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    From Wuhan to the boardroom: Dan Luo’s journey to impact

    October 20, 2025 • by Omar Toulan in I by IMD Podcasts • Podcast availablePodcast available

    At OWP Singapore, IMD’s Omar Toulan speaks with business leader Dan Luo on driving growth and profitability at global brands like Heinz, Lego, and Fonterra....

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    This week, we bring you a powerful conversation from OWP Singapore, IMD’s flagship five-day program focused on orchestrating winning performance. In this fireside chat, Professor Omar Toulan sits down with Dan Luo, IMD MBA alumna (Class of ’99) and a trailblazing leader whose career spans global giants like Heinz, Lego, and Fonterra.

    Luo shares her remarkable journey from Wuhan to the world stage, navigating the Asian financial crisis, pivoting industries, and building a dynamic board portfolio. With deep experience in both B2B and B2C, she reflects on the leadership lessons that shaped her path: the power of democratic decision-making, handling conflict with clarity, and the importance of assembling and inspiring high-performing teams.

    From career inflection points to personal milestones, Luo’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and impact. What does it really take to lead with purpose across borders and industries? Tune in to find out.

    Expert

    Dan Luo

    Independent Director, First Resources Limited & Yeo Hiap Seng Limited

    Luo Dan is a business leader with diverse experience in multinational companies in the consumer goods and dairy ingredients industries. From 2021 to 2023, she served as the Director of Active Living at Fonterra Group, leading a global business unit developing advanced ingredients to meet consumer needs in the health and wellness space. Previously she was the Managing Director of LEGO Singapore and worked at Heinz for over a decade in the US and the Asia Pacific region. 

    Luo is currently an Independent Director of First Resources Limited and Yeo Hiap Seng Limited, both of which are listed on the Singapore Exchange. She also serves on the Science, Technology & Innovation Committee of Venture Corporation Limited. She holds a Bachelor in computer science from Wuhan University, China and a Master of Business Administration from IMD, Switzerland. 

    Authors

    Omar Toulan

    Professor of Strategy and International Management, MBA Dean and Hilti Chair

    Omar Toulan is Professor of Strategy and International Management, MBA Dean and Hilti Chair. His areas of expertise include strategic management, international business, growth strategies, and managing the multinational. His research – which includes offshoring and outsourcing, global account management, emerging market multinationals, and the impact of the digital disruption on the retail sector – has appeared in a variety of academic and practitioner oriented journals, including Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of International Business Studies, California Management Review, Industrial and Corporate Change, Emerging Markets Review, and the Journal of Latin American Studies.

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