Sunny (Yue) Sun
Describe your role and what it is that you do overall and on a day-to-day basis.
At Philips, we aim to improve 2,5 billion lives per year by 2030, including 400 million in underserved communities. Everyone at Philips contributes to this beautiful mission with their day-to-day work. I work as a Market Activation Manager for Service Business in the European Region. My role is to make sure the needs of the markets are heard and addressed on time by the global team. As we cover a broad range of topics such as product launch, pricing, my day is never the same. For each topic, I have the chance to work with people located around the globe. Their global or local insights inspire me on a daily basis.
What interested you about the field/company/role you are currently in?
I joined the healthcare industry after my graduation, taking roles as product manager or market activation manager. From my previous and current employers, I learnt that a successful healthcare tech company always puts quality and customers / patients first. This is why working in the healthcare industry still inspires me. I know that whatever I am working on can really make someone’s life easier tomorrow. This can include bringing better care to patients, making the clinical workflow easier for clinicians, or offering services and solutions to make the clinical environment better. With this belief in mind, I can keep the bigger picture in mind, and that converts into a daily work motivation.
What is most exciting about your work at the moment? Where do you think your field is going in the next 5-10 years?
The most exciting moment is when you have been working on a product for a long time, and one day it is finally launched to the market. The feeling of presenting the product is full of excitement and feelings of pride.
In the coming 5-10 years, the key trend in my field will be more application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). I think AI will be available to the majority of clinicians, and help them make optimal clinical decisions. As a consequence, there will be better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Another impact for the patients is that they will have easier access to the data and information about their own heath status, so everyone can understand and manage their disease better.
What was so appealing about the SSE Masters in International Business program when you were considering what do choose for your Masters degree?
There are two reasons that I choose SSE. One is that SSE is famous for its combination of strict academic standards and practical skills for a future career, so I imagined that the education was quite challenging, but meaningful. This was exactly the challenge I was looking for.
The other reason is that CEMS program could give me the international exchange opportunities and a top-class career network globally.
How did your time/education at SSE help guide you to the career journey you have embarked on?
The first company I worked for was Coloplast, a CEMS Corporate Partner, so one can almost say that being part of CEMS knocked on the door to this career for me.
But the most important thing that drives me into the healthcare industry is the courage to take on new challenges and always say “yes” to opportunities. This courage is not coming from some kind of blunt confidence, but the SSE experiences of working on various study projects across all kinds of industries. Those projects gave me the methodology to learn a new domain within a short time, and this is where I get the courage to dive into the unknown.
Following your time studying, do you have any words of wisdom or advice you would like to share with our current students?
Graduation from a Masters is not the end. Curiosity and lifelong learning can always take you further.
What are three words that sum up your time at SSE?
Challenges. Cultural Understanding. Inspiration.