2021 Best & Brightest EMBAs: Dr. Peter Tien Ying Lee, University of Oxford (Säid)

Dr. Peter Tien Ying Lee, MD

Säid Business School, University of Oxford

Age: 44

I like to be around people, fast learner, creative ideas, sensitive and generous.”

Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan

Family Members: Married with one daughter & one son

Fun fact about yourself:

* Love music, played piano since 5, passed Grade 10 (highest level) Piano Certification from Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada, write and compose music, and was once signed by record company to release an album.

* Recorded 2 hole-in-ones in my 20 years of golfing career

Undergraduate School & Degree: China Medical University (Taiwan), School of Medicine, M.D.

Where are you currently working?

Vice Chairman of CHC Healthcare Group, Taiwan

Superintendent / Director of Yee Zen General Hospital

(In charge of daily operation, strategic planning, and business expansion for both entities)

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work & Leaderships:

Extracurricular activities: cycling, golfing

Community work: Volunteer at elderly care facilities, run free clinics at rural areas and to local tribes in the mountains with our hospital

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Due to the pandemic, all our classes are now online, and we are still only at the beginning few modules. As a result, there are no extracurricular activities available at this moment. In terms of academic achievements, I am quite proud that I was able to use many of the concepts learned in classes and apply them to real world situations with positive results. For example, we expanded leadership styles, started difficult conversations, and tried to incorporate innovation and lead change. Along with the help of my personal coach, I was able to obtain the skill set required and grow to be a better leader.

What achievement are you the most proud of in your professional career?

* Took 2 medical device companies public (listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange Market) within the past 10 years.

* Turned around a local, declining hospital into a profitable one, and one of the most trusted hospitals in Taoyuan.

* Selected in 2019 by CEO Asia magazine as the “Leading Biotech / Healthcare CEO in Asia.”

* Awarded as the “2019 Young Entrepreneur and Leader of the Year” by Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

* Most proud of still being able to save many lives when working as an infectious disease physician at Mackay Memorial Hospital.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite MBA professor is James Taylor from Analytics. James has the ability to turn those dry and complicated theories and concepts into simple terms so that they are easy to grasp and absorb. In addition, the material/information his not only well-organized, but also easy to follow, making the course more comprehensible even for someone without any analytic background like me. Therefore, I considered him as my favorite MBA professor so far.

Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program? Since my family moved to England in 2019, I have been visiting them regularly every 2-3 months. Therefore, when I was looking for an EMBA program, I looked for schools in the UK. Since Oxford is one of the most renowned universities in the world, it was just intuitive to start from there. I saw from the website that the program emphasis was on thinking entrepreneurially, being a strategic leader, and being able to cope with global complexity, which are exactly the capabilities I was looking to enhance. Combined with a suitable class schedule, it was just an easy decision.

What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA and how did you apply it at work? Leading change from leadership classes. Since I am also trying to lead change in my own organization, I was able to apply much of the knowledge I have learned in real situations like determining the speed of change, analyzing resistance, and setting short-term goals to sustain the moment of change.

Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family and education? It has been extremely difficult the past couple months with my father having an eye operation, and therefore unable to participate in many of our business operations and meetings. I had to step-in and fill his multiple roles in addition to my daily job. With my family back from the UK due to COVID, it has been extremely hard to manage study, work and spending time with family at the same time. Fortunately, with the help of my wonderful study group, I was able to hang in there, juggle it through and just barely made it.

What is the biggest myth about going back to school? You think you have passed the 20s and should be able to have an easier time studying. The fact is, it is even more difficult when you are in the 40s. Finding the balance between work, home, and school — and with a decreased memorizing capability — you really need to put in the hard work and effort required to succeed in school.

What was your biggest regret in business school? Due to the COVID situation, we had to have all of our lessons online (at least so far), so I was not able to meet all my cohorts in person. There are just so many talented people in our group, whom I wish we could have more time to get to know each other and really connect face to face.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Mario Chan. As an older member of our cohort, Mario just had so much knowledge and many field experiences in business, and he always shared many of his valuable experiences willingly with us when we were having discussions in class, to try to help us learn even more.

What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? Even though I am based in Taiwan, I visited the UK very often to see my family. Since I am in the UK already, I thought it was more worthwhile to choose an EMBA where I could meet with professors and cohort members in person to learn from them through various interactions, and at the same time re-live and experience university life again.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I want to be able to think entrepreneurially, continue to drive change and innovation in my organization, and to be better equipped as a leader capable of facing any of the challenges in the future.

What made Peter such an invaluable addition to the class of 2021?

“Peter is a thoughtful member of the EMBA class and his engagement has served as an inspiration to all of us. He is passionate about using his extensive real-life experience and his EMBA studies to innovate. Peter showed his passion for this during the pandemic when he quickly saw the need to invest in PPE equipment production. He focused on providing high quality medical grade face masks, whilst addressing the wider need for these he also kindly donated some to schools. His medical and healthcare expertise have been especially valuable to the class in the current context and his dedication to finding ways to make the best possible healthcare affordable is commendable.”

Bettina Kosiel
Executive MBA Programme Director

 

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