad so early, but foster a more mature worldview, outlook on life, and values in China. So a friend who was at UNNC recommended this University to me. After some research, my parents thought that rather than apply for a traditional university in China, it would be better to choose a novel university, which focuses a lot on the development of students, and provides more opportunity to unlock my potential. Their support was a strong motivation for me to choose UNNC. And now looking back, it was a very wise choice, because my days at UNNC were very enjoyable. Even now, some words said by the teachers still ring in my ears. Their ways of doing things and experiences have also inspired me a lot.”
“UNNC gives students a very unique opportunity to help them adapt to both a foreign and domestic environment after graduation. For example, all the things I learned at UNNC have enabled me to adapt well to the working and learning environment abroad. Compared with foreign universities, UNNC’s widespread alumni network at home provides more support for students who are working in China.”
Xuan also participated in an exchange programme between UNNC and the University of Amsterdam. Instead of going to British universities which most exchange students chose to do, she became one of the first cohorts of UNNC students to go to Amsterdam, where she did not know anyone. However, she said, it was not a lonely journey because she learned a lot and met many outstanding schoolmates. To maximise the value of this exchange, she explored many places, walked around, engaged with the locals and joined in a variety of interesting activities. This experience inspired her a lot and gave her the idea of going abroad to do her postgraduate study.
At UNNC, Xuan did well both in her studies and extracurricular activities. She served as the President of the YVA at UNNC, and organised many volunteer activities at home and abroad. The volunteering scope of the organisation includes nursing homes, schools for children of migrant workers, disabled people organisations, stray dog and cat charities, international and domestic competitions and conferences, etc. “I worked in the YVA for four years, and it was a very rewarding experience. It played an important role in improving my abilities and cultivating my worldview, outlook on life and values. I got to know a lot of people with similar ideals and beliefs there, who are still my very good friends and we keep in touch over the years to support and encourage each other. Those friendships are very precious to me.”
Career in Dubai
When Xuan was at Cass, an alumna Wang Xiaojin posted that KPMG Dubai was recruiting Chinese people to help with its business in China. “I was curious about Dubai at that time. I was young, so I thought I could handle the risk of exploring such a strange city.” She submitted her CV, passed a series of interviews and joined KPMG in Dubai as an auditor in the financial services sector. “Some media outlets exaggerate the luxurious life in Dubai. In fact, most people here lead ordinary lives. I think it’s like Shanghai, just an international metropolis. After visiting here, my parents also said it’s a pleasant city.” With the help of training courses provided by KPMG, Xuan obtained the ACA-ICAEW (Associate Chartered Accountant-The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) qualification, and was awarded the highest performing student in the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia Region) region by ICAEW in 2018. Now Xuan is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 3 candidate.
In 2018, Xuan left KPMG and was hired by ICBC Dubai as a Finance Manager. “As a Chinese company going abroad, it is at a pioneering stage like a start-up, where the atmosphere is full of energy and enthusiasm. On the whole, it is growing and expanding in an orderly way due to its mature system.” Besides her career development, another reason for joining ICBC is that she wants to try working in a Chinese company. After all, her parents want her to return to China and stay closer. However, this is a big challenge for her because she has been working in Dubai since her graduation, and has gained several competitive advantages there and returning to China means that she has to start again. However, she always has the courage to choose the right way.
To UNNCers
When we talk about various cerfiticates training, Xuan said that she decided to join the ACA programme not only due to KPMG’s encouragement and support, but also because of her need for lifelong learning. “Keep learning even after graduation. We need to constantly update our knowledge and skills because the working environment is changing rapidly. It’s not just a certificate — what really matters is that you learn something and get inspired.” Xuan does not think it is good to sacrifice studies at university to participate in certificate-related training courses. “The certificate is just the icing on the cake,” she said, “to be honest, a lot of knowledge required by the ACA programme is included in UNNC’s curriculum. If you have spare time at university, you can pay more attention to extracurricular activities and internships. Internships are great trial and error opportunities to identify your interests, ambitions, and abilities, etc. You may get lost if you miss those opportunities. Take me as an example, I felt a bit anxious when graduation was approaching — I was doing my master’s, and all of a sudden I had to choose a job.”
Xuan also mentioned that for business school students, besides directly going to a graduate school after graduation, working for some time and then joining a master’s programme is also a good choice. “If you go back to university after getting some work experience and understanding what you really need at work, then you’ll face your programme more maturely, and you can learn much more from it.”
Explore what you are curious about and strive for what you want. Not afraid of the unknown and challenges, Xuan has made brave attempts and creates her own wonderful life. Best wishes to Xu Xuan!