Insurtech. Big data. Internet of Things. These were buzzwords in Beijing, China in the early 2010s, and they had the attention of Xiaoming Gu (RMI MBA ’18). Xiaoming was certain that the insurance industry would be changing quickly because of these innovations, and he wanted to play a role in its development. Leaving a stable career as a senior manager at a property and casualty firm in Beijing in 2015, he started an insurtech company with a friend. The venture was based on a new way to price auto insurance for pre-owned vehicles. All the while, Xiaoming knew that if the company did not take off, he would expand his possibilities by obtaining an MBA with an emphasis on risk and insurance because of the many different career possibilities that would be available to him.
A year later, the 34-year-old husband and father left the struggling Chinese insurance innovation market and moved his family to Wisconsin to begin the RMI MBA program. Xiaoming reflected, “Though our startup did not go far, I do not consider it as a failure. I learned many lessons, and it was a stepping stone to my chosen specialized MBA program.” He was ready to dedicate two years to changing the way he thought about himself and how he could contribute to the insurance industry.
Before classes started, the RMI MBA career coach requested Xiaoming’s updated resume to share with employers. Already, he was asked to think about obtaining an internship for the following summer. Preparing for internship interviews involved even more pressure because English was his second language, and the American job-seeking culture was new. Xiaoming became deliberate about his tendency to look forward while being present, and that tendency has been impacting his life ever since.
Xiaoming shared an example. “My years of insurance experience helped me solidify, relate, and apply concepts I learned in my classes. I considered it a benefit to be one of the older, more experienced students. A main concern was trying not to let my years of experience and knowledge bias my thinking about all the possibilities that may come forward.”
The first possibility for Xiaoming was his summer internship in the Business Division’s Innovation Team at American Family Insurance. He excelled there and was offered a full-time position after graduation. Currently, Xiaoming is a Lead Data Analyst at American Family Insurance Claims Services. He enjoys using machine learning and analytics models to help his company better understand its current processes, find opportunities to automate processes, and serve customers better. He indicates that this position uses both parts of the RMI MBA—the foundational business core and the deep understanding of insurance and risk—and combines it with the innovative atmosphere he seeks.
Xiaoming provided these closing thoughts for prospective students:
“The value of an MBA is not courses; you will find knowledge easily. What you cannot find easily is time spent with the incredible group of people at Wisconsin: professors, fellow students, and alumni.”
“Keep dreaming and take steps to make your dreams happen.”
“When I felt confused by the present, I chose to look backward on what happened in the past. What I learned is that understanding yesterday empowers you to live today and build the tomorrow you desire.” That is another way of saying what seems to be Xiaoming’s motto: Reflect on yesterday, live today, shape tomorrow.
Categories: