MGI People

Nowadays, we are increasingly witnessing women exerting their influence by dedicating themselves to STEMM, contributing significantly to advancements and progress in these fields. As International Women’s Day (IWD) approaches, we stand in solidarity with the IWD 2024 initiative “Inspire Inclusion” by celebrating women’s achievements.

In this spirit, we are excited to present an exclusive interview with Chloe Wang, the Business Development Manager at MGI APAC. With over two decades of dedication to the life sciences and a keen expertise in the Korean market, she shared her invaluable perspectives on the pivotal role of women in science and offered practical advice for women striving for success in their respective roles.

Q: Would you please introduce yourself and your work at MGI?

After completion of Ph.D., I’ve been building up my career in Life Science, Clinical Diagnostics, and global pharma company for over 20 years. I’ve started as an application scientist then moved to commercial positions as a marketing manager, sales manager, and managing director, and expanded my career to the Pharma & Diagnostic field. I’ve launched world first-in-class comprehensive liquid biopsy test for cancer patients for Korea and Taiwan as a country leader. So, I can introduce myself as a WOMEN healthcare professional.

Q: What motivates you to pursue a career in a biology-related field?

My father is a thoracic surgeon. I once heard the heartbeat of a girl who had a congenital heart disease. I was about 10 years old and the leaking air sound of the heartbeat from a pale young girl was very shocking to me. After heart transplantation, seeing her healthy face smiling brightly and running freely, I decided that when I grow up, I want to become a person who can contribute to the treatment of diseases and promote healthy and quality life. As I grew up closely observing the treatment process of patients, I naturally began my career in healthcare field.

Q: After receiving your PhD in Pathology, you first worked as a senior researcher and then took the role of business development. From your perspective, what’s the difference between the 2 roles, and what drives you to switch?

A shift to commercial role from a background in laboratory science can be quite difficult, as both fields require very different skillsets. As a medical laboratory scientist, I already had a good understanding of medical & biology field, which can be helpful in making a successful transition. However, I needed to develop new skills to do well in commercial field such as marketing myself with products, developing relationships with customers, and understanding the technology while staying alert for new cutting-edge technology and trends. Nevertheless, at that time, I wanted to escape from my tiny friends such as tissue, cell, and molecules which can be seen through microscope, meet people, develop relationships with them, and feel the lively atmosphere of the frontline real world.

Q: You joined MGI as a business development manager last year. What’s your finest moment as a role of business development manager in MGI? If possible, could you share one case you’ve been proud of?

I’ve been pouring my energy into national population genome project, and on this work I met my old customer again almost after 15 years. He is now leading one of the promising genomics service labs in Korea, and I am very excited that we can create and develop this project to be helpful for the development of both companies based on long and solid mutual trust that we’ve built up for over a decade.

Q: As a business development manager, how has your work contributed to the success of partnership? Could you please share with us one case to elaborate it?

Open communication is the backbone of any effective partnership. Each party depends on the other to stay informed. It is better to overcommunicate and be transparent than to keep one another in the dark and surprised or confused if an issue arises. It is also important to take your commitments seriously; if you have promised something by a certain day and time, then you must meet that deadline. Transparency and reliability build trust and credibility which further fosters communication between partners. You cannot imagine how many chat windows there are with each customer on my Kakao Talk, WhatsApp, and WeChat.

Q: Many people say that teamwork always contributes to success. Is there any unforgettable moment with your team members behind the successful partnership? If yes, could you please share one story?

I was an individual BD in the country until last year. And without team members behind, I could not do anything. Casey has been a good mentor for the direction and strategy, Shirley has been a knowledge bank and a good supporter for all promotion and proposal, now as a channel manager, Tommy has been a firm supporter for channel business as well as a mentor and a friend. Korea office will stop without Renee and Cici. So I can say that there is no individual contributor.

Q: I believe your insights would be valuable for us as you are a Korean market expert with over 20 years of experience. Could you please share with us how you see the development of sequencing market in South Korea?

In Korea, genomic medicine is a fast-growing and popular field; genomic research, genetic testing and precision medicine, and direct-to-consumer genetic testing are significant areas of policy attention. In terms of genomic research, Korea has one of the biggest biobanks in the world. Genetic testing is widespread and increasing, both for hereditary (mostly infant) diseases, and following cancer diagnoses for personalized treatment. A regulatory framework has been developed for these tests, but quality assurance of private testing laboratories and training for health professionals are less well-developed. Most importantly, health coverage does not appear to be keeping pace with demand from patients and clinicians, and the cost-effectiveness of widespread use of genetic testing for personalized treatment (in particular cancer) does not appear to have been established. The area which generates the most concern when it comes to genomic medicine in Korea is the booming field of direct-to-consumer genetic tests.

Q: What do you think are the advantages for women to do business development jobs?

I put this perspective with a question mark and approach it with extreme caution. Can being a woman offer some advantage in the acquisition of cumulative knowledge? The caution here is due precisely to the opinions highlighted in the Veracity Perspective, those attitudes that have been abused by men of power since antiquity and have recently become more common in various spots across the world. These opinions contend that women have a unique type of intelligence that is emotional and relational, that they are biologically prepared for raising children, and that their “natural” place as nurturers is the kitchen. Suggesting that women, as a group, may do science differently is shooting us in the foot.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing women in business development of a science-related field, and how do you overcome it?

Women must build the confidence to speak up. Despite advances in gender equality, women still experience cultural inequitable gaps in the workplace. Workplace culture for women will have four core factors that support the development of an enabling workplace culture: (1) respectful communication in the workplace, (2) a supportive and affirming environment, (3) a culturally competent environment, and (4) a workplace that values work-life balance.

Q: I notice that you are well-known for your excellent job in building and maintaining relations with customers and colleagues. Would you mind sharing some tactics on how you approach networking and building relationships with potential clients and partners?

Stay tuned and do your RESEARCH! Never reach out to a new connection without researching their interests, unmet needs, and accomplishments first. Before I reach out, I always dig into the work of the person I’m reaching out to. It can be their recent research, projects, publications, and of course prizes and promotions. Reference an effort-based accomplishment they made as specifically as possible and then ask them a question about it. Talk to them about THEM. In reality, other people are not thinking about you; they’re thinking about themselves. Remember this when you talk to them. Discuss their problems, passions, and general interests, not your own. Then the next step for networking is all about following up in small doses. It should not be massive “take” emails once or daily, and it should be “give” emails every week or two. You can also give in other small ways like consistently commenting on professional articles and social media pages. Slowly, connections will grow. Lastly, do think about “trading value”. The only way to get major value from others is to offer major value back. They need a reason. Of course, this doesn’t mean that people won’t be nice to you or do small things for you for no reason. It just means that they are too busy trying to advance their own careers and interests to be overly concerned with yours. Hence do consider “customer value” and give it back to them.

Q: From your point of view, what kinds of efforts still need to be made for an improved and optimized women-friendly working environment?

Despite advocacy, policies, and advances in gender equality over the past decades, women still experience inequitable gaps in STEMM. The fact that the proportion of women who have advanced to high-level positions in organizations, academic societies, etc., is “once in a blue moon” shows how strong the barriers of ‘glass ceiling’ and ‘leaky pipeline’ are. Gender bias faced during appointments, promotion and career improvement opportunities as well as harassment, biased evaluation by peers along with familial responsibilities could cause increased stress to women in STEMM. In most societies, women, by default, have to assume caregiver roles for circumstances such as child-care, elderly-care and during any sickness in the family. This role could affect the female scientists’ work performance. Financial support from family, household management, safe childcare facilities, flexible work timings to accommodate family duties and support from fellow female researchers can help female scientists achieve work-life balance. Certain workplaces have flexible working conditions such as working from home and flexi time, which allows women to address work and family issues. It is imperative that organizations pay attention to making workplaces conducive for female scientists.

Q: Your experience is convincing evidence that women can do just as well as men in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine). What advice would you give to women who want to achieve in STEMM?

I think that the conditions for leadership begin with ‘followership.’ What I always emphasized to juniors or team members is, “Become a person who is essential to the organization you belong to, anytime, anywhere.” To become a great female scientist, you must have not only expertise as a scientist, but also holistic virtues such as momentum, negotiation, and organizational management skills. I tried to live by building trust with the people around me without regard for interests. I believe that sincerity, honesty, and trust are the three virtues for living well in this world. “For her to become a great scientist, she must first become a great person.”

Q: Aside from work, what do you do in your spare time?

I am a professional dog walker. I have two large dogs, standard poodles. In the beginning, I started walking for the health of my dogs, but now I have fallen in love with the pleasure of walking. The moment I step out the door, walking becomes a tool to familiarize myself with the present moment and switch off what’s swirling in our head. It is good for relaxation and refreshing.

Q: Can you share the coolest thing you ever did in your daily life?

It is when I reached the fitness club at sharp 8:30pm after calling it a day for eliminating stockpile on my belly during COVID-19. Despite the demanding day I passed, when I achieve this humble feat, I feel proud of myself as I could keep a promise made to myself, despite the temptation of my wine cellar with delicious food and lovely friends! This moment assures me of the potential willpower that none, of course, wants to lose!