Maggie Feng’s Session Launches the ‘Meet the #WittenborgFamily’ Series

With the goal of providing students with useful information and inspiring insights, Wittenborg has launched a new initiative named ‘Meet the #WittenborgFamily’, consisting of a series of guest lectures.

The first session was delivered by the school’s CEO Maggie Feng on 13 September to 55 bachelor’s students from the International Business Administration (IBA) and Hospitality Business Administration (HBA) programmes. The activity was organised within the modules Intercultural Management, taught by Myra Qiu, and Marketing Research, taught by Vanessa Menezes.

During the one-hour session, which took place at the Spoorstraat building, Feng addressed, in an interconnected way, the topics of intercultural communication, leadership and business strategy. Based on her personal and professional experiences, she discussed the importance of self-awareness and authenticity, the role of sensory intelligence in leadership, why one should overcome fear and step up to challenges and how to understand your customers, among other subjects.

According to Wittenborg’s CEO, the guest lecture was a great way to engage with students. “Leadership in intercultural and international environments dominates my daily work, so this was an amazing opportunity to share my personal experience and give some tips to students.”

Feng added that the ‘Meet the #WittenborgFamily’ series will feature other guest lectures targeted at both bachelor’s and master’s students. “Many of our core team members have experience of living and studying abroad. We will make space for these close-by role models to engage with students, and also invite guest speakers from outside of Wittenborg.”

Process & Quality Manager Myra Qiu, who teaches the module Intercultural Management, commented that Feng’s philosophy combines a grounded sense of self, keen sensory perception, courage to overcome challenges and strategic business acumen.

“This way, Maggie offers a blueprint for succeeding in a multicultural and global environment. Her insights provide valuable lessons for anyone looking to lead diverse teams or expand business across borders,” Qiu highlighted.

Phase 1 IBA student Sixuan Zhang, specialising in Logistics & International Trade, said that she really enjoyed participating in the activity. “Maggie came in with incredible energy. She spoke openly about topics that all of us international students can relate to and brought us comfort by emphasising that Wittenborg is accepting of all different cultures and nationalities. We can learn a lot from her.”

WUP 4/10/2023
by Ulisses Sawczuk©WUAS Press