“Always Be Passionate” Brian Liu, Senior Vice President at Lazada
Brian Liu shares his career pathway and experience as a consultant in a CareerChat.
by Steven Yu
Nowadays, pre-university students experience great pressure, so much so that many students worry about their university course selection and relevant career choice before they’ve even graduated. The Senior Vice President at Lazada, Brian Liu, was invited to CareerChat as a speaker to share his career pathway with a number of pre-university students who were concerned about their future careers. Brian told us the story of how he got the chance to step in at his first job, as a consultant, from National Service, and how he transited into the second part of his career.
To Brian, consulting has been a rewarding experience that supported his leadership and investigation skills. He was introduced to his first company while acting as a consultant from the army. He’d had the chance to show his understanding of business and economics to an external consultant and when he’d finished his National Service, the consultant offered Brian a place in his company. He worked as a consultant for 10 years, showing his persistence and passion for the work.
“Continue to do your best and continue to be curious about it. People will notice what you are passionate about and excellent at.”
Speaking of consulting, MBB or as known as the Big Three (McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company) are consulting companys that he’d definitely be willing to work in. MBB companies have a high reputation and offer a high salary, however implementation is less tangible, and work-life balance would be a challenge. “It’s all about priority,” said Brian, who highly values personal life and relationships, working with people and youth development.
When asked how to choose university majors, Brian suggested that if one does not have a major in mind, to go for something general like business management, which would apply to many areas. Brian also indicated the importance of CCAs and work experiences which would later support your skills in the workplace.
Working in the same area for a decade has not been boring, the work is changeable, allowing him to tackle different projects and meet all sorts of people. “Consulting is all about fieldwork: collecting data, holding interviews, and providing them to the clients,” said Brian. From this working experience, he was able to experience many things and exercise strategies from clients in senior leadership from private sectors like Lego and Facebook.
Eventually, he discovered what he loved…
Brian has always strived to be a leader. After working as a consultant for 10 years, Brian moved to a new company, Bose, where he joined HR to organize people and develop their talents. Brian found new enjoyment working on people development, customer experience, and leadership. After carrying out a few HR projects in Bose, he gained expertise and reputation and moved to Lazada where he continues to build talent. He works to uplift people, invest in training and develop workers, even going above and beyond to help the community and build talents and skills outside of Lazada. According to Brian, his previous work as a consultant has played a significant role in his current role.
It was not easy at all for Brian to reach his position today. Choosing the right direction and making smart decisions are imperative for young people to pursue their dream job.
As Brian said, “Continue to do your best and continue to be curious about it. People will notice what you are passionate about and excellent at.” Become an expert in the area you’re passionate about and people will notice you. Always consider how you might connect your passions to the digital world and create a positive impact on the community.
Steven is a rising 11th grade student at United World College Southeast Asia (Singapore).
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