China is going through an economic transition and Rae Yuan is proudly experiencing it first-hand.

Rae, a 2005 IMD Executive MBA graduate and currently the head of Roche Pharma’s Development Center in Shanghai, stated: “China is going through change from a manufacturing economy into an R & D economy. It is most rewarding to be in the transition and to be contributing to China.”

Since her upbringing in Shanghai, Rae has seen China climb the ladder in competitiveness.

“As China improves its competitiveness, it forces companies to learn more,” Rae stated. “It removes complacency and makes people and companies think globally. It also forces people to think about their respective individual value from an international viewpoint.”

R & D has played a critical part in China becoming more competitive. According to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, the world’s most renowned and comprehensive annual report on the competitiveness of nations, China has almost doubled its percentage of total R & D expenditure in the last 10 years from 0.64 percent in 1997 to 1.33 percent in 2007.

“With the Open Door Policy, China has placed considerable importance on R & D,” Rae said. “As a result, global companies need to consider integrating China into their R & D strategy. In my own way, through my position at Roche, I am helping China integrate into Roche’s global R & D process and capability expansion.”

Rae has the benefit of seeing this transition from an international perspective. Born and raised in Shanghai, she worked previously for Roche in the US and Switzerland and at the US Food and Drug Administration in Washington DC. Along with studying at Shanghai Medical University, she earned a bachelor’s degree at Mount Mercy College in Iowa and a Ph.D. degree from the University of California at San Francisco as well as her Executive MBA at IMD, which featured Discovery Expedition trips to Ireland, her native Shanghai and Silicon Valley.

Rae looks back on her IMD Executive MBA as key to preparing her for the role at Roche as the head of the Pharma Development Center. She leads a staff of over 100 charged to develop new pharmaceutical products through clinical trials in China and also supports global Roche product development, capitalizing on the quality of Chinese medical doctors, pharmaceutical scientists and healthcare specialists.

“This job enables me to put into practice what I learned as part of my Executive MBA,” she stated. “It is rare to find such an ideal fit. First, in the program you are in a learning environment with so many exceptional executive-classmates from different backgrounds and industries. Each person brings a real life story, creating an enriching atmosphere for learning. The Executive MBA helped me to broaden my perspectives in so many dimensions. I learned how to integrate different elements to form a strategy and execute it accordingly. At other schools you get five good books to read, but at IMD you get five great ideas to use on Monday morning.”