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Katherine Song is the Project Manager and Site Leader of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Airplane Programs in Shanghai. Prior to this assignment, Katherine has worked in various positions in Boeing in Seattle WA, supporting functions across Finance, Sales & Marketing, Engineering and Supply Chain Management. Prior to Boeing, she worked in Canada, Hong Kong and China in the field of project management and international business. Born in China, and fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, Katherine has been on “expat” trail for 14 years and always enjoyed her international multi-culture experiences. She is the only international member for Boeing Global Partners Diversity Council. In May she was elected President of EPWS (Expatriate Professional Women’s Society) in Shanghai.
ExpatWomen's Interview with Katherine
ExpatWomen: Katherine, please tell us about your Expat Experiences to date.
Katherine: I was born in China but left in 1993 to work in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was a completely overseas country to China in those days. I took a marketing manager position with a Hong Kong company. They formed a subsidiary in Shenzhen China for producing and distributing seafood products. So I was based in Hong Kong, but traveled back and forth between Hong Kong and Mainland China for about three years, marketing the product and liaising with the factory. Though their business is totally different from what I am doing today, I gained the experience of working for a start-up; learnt how to grow a business and how to handle issues from different areas of operations.
I moved to Canada in 1997 where I worked for Cathay Pacific Airlines as well as a local TV station. Later I earned my MBA and became a Canadian citizen.
All my work experiences finally helped me land a career with Boeing. It is really a great company to work for. I moved to Seattle in 2001and worked there for about 5 years before I was sent to to Shanghai as an expat in April 2006. Now I am the Project Manager and Site Leader for Boeing Commercial Airplane Programs in Shanghai. It is a challenging but self-fulfilling job. This has been what I was looking for.
ExpatWomen: How did your Expat Experience help you get to where you are today?
Katherine: It took a lot of courage to leave China back in 1993. I received a good job offer and it was an exciting position, however my family was against my moving. The outside world was very foreign to normal Chinese people at that time, so they felt it dangerous and risky for a young Chinese lady to leave home on her own. Now whenever I look back, I am glad I did it. It changed my life completely.
When I was in college in Beijing, I was thinking of going to North America to experience another culture and further my education. When my job in Hong Kong became stale, I decided to make that move. I chose Canada because it had a favorable immigration policy where I could go as a permanent resident, like a green card status in the US. I landed in Vancouver, a beautiful but laid-back city. I fell in love with it, and become a Canadian citizen later because I thought it would be my home forever. I worked for a couple of years, then was admitted to the MBA program at the University of British Columbia. After my MBA, I was looking for a position in a Fortune 500 company which did business internationally. It turned out that company was Boeing in the US.
I have worked in several positions with Boeing before taking this assignment. I learned tremendous things from those positions. But I always realized that the best way for me to add value to this Company would be to work internationally because of the multi-cultural experience and language skills I have. So when this opportunity came, I jumped at it. There was a robust selection process. Finally I was chosen.
ExpatWomen: Working for an airline manufacturer sounds very exciting. Tell us about a typical day as the Project Manager and Site Leader from Boeing Commercials, Airplane Programs in Shanghai.
Katherine: I work with Chinese partners who manufacture airplane parts for Boeing. I am onsite representing Boeing to manage the program and provide support. In a typical day, I have meetings or talk on the phone with the Chinese partners, and walk in the factory to make sure the production process goes smoothly. I take care of issues including planning, building, supply chain, facilities, quality, people etc. etc. I also communicate with colleagues back in the US on a daily basis. So I check and answer their emails and have teleconversations with them. Sometimes, because of the time difference between the two places, we have to talk at night or early in the morning.
ExpatWomen: Katherine, you are the only international member of Boeing’s Global Partners Diversity Council. Tell us about the role you play?
Katherine: We have diversity councils in Boeing to help build a diverse culture and advocate the advantages and benefits of diversity. I am a member of the Commercial Airplane Global Partners Diversity Council, the only member who is stationed internationally (from the US perspective). I work from the perspective of helping the company attract, retain and motivate international employees; integrate diversity into our global enterprise; and build it into our daily practices and culture.
ExpatWomen: Congratulations for being elected President of EPWS Shanghai. Can you tell us the group’s mission, and what duties you perform as President?
Katherine: As its name implies, we are an expat professional women’s society. There are lots of expat women from different parts of the world now working in Shanghai. I was elected President in May 2007. It was really an honor. The process was I nominated myself, wrote a bio, and put my name on the ballot. Then at the society’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), I made a speech introducing myself, and gave people my vision and thought in terms of what I wanted to accomplish, and where I wanted to lead the society. Finally people voted.
My role as President is multifold. In general, it is both a general manager as well as a leader’s job. First and foremost, I introduced a more compelling and inspiring mission statement, and set up challenging but achievable goals for the board members. In addition, I want to make sure our culture is open, inclusive and supportive.
Our members are from all over the world. Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Australians, Russians, Asians for example Filipinos and Singaporeans, last but not the least Central and South Americans, for example Mexicans, Columbians and Brazilians. Shanghai is a very international city.
Our new mission statement says that EPWS is an influential and dynamic community that inspires, leads and fosters expatriate women in personal growth and professional development. As our society grows and our membership increases, I think we need a more compelling and dynamic statement which can inspire us and better represent our society. I also want our board members to keep this statement in mind so that they can work towards a goal and meet our members’ expectations. Since we are a community and membership society, we also want to provide members with a place to socialize and have fun together.
We have events to educate people in career growth and personal development. We also want to provide cultural and professional assistance through these events. We are not a headhunter, but we hope people come to our society, network and establish relationships with one another, so that they will gain local and job market insights that ultimately open their career opportunities.
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ExpatWomen: Now that you have been exposed to three other cultures, how does it feel to be “back home” after 13 years away?
Katherine: It feels great. This is the best career decision I could ever make. I did encounter difficulties when I first came here. For example, I knew nobody, and felt cut off from my good friends in America. After so many years living in the western world, English became my first language professionally. So when I had to communicate in Chinese at work, I found my Chinese awkward. Now everything has become a lot better. I have close friends in Shanghai and my Chinese is perfect.
Luckily, I never experience any culture difficulties wherever I go. The last thing you want to do when you go aboard is to carry a should-be box so that everything has to fit into what you like and have been accustomed to. You want to be open enough to accept and embrace the differences and diversities. After leaving China for so many years, I see great improvement in the society. The service here is excellent. People are nice and friendly and they have adopted many Western courtesies in while maintaining Chinese tradition. Most local people make a lot less than expats, but they are happy. Definitely there are things that bother me, such as the chaos of the traffic, air pollution and the aggressive street vendors selling fake products. You have to focus on the positive things. Look at the opportunities, energy, and excitement this place has to offer. Things will become better, for China, you have to give it some time.
ExpatWomen: What are you plans for the future?
Katherine: I am happy with where I am, but will never stop growing. I am proud of serving Boeing and hope to further grow my career with the Company. That could require me to make a further move, either back to the US or somewhere else, sometime in the future. If the opportunity is right, I will consider. I see myself as a world citizen, so I always want to do something internationally. No matter where I am, I will continue to be involved in the community. That makes me feel my life serves a higher purpose and I contribute to the world in a more meaningful way. way.
ExpatWomen: What tips would you give women who want to move abroad and work, especially in China?
Katherine:
- Come and experience. Don’t let the word “China” overwhelm you.
- Don’t just listen to what the media says. The real China is safe, interesting, dynamic, and exciting. For expats, you can find things which are very Chinese, as well as things which are completely Western.
- Learn some Chinese language (Mandarin)
- Get help. Either from moving companies, Internet, or social networks. If you come here on your own and know no one, make sure to come to EPWS. Instantly, you will have friends helping you.
- I think everyone should have at least one experience of living aboard. It enriches our lives and broadens our perspectives. China is the right country to pick in this century.
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