With all your huge successes, what motivated you to enrol in an educational enrichment programme recently at Stanford? That was the question I asked Cynthia Zhang, founder of FutureX and early investor in ByteDance, during a panel at ISES SEA 2024 (International Semiconductor Executive Summit South East Asia). This was my second time attending ISES SEA, the flagship event by International Semiconductor Industry Group (ISIG). The sessions were packed with high-level insights. But what truly surprised me was realising that I could actually follow what the speakers were saying. After months of immersing myself in the semiconductor world, things were finally clicking. Little did I know I’d be facing my first acid test. During the morning break, ISES SEA GM Ellen Wendelin Loh and emcee for the day threw the audience a challenge. “Now I want you to go round the room and get at least 5 business cards.” Gulp! Then I thought of a fellow introvert who shared her technique: “I just pretend I’m my friend Elsa who is a supernetworker, and treating it like a performance makes the process less intimidating.” I applied her trick. And by Day 2, I had gotten the MOST business cards ever in an industry event. I felt so happy that I joked to some new friends, “Who knows, I might even be brave enough to ask a question at my next semicon event!” That moment came sooner than expected. When Cynthia Z. went on stage for a panel discussion “Investing for Tomorrow: Funding the next wave of semiconductor growth”, my first thought was “Who is this picture of grace & where did she get that double-breasted forest green dress?!” Seconds into her speech, I was frantically Googling Cynthia Zhang and discovered she was founder of FutureX, an investor in ByteDance, the internet company that owns Tiktok! Holy crap! Instinctively, I knew that this was The Moment to ask a question or I’d never forgive myself for letting the opportunity slip. When ISIG founder and moderator Salah Nasri opened Q & A to the floor, my hand shot up. Heart racing, I told myself, “Just be your curious sincere natural self.” I turned to face the audience and introduced myself. “Hi, I’m a former journalist trying not to feel too small in this room of subject experts.” Some people smiled. That calmed me down. I began, “Cynthia, As someone who writes human interest stories, my question for you is a little personal. With all your huge successes, what motivated you to enrol in an educational enrichment programme recently at Stanford?” She gave me a long well-considered answer which I’ll summarise in two impactful words: she wants to be “tomorrow’s leader.” Wow. What a star. Her answer reaffirmed a belief I’ve long held: the best leaders never stop learning. Thank you Salah, Ellen and the ISIG team for creating a space where learning feels electric. Original post
