CTE is celebrating International Women’s Day
Interview with women leaders – Rong Cui

#WomenWhoLead – Interview with Rong Cui

Rong Cui joined China Telecom (Europe) Ltd. 5 years ago as Regional Business Developer for the Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg). At that time, CTE was in the process of opening the local office there. In the course of time, the team grew to 40 employees and Rong Cui now leads the business in the Benelux and French markets as Regional Director for the region.

Q: You have been working in different telecom companies, what changes have you seen about women leadership in this industry? 

Looking through my different professional experiences, overall there are fewer women than men in this industry. I still recall a time when I went to a client meeting, of all 15 participants there were only 2 women. But luckily the time has changed with an increasing amount of female taking seats in the industry. And I think this is particularly the case in China. I feel that there’s more tolerance and support to encourage women to take on more important roles, which I’m quite happy about.

Q: Who has been the most supportive of you throughout your career?

I feel very grateful for having encountered so many men and women who have helped and inspired me in their own way. One of the most important role models for me is without doubt my mother. She has never once give me impression that girls should stay at home. Instead, she would tell me that women should be independent and can accomplish anything if we set our minds to. It’s sort of the corner stone of my whole life so far.

Another person I’d like to mention is my tutor while I was in my MBA program in the University of Twente, Netherlands. She was the first European woman I have known and she has taught me one thing – women need to speak up! How will others know you are brilliant if you don’t show it to them? A straight and simple logic. I guess partly because of my Asian origin, we have always been told to be humble and not to show-off (laugh). She also said something that I will never forget: When you are applying for something, do it with courage. Maybe it’s up to the them whether to choose you, but it’s your right to fight for it. Thanks to her mentorship I have learnt to step out of my comfort zone and take initiatives which has benefitted a great deal in my carrier development.

Q: How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?

For me age brings wisdom. I had experienced moments in the past when nothing worked well and I just felt like screaming, but with the time I have learnt this 3-second rule: just breathe deeply, let the oxygen flow through your body and mind and stay still for 3 seconds. Then you will be able to tell yourself that everything is going to be fine, you can do it!

In the end I believe every problem has its solution, it might not be the perfect one but you can always find the most suitable one to it.

Q: Over the years, have you encountered any barriers to your success or growth as a female leader?

Well I think in terms of glass-ceiling, it’s relatively more challenging for women to reach leadership position in European than in Chinese companies under the current social-economical circumstance. In one of my previous jobs I have been questioned by a CEO during an interview on how would I balance my personal/work life as a working mother. It was very subtle but I could still sense a pre-selection based on the gender. I guess that’s why I’ve placed my career in Chinese companies since a couple of years. 

Q: What qualities do you believe are inherent to women and how do they add value to a business?

To me, women tend to be more persistent in their work. They are generally more loyal to their companies or whoever they work for. When a female leader run a team, usually it’s more stable. On top of that women are naturally good at communication which is essential to a complex working environment.

Q: What advice would you give to women trying to break into engineering and technology fields?

It might sound surprising but I think the more cutting-edge is the industry, the more space women have to explore. In my experience, as it’s not common to have women in the leadership, people would actually be curious to hear what you have to say. And in terms of c communication skills, women usually are a good listener with more empathy. Female should make use of these qualities to achieve their goals. 

Q: Define a great leader—what are some traits you think great leaders possess?

Good leaders should have the ability to communicate well and to bring out the best of each one. They also need to make sure every team member sees and takes their share of responsibility. It’s important to be able to rely on the team, no one can do things alone. By doing so you would get all the strength from the team and it will be used to its maximum.

Another important characteristic is “Resilience”, it’s always easier to just give up, sometimes the reason you succeed while others don’t is that extra few miles.

Q: What would you tell your younger self today?

I would probably tell her to be more adventurous and try different things. Time is the most precious thing in the world, you can’t revert it. So when you are young just be brave and set your mind to doing things you want, so you leave no regrets in your life.

Q: For those young women who want to take a role in leadership but are afraid to fail, what suggestions do you have? 

It’s always difficult at the beginning but I think confidence can be nurtured, when you try something, it’s the first step. No matter the outcome is, focus on the positive side and reinforce every time you try something so you always get a positive feedback which adds to your confidence. In this way you will only get stronger and better. As a leader myself, I always take this positive mind-set approach to motivate my team members to try, and try hard.

Q: If you have to choose an animal to describe your leadership style, which one would you choose and why?

Well actually some people who have worked with me already gave me that animal – a tiger or a tigress in my case, because normally they would be very quiet but once they see a target they move so quickly. I would say that in work I’m usually quite straight-forward and would prefer sincerity, even could be a bit blunt sometimes. But with the age and experience I think I am becoming more patient and gentle.

Read more stories of women at CTE here.

About China Telecom (Europe) Ltd.:
China Telecom (Europe) Ltd. (CTE) provides integrated telecoms and communications services as a local solutions provider for Chinese companies and a global solutions provider for multinational corporations. CTE’s unrivalled knowledge of the Chinese market, and regional offices across Europe, make CTE an ideal partner for European and Asian businesses looking to work in Europe, China and Asia. To find out more about CTE business, go to www.chinatelecomeurope.com.