“My managers at LR supported me to push myself, even when I wasn’t sure I could. I wanted the opportunity to contribute to our success and now feel empowered to make it happen.”
Based: Taipei, Taiwan
Role: Commercial Manager & Chief Representative, Taiwan
Tenure at LR: One year
Fangyi has been with LR in Taiwan now for one year – happy anniversary! And what a year it has been; in her role as Commercial Manager she is already making waves and has secured the transfer of one vessel with an owner that that had no previous relationship with LR. Her vision is to grow her team and considerably increase LR’s market share within Taiwan over the next five years.
Where does she get her drive and ambition from? Fangyi’s early dreams of being an actor and broadcaster meant she pursued creative degrees, including moving to Belfast, Northern Ireland to study for an MSc in Communication. This was a bold decision, but she was keen to develop her commercial value and knew that moving abroad would strengthen her English language skills -however difficult the strong regional accent was to understand!
So it is a combination of confidence, communication skills and commitment to “making customers happy” that has driven Fangyi so far. Upon returning to her native Taiwan, she joined Wilhelmsen Ship Service, nurturing a network of trusted and valuable contacts across the marine sector whilst contributing to an increase in turnover from $500k pa to $5m.
Fangyi will admit that a career in classification was not immediately attractive. It appeared complex, very technical and would demand a lot from her. But she was also optimistic and inspired when joining us as Chief Representative in Taiwan, quickly recognising the challenges and setting about creating an environment where her team has the tools, paths and support to grow at pace.
The support she has received from the technical experts in her team has allowed her to develop her own knowledge and sees that in everyone she works with – LR will support you to take on your own challenges and “go where you want to go”.