The right chemistry

Zhang Peifang (Molly Zhang) exudes enthusiasm. Anyone who meets her is instantly taken with the warmth of her voice, her sweet laughter and her openness. And her radiant zest for her job has led her to become a senior executive of a globally leading chemical company.

As global vice-president for technology licensing and catalysts at Dow Chemical Company, the world's largest chemical company, Zhang is in charge of manufacturing and engineering development for Dow's Asia Pacific operation.

"There is no shortcut to success. One has to work hard by always facing any challenges and having the determination to overcome them," says Zhang, who lives by the motto "work more, gain more".

After graduating from high school in 1981, Zhang chose to see the world rather than pursue a degree at a domestic university. She ended up earning a diploma in chemistry and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Clausthal, in Germany.

While living abroad, she read many books about Germany and Europe, which sparked her interest in working in a cross-cultural environment later in life.

Zhang began her career at Dow as a process engineer in Stade, Germany, in 1989. Four years later, she decided upon her long-term goal: to be an expert in both technology and management and work in different countries.

To this end, Zhang had to accomplish her short-term goal of becoming a general manager of a Dow manufacturing facility.

After completing various manufacturing and engineering assignments, she became superintendent of Dow's joint venture in Ningbo, of East China's Zhejiang Province, in 1994.

Zhang says that setting clear goals and working methodically towards achieving them are crucial to success.

She prides herself on completing assignments ahead of deadlines. After finishing early, she would then discuss the next steps with her immediate supervisors. Zhang communicated regularly with her colleagues and superiors to ensure that she always remained busy and challenged.

She believes that communication is the key. Zhang makes sure that she knows what is going on in other departments and contributes to additional projects where appropriate, which enabled her to acquire management experience.

She believes that one should work hard and competently. Dow has a mentoring system, which enables junior staff to consult senior colleagues about work challenges and career planning. Always ready to learn from other colleagues, Zhang benefited greatly from this system.

All of her hard work paid off in 1996, when she moved to Freeport, Texas, to work as a production leader for the PO/PG plants. She became the global technology director for Chlorohydrin in 1999.

In April 2002, Zhang was named manufacturing director and board member for the joint ventures between Siam Cement Company and Dow in Thailand. She was also appointed site leader for the Map-Ta-Phut Operations in Thailand.

In order to seize the unprecedented opportunities available in Greater China, Dow has been speeding up its expansion in the region, presenting Zhang with excellent opportunities.

As Dow set its sights on long-term and sustainable growth in the Chinese market, she assumed the role of vice-president of Dow Technology Licensing and Catalyst Sales, based in Shanghai.

Zhang believes that men and women are equals in the workplace and that sex should not be a deciding factor when it comes to appointments to management positions, because the qualities of good leadership aren't gender specific.

She believes that the future leaders of Dow will be those individuals who can prove they possess strategic insight and leadership qualities, such as decision-making capabilities, and good people and communication skills. She says that Dow's emphasis on diversity and inclusion makes it possible for anyone with these qualities and vision to succeed in the company, regardless of gender or ethnicity.

Although she admits that bearing children differentiates women from men, she says that this should not put women at a disadvantage, because having children is important for leaders, too.

After giving birth to her son at the age of 39, Zhang found she has improved in many ways, both personally and professionally. She has become better at managing her time, because she knows, for instance, that she has to pick her son up from kindergarten at a certain time in the afternoon. Being a mother also helps her to be more understanding of her staff.

"Once, I was quite touched when a colleague told me that I became an even more caring manager since I gave birth to my child. I could understand them much better than before," Zhang says.

She explains that she can now sympathize when a colleague asks for leave to take care of a sick child.

Due to her busy work schedule, Zhang cannot spend as much time as she would like with her son and her husband, who also works at Dow, but she still spends quality time at home.

She tries to put her son to bed as often as she can, and she doesn't take phone calls during that time. But after her son falls asleep, she can participate in teleconferences with colleagues on the other side of the world.

"My strategy to balance work and family is that when I work, I only think about work, and when I am with my family, my heart is 100 percent with the family," Zhang says.

When she feels too tired, she will do something else to reenergize herself.

"I always tell my colleagues that when they are not in the right mood to work, they should rest, because being in a bad mood could hurt other people's feelings and you may not be that productive," she says.

Zhang very strongly believes in a healthy work-life balance. While she believes in acting and dressing professionally in the office, during her spare time she relaxes by practicing yoga, cooking and reading.

(China Daily 03/05/2007 page4)