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领 导 力 连 线 Leaders’ Connection“Work Experience Enriched My Career”— An Exclusive Interview with Rachel Duan, Presidentand CEO of GE Healthcare Greater ChinaBefore shifting to a new position, she has always considered how the new position would fit into her long term career plan.Some positions may be the same “band” or even be considered a demotion in terms of job title but Rachel would still pursue theopportunity because the experience gained aligns with her long-term plans.“Having the global perspective and local experience allowed me to be the bestcandidate for President and CEO of GE Healthcare Greater China.”In January 2012 during the annual GE Global LeadershipMeeting, GE Healthcare China received the Chairman’s Awardfor “Best Overall Business Performance.” On behalf of her team,Rachel Duan, President and CEO of GE Healthcare Greater China,accepted the prestigious award from Jeff Immelt. The awardis the culmination of hard work and effort of the team at GEHealthcare China, and it also exemplifies the great things Rachelhas accomplished in her first year as president. We recentlyhad an exclusive interview with Rachel to learn more about thesecrets of her success and career development.“I’m not quite sure about all the things Ireally want in life, but I know exactly whatI don’t want.”After completing her college degree in the United States in 1996,Rachel joined GE’s Audit Department, highly regarded as apromising opportunity thanks to the department’s reputation forproviding the groundwork for future chief financial officers withinGE. While Rachel seemed headed on the right path to becominga CFO, after several years of working in the department she lostinterest in finance. “At that time, I didn’t have a clear plan aboutmy career path, but my experience told me - and I was very clearin my mind - that I was not interested in finance, so I pursuedanother career path. As our careers develop, we are all facedwith uncertainties and confusion. Before making crucial choices,I recommend listening to your heart and following your gut. Ifyou really aren’t enjoying something, then stop doing it and findsomething new to try.”After making her big decision, Rachel left the Audit Department in2000, going on to serve as the Quality Leader for GE Plastics AsiaPacific. The new position allowed her to learn more about GE’soperational process for various business divisions along with theopportunity to provide advice on how to improve their operations.“As a quality leader, I was required to communicate and workwith different business units. Often I worked independently andreally had to rely on myself and my own abilities in order toinfluence others in a clear and persuasive manner. In the end,this was good for me because it allowed me to build up my ownset of leadership skills.” During this time, Rachel found a newcareer path to pursue: managing a business unit. Her previousexperience had allowed her to accumulate ample knowledge onfinance and operation, but this knowledge was not enough andshe felt she needed to learn more about sales and marketing. Dueto her career development needs, she returned to China in 2002and was put in charge of sales and marketing at GE Plastics. Overthe next three years, she pursued her goal and was promotedto General Manager for the polymer business in the Asia Pacificregion.“Each new job allowed me to learn moreand build on my skills and abilities.”From auditing to quality management to sales and marketing,Rachel’s career path has not followed a set path. But eachexperience along the way has helped her to gain a unique setof skills that have proven invaluable. “I think everyone shoulddevelop a long term career plan. Identify your strengths andweaknesses, and seek out fresh opportunities to learn newthings. One’s current position at a company or in a businessunit is the least important aspect of a job.” In Rachel’s opinion,each of her past working experiences has been a cornerstoneto her career development by helping to refine her capabilities.Rachel resigned from Momentive Performance Materials of Greater China in 2010 where she had been the CEO of the company, andcame back to GE as President and CEO of GE Healthcare Greater China. From the plastics industry to healthcare, Rachel was able toquickly and efficiently shift jobs, overcoming the many challenges because of her advanced management skills acquired from GEglobal and her decade-long experience of working in the Chinese market. As to the reason for switching jobs, Rachel said, “GE is acompany that deserves to have the word ‘great’ tagged onto it. With its international platform, GE fosters leaders by encouragingtalented people to work in different businesses and jobs to diversify their skills. Another reason for staying at GE is I really enjoyworking with people who are diligent, self-motivated, and who have a strong sense of team work.”With Rachel’s return, GE Healthcare China set out with a new, ambitious goal of increasing sales to $3 billion by 2015 and developinga new strategy of serving markets in both high-end and basic levels of healthcare. To reach these goals, Rachel’s team proposed fourmethods: 1) to increase development of ICFC products, 2) optimize the distribution network, 3) rebuild the service model and 4) localizethe supply chain. Apart from creating the business plans and roll out strategies for the company’s growth, Rachelspends half of her working time on talent management. “Having a talented team of employees is the mostimportant and valuable resource at GE. We want to put the right people in the right positions so theyreach their fullest potential. It’s important that we ensure that their career goals and the company’sobjectives are aligned, while making sure they know that their work has value.” Spurred on fromtheir recent Chairman’s Award, Rachel along with more than 6,000 employees in GE HealthcareChina are excited about the prospect of making GE Healthcare China one of the best healthcareenterprises in the world.Duan’s top three keys to success:• Develop your skills• Formulate a long-term career plan• Listen to your heartSome fun facts you may not know about Rachel:• Birth place: Shanghai• Favorite food: Japanese cuisine, Italian food, Huaiyang cuisine• Favorite colors: white, black• Interests: reading and singing51 LIFE at GELIFE at GE 52