- Qi Guo
- Product Strategy Manager, Volvo Group
- Gothenburg, Sweden
In product design, every little detail matters – whether you’re designing apps for mobile phones or for space satellites. Likewise, in business, all the different elements need to work in harmony to create a successful enterprise.
I’ve always felt that design and business have much in common. As I progressed in my career as a digital product designer, I had a thirst to deepen my knowledge of business, which ultimately led me to the Oxford Executive MBA.
Many friends and colleagues were really surprised when I decided to apply for a business degree. I was often asked, ‘Why are you applying for a business school? Isn’t it your job as a designer to create beautiful things, not do business?’
What I’ve come to realize, though, is that when you bring design and business together, this can be a powerful force. I wanted to combine these interests in my future career.
Combining product design and business
Digital product design has always fascinated me. I spent more than a decade working in UX design and management in the transport, marine, fintech, IT, space and HR sectors. My career has taken me across the world to jobs in Beijing, Hong Kong and Sweden – which I’ve loved!
As my career progressed, I began to take on more design lead and management roles. I wanted a more comprehensive understanding of business, so I started to think seriously about a business qualification.
The Executive MBA at Oxford’s Saïd Business School seemed like the perfect fit for me. Yes, Oxford is an incredible place to study but the programme is also tailored specifically to professionals who need to fit their studies around their work.
The whole experience has been life-changing. Now, I’m able to ask more probing business questions and use a comprehensive approach to tackle business challenges with a strengthened can-do attitude. I feel like all the different parts of the jigsaw have come together, and I now have a broader business view. The Oxford Executive MBA has equipped me with tools and frameworks I use every day in my job.
The Oxford Executive MBA has equipped me with tools and frameworks I use every day in my job.
Finding my entrepreneurial spirit
I’ve also discovered an entrepreneurial streak within me. The entrepreneurial project gives Executive MBA students the chance to launch their own start-ups. I teamed up with four members of my cohort to launch Little Place Labs, which uses AI and machine learning to enhance satellite event detection for disaster management and other commercial applications. I’ve been involved in several aspects of the project, overseeing the user experience, digging into customer exploration and market research. I love space and tech so this has been a dream project for me!
Little Place Labs won the 2022 Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Forum start-up award and the international Gravity Challenge competition – which recognizes pioneering space solutions that make a difference to people’s lives. I’m so proud to have been involved in Little Place Labs and thankful to all the faculty team who inspired us at every stage.
A career transition
My involvement in Little Place Labs has definitely helped me transition from product design to product strategy roles. Shortly after graduating from Oxford, I joined Volvo Group as a Product Strategy Manager in the AI domain. I'm leading an AI core team, responsible for creating an AI strategy and managing our AI portfolio for the Volvo Group Trucks Technology organization.
I’m directly applying the learnings from the Executive MBA to my work. My studies have helped me think more systematically and holistically about the strategy and how we can realize the potential for AI as a business.
The Executive MBA has also helped me embed sustainability in my work and consider how we harness design thinking and systems thinking approaches to benefit society.
The Executive MBA has taught me to dream big – and that’s something that will stay with me for many years to come.
New ways of thinking
On a deeper level, the programme has led to a shift in my mindset. I feel like I can aim high with greater confidence and have a go at things that I’d previously shied away from – such as accounting! I’ve always enjoyed taking on new challenges. But, with the support of my tutors and cohort, I’m now much more confident and resilient about pushing myself out of my comfort zone. The Executive MBA has taught me to dream big – and that’s something that will stay with me for many years to come.
Follow me on LinkedIn.
Learn more about Little Place Labs in a blog written by my classmate Bosco Lai.
