Meet James! James Lou, graduated from Shanghai International Studies University majoring in Portuguese in 2014, started an IT startup and then worked in a state-owned enterprise until 2019. He also finished his MBA at UC Davis, California. James speaks multiple languages, plays a few musical instruments, and enjoys all kinds of sports!
 

Guidepoint: What is the best part of working on the Client Service team?

James: For me, definitely the working environment. We have similar ideas and understand and support each other like brothers and sisters. Everyone contributes to the greater good of the team. Compared to my previous job, there is little hierarchy here.

Guidepoint: What do you find most interesting about working in the expert network industry?

James: In many projects, the clients aren’t 100% sure about what kind of expert they need to solve certain questions. When I help clients to clarify their needs, provide great advisor candidates to them, and get appreciated at the end of the projects, it feels awesome.

Guidepoint: What has been one of your biggest accomplishments so far in your career?

James: I helped my colleague Cecilia build a ‘perfect’ TMT team. I enjoy working with my colleagues every day and we might be the best TMT team in this industry lol.

Guidepoint: Have you ever seen something you’ve worked on reflected in the news? What was it?

James: I’m not sure if I can reveal too much detail about our work. However, as our team mainly collaborates with top IT companies in China, but many projects we work on often get reflected in the news after several months.

Guidepoint: What’s something you learned unexpectedly while working at Guidepoint?

James: I used to work precisely and efficiently like a robot and I learned at Guidepoint how to work emotionally and rationally at the same time. It feels fantastic.

Guidepoint: Who is your biggest career inspiration whether internally at Guidepoint or externally?

James: Shouyu Zhou, my direct manager at my first job. She taught me how to build my own career path and always be customer-centric. The spirit always leads me and inspires me to pass on not only the techniques but also good habits and mindsets to my teammates.

Guidepoint: Where do you hope your career takes you in the next 5 years?

James: We will be the best global expert network in this region in 5 years! I want to contribute to this success.

Guidepoint: What would you consider yourself an expert in or at?

James: Maybe an expert in being curious? I studied many languages throughout my school days. My MBA curriculum has also taught me knowledge concerning statistics, coding, finance, etc. My IT entrepreneurship helped me a lot in understanding TMT projects. So while I might not be unqualified to be called an expert in anything just yet, it feels so good to stay humble and curious about how the world works in different aspects.