QS World Merit MBA Leadership Scholarship: 2022 winner

Wharton is one of the most diversity-focused business schools globally, with a number of organisations and initiatives focused on increasing gender inclusivity in business. As this scholarship will help towards my Wharton tuition, it will give me the opportunity to engage with the school’s efforts, including the Wharton Women in Business club, which actively seeks to promote gender inclusivity in business. 

At the time I left DiDi, I was Head of Strategy for new launches of the food delivery business in South America. In addition, I volunteered as the lead for our Women’s Employee Resource Group. These positions gave me the opportunity to both lead and learn from other cross-functional leaders.  

To me, a good leader is someone with empathy, strategic vision combined with execution ability, and a growth mindset. These key traits allow a good leader to put themselves in their team’s shoes and lead by example, while continuously learning from others. 

I started my career on the trading floor of an investment bank in Hong Kong, where most of our desk heads were male. Later on at DiDi in Latin America, less than 40 percent of operations staff were women. My advice for women in male-dominated environments is to recognise and hone their unique strengths. For example, women are often better able to seek consensus.  

Starting in DiDi as the only female Product Operations Manager leading feature ideation for our food delivery driver app in Latin America, I found that I was more effective than many male peers in obtaining the cross-functional support needed from product, engineering, and operations teams to roll out new features. 

Write about a genuine experience that showcases your connection to the SDG or cause you selected. Brainstorm by yourself or even with colleagues and partners you’ve worked with. I think students who try to force a connection will have a hard time approaching this scholarship, as the essay has a tough prompt that makes you think about your impact and how it truly contributes to SDGs.