Sherry Shi is a Schneider Electric Plant Procurement Manager with MasterTech, which is a leading and well-known Smart Factory. She joined Schneider Electric China in 2018 through the Schneider Graduate Program and, after learning in Schneider Electric Supply Chain China, she is taking new challenges and a step forward in her career in Grenoble, France.
Aspiring to work for a sought-after employer
As an acknowledged market leader in the energy management and automation industry, Sherry has always aspired to work at Schneider Electric. The ethos and values of the company coupled with its global reach and Gartner recognized Smart Supply Chain (Global No.4 and Europe No.1) inspired her to aim for this sought-after employer.
"With its vision of helping to make the world a better place through its constantly evolving products, solutions, software, and services, Schneider Electric is an attractive company for young generations. In the Supply Chain team I joined, we focus on delivering innovative, smart, and optimized Supply Chain experiences for our customers," she explains.
Learning important skills during the Graduate Program
Starting her Graduate Program at one of the biggest plants in China, Sherry learned skills beyond Procurement - collaboration, business acumen, and overcoming challenges.
"Behind these learnings, the Schneider Graduate Program played a key role. It equipped me with the skills to quickly and properly adapt to a new environment and new role. I could meet with top management and understand the company strategy as well as our Digital Supply Chain programs. I could interact with various coaches and other early-career trainees across different functions. Opportunities for us to exchange perspectives, brainstorm together, and share learnings were very valuable."
"I cannot count how many times I felt that I crashed and then finally made it," she adds. "Each challenge I overcame created confidence for the next challenge. Importantly, throughout the challenges experienced, I felt supported by the organization and failure was a learning experience."
Developing the courage to face new challenges
The ability to embrace challenges helped Sherry adapt to her new position as Plant Procurement Manager in France - as well as a different country and workplace environment.
"If you were to ask me what I learnt from my experiences thus far at Schneider Electric, I would reply that I learned the importance of having courage in the face of new challenges. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow," she explains.
"Maybe you could not manage every topic perfectly yet, but don’t worry, this means you’re on the way to being better. Be careful though, ability alone won’t see you through these challenges, only your motivation will get you there. The most important part is that you keep learning. Finally, one day, you will be surprised to discover that the once tricky problem is no longer tricky for you. That is how we improve."
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