Food Valley Ambassador from China
Name: Shu Ye (female)
Nationality: Chinese
Year of birth: 1987
Education and work experience:
• MSc Food Technology - Dairy Science and Technology, Wageningen UR
• BSc in Food Science and Engineering at China Agricultural University (2006.9-2010.7)
• Research Assistant at Mars Food (China) (2009.7-2009.9)
Knowledge of languages:
Chinese (mother tongue) and English
About China
In China there is a mushrooming market for foreign food products or technical support, e.g. infant formula and other dairy products. Plenty of raw materials of good quality are available. In China, we have a rapidly growing number of highly qualified people with international exposure. Networking is extremely important.
Personal note:
I chose to study abroad because I wanted to experience a different education style and way of thinking. Plus, I wished to experience a different culture and communicate with people from various backgrounds. In addition, I knew that work experience in a foreign business culture could offer me great advantages in my future career.
I chose Dairy Science and Technology because I am interested in this field. Actually, I did all my Bachelor research and my thesis in the Dairy Laboratory at my university. Besides, the Netherlands is famous for its advanced dairy science and technology. Drawing from this world-class knowledge, I would like to pursue more experience in this field.
In my four years of undergraduate education in Food Science and Technology at China Agricultural University, I gained a solid background in food-related subjects such as food chemistry, food microbiology, food engineering and human nutrition.
When I first saw the Food Valley Ambassador Program online, I knew this was just what I wanted: a year-long internship at an interesting food company, being responsible for an independent project, getting trained in both research and business, and great opportunities to acquire other skills in the food business. All of these aspects are quite valuable with regard to my ambition: growing into a senior manager at a food corporation or starting my own business in this field.
My own expectations for the Food Valley Ambassador program are:
To learn how to develop a research project independently so as to solve real-world problems in the industry.
To improve my business and communication skills and to become familiar with western, and especially Dutch, business culture.
To broaden my network in the food business.
To make contact not only with multinational companies, but also with local Dutch companies so I can gain an understanding of how they conduct business, with an eye to introducing them to the Chinese market.