Nicole Tsen-En Lin, 2020

Nicole Tsen-En Lin studied an MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School. She was Managing Director at Synology's UK subsidiary, and is now taking a career break to spend time with family.

Who was your greatest Clare influence and why?

My greatest Clare influence is Katharine Hibbert, founder of Dot Dot Dot Property Guardianship, journalist, and the author of Free: Adventures on the margins of a wasteful society. Katharine is an inspiration and a star in the cohort. We share fun chats about punting, palm reading, Tim Harford and more. 

Nicole's Story

 It all started when I accepted the offer to be the Managing Director of Synology’s UK subsidiary. When I relocated to the UK in January 2018, I was not only the youngest person to have made it to the position but the first woman. I was used to challenging my limits, but the appointment was on a different level. Jumping from a team lead to running a subsidiary office with a headcount of 30 was my steepest learning curve yet.

It didn’t take long for me to determine it was time to consider postgraduate study. I’d worked in a sector known for its fast pace, long hours and rapid changes for a decade. The assignment brought challenges, I wanted systematic business training to tackle; more importantly, I needed fresh ideas, perspectives and experiences, to ascertain that I was on the right trajectory for the next phase of my life.

I started my EMBA journey with Judge Business School in August 2020. I was immediately impressed by the breadth of expertise and experience represented in our cohort. We committed to heavy pre-readings and class engagements, but the magic really came from teamwork with other experienced professionals. For example, I worked on Corporate Finance with a private equity specialist, Operations Management with a supply chain director, and Marketing Strategy with a product director and a head of communication. My favourite was the Team Consultancy Project: our team advised Walt Disney on their DEI strategy with a focus on women in leadership. Our social life was equally full, consisting of debates, punting and rowing, dragon-den challenges, formals, and breathtaking afternoon bike rides to Grantchester.

My contact with Clare was regrettably limited in the beginning due to Covid restrictions, but once I started regular campus visits, it was as if everything I dreamed of about Cambridge sprang into life. I remember spending an afternoon in the Forbes Mellon Library reading Chaucer and Adler, watching Hitchcock’s Rear Window in the theatre, attending chapel evensongs and diversely-themed formals, and dining with the fellows, followed by cosy wine and chat in the MCR and SCR, and a visit to the newly reopened Clare Cellar. I met students and scholars reading a wide range of subjects, and shared with them morning walks from Clare Court on my way to JBS.

I had come in search of knowledge and new perspectives after a long-haul career, but the people I met at Clare and JBS were the real highlight. By the time I concluded my time as Managing Director, I had been the longest serving person in the position out of the five the company had seen. I was also a new mother. JBS and Clare accompanied me through the most challenging transition I had experienced professionally and personally. I cannot be more proud and thankful, and I look forward to returning to the Old Court on a different journey.