GK Alumni Talks | Ten Years·Ten People: Lan Ma

GUANGHUA

10th

Anniversary

2014-2024

KELLOGG

	GK Alumni Talks Lan Ma GK09,Class of 2024

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Guanghua-Kellogg EMBA program (referred to as GK program) in 2024, we reflect on the journey from GK01 to GK10, where our esteemed GKers have consistently made a significant impact with low ego, both in China and on the global stage. Taking this opportunity, we are going to interview 10 distinguished alumni representatives in a special GK Alumni Talk Series. The interview will delve into the enduring legacy of the GK program, management insight, industry foresight, challenges and successes, etc.

Ten Years, Ten People. These ten GKers will form a vivid picture of the GK community, which is also an interpretation of their profound impact on the era.

Today, we shine the spotlight on Ma Lan,  a distinguished student from the GK09 class. As the Vice President of L’Oréal China and General Manager of L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty Division, Ma Lan has been at the helm of innovation and transformation within the beauty industry.

GK Alumni Talks

Lan Ma

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WHO I AM

I'm Angie, my Chinese name is Ma Lan. I'm a GK09, I participated the program in 2022. Today I work in L’Oréal China. I'm the Vice President of L’Oréal China and General Manager of L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty Division.

DISRUPTIVE MINDSET

We want to be the elephant that can jiggle.

Technology, information wise, artificial intelligence wise, I think all of this is going to change beauty industry tremendously. What we see is something that in the end probably change our industry. Maybe it's not creams and jars, and lotions anymore. Maybe it's the injectables, the energy-based device. Maybe it's going to disrupt our industry like never before.

I think especially when we are talking about new technology, new consumer wave coming in, the challenge is always on two fronts in my opinions.The first one is the managements’ mindset. Are we ready to accept that there's a disruption coming? If the managements’ mindset is ready to admit that there's a disruption, there's a renovation, the innovation trends is coming. Then the second thing is even if your mindset is ready, is our teams, talents, our organization, our processing, our tools ready? Are we ready on these four fronts to embrace and transform together with it？

I would say that big companies today need to avoid to be the elephant in the room that we cannot move, right？We want to be the elephant that can jiggle. The way that we do it today is we position our core team members strategically, we stay very close together. If I can give an analogy, it's like the warship in the galaxy. You have a big mother ship, but you send a smaller warship outside to try and pilot very quickly. They come back, they bring knowledge and then we make our mother warship even better.

WOMEN LEADERSHIP 

There's no gender for leader.

If we prepare, open up your umbrella in L’Oréal, speak your truth, your guts, pitch your idea, you'll get a space to create. If you don't open up your umbrella, you are basically a stick. So being a stick, you can only walk, you are a tool by other people.

My feeling is or my experience tells me that there's no gender for leader. I'm just making the best decision I can for the business, bringing the team as a leader. But as a woman leader, we can bring more humane part to the organization.

So stand up, speak your needs, then lead as a leader, forget about gender afterwards.

GK IMPRINT

GK gives more than what I asked for in the beginning. I know I'm a better leader now than two years ago.

We doubled the size over the COVID time, I mean L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty Division. This is a tremendous business success. But I asked myself, "What are the changes I can make？", "What are the obstacles I can conquer？" I feel that at that time, my horizon was very limited.

So that's why I decided to join the best marketing school in the world, the most reputable and the best business school in China. I think it gives more than what I asked for in the beginning. I'm still in L’Oréal. I'm still the Vice President. But I know I'm a better leader now than two years ago.

More to Come

GK Alumni Talks

During our engaging conversation, we were privileged to gain an insightful look into Angie's inspiring professional journey. Both her visionary leadership and her advocacy for gender-neutral leadership have been the relentless drivers behind her ongoing progress and achievements. Her insights into the importance of a learning mindset, the power of innovation, and the significance of adapting to new technologies are invaluable for anyone aspiring to lead in today's rapidly evolving business environment.

Over a decade, a collection of ten remarkable individuals will converge to create a dynamic portrait of the GK alumni community. We eagerly anticipate the forthcoming insights from the GK Alumni Talks, as we collectively bear witness to the intellect and grace of our GK alumni.

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GK ALUMNI TALKS

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