Networking pays great dividends, says UniOulu alumn Jinni Lü

Jinni Lü received her Master’s degree first in International Business Management and followed it with a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management focused on Product Management (nowadays Interdisciplinary Product Innovation and Creation). Currently, she is the Business Development Manager for the Oulu-based mobile games company Fingersoft and says that she won’t get another degree for now–probably.

“I had a great experience at the University of Oulu, but right now I am in my dream job so I really enjoy working. Although, if I were to study more, I would probably study data analysis,” Lü says with a laugh.

Born in Shanghai, Lü has spent nearly two decades in Finland and she speaks fluent Finnish. Having initially studied for her Bachelor's degree in Kemi at the Lapland University of Applied Sciences, she later moved to Oulu. This move was motivated by a relevant internship position at an ICT company, which offered a promising project that gave her a topic for her Bachelor's thesis.

“I continued to work in that company for a couple of years. I was responsible for mobile phone software testing at the time and I realised I wanted to interact more with people instead of devices. I was looking for something new to study in that vein and that’s when I found the International Business Management programme,” Lü says.

Since she was already working in an international environment, she felt the Master’s programme would be a perfect fit for her. She applied and was enrolled into Oulu Business School, and the group of students was very international with people from China, Finland, Russia, Germany, and South America. Lü liked working in small groups and she found the discussions very interesting and inspirational.

“It was much nicer to work in groups of 3-4 people than to study at home alone. Outside of classes, I took part in a lot of the student activities and parties. I joined the Tellus volunteer programme, where students can work in all kinds of big or small events and I also volunteered several times in the famous Polar Bear Pitching event. These activities were really great in terms of networking,” Lü says.

Lü says networking is important everywhere and Finland is no exception.

“The best part of volunteering is you get to know the people and the culture and establish your own networks. It will help you to find employment or places for your Master’s thesis and so on.”

While pursuing her Master's degree in International Business Management and researching the role of intermediaries in Finnish food export for her Master´s thesis, Lü recognized a business opportunity. This insight led her to establish her own company and became an entrepreneur.

“My company was helping Finnish companies to enter Chinese markets, which requires a certain amount of cross-cultural knowledge. We worked with consumer goods companies and some Finnish design companies,” Lü says.

Her entrepreneurship as well as her studies in business and technology gave her a lot of self-confidence which has helped her a lot in building her career.

“It was a very good decision for me to come to Oulu back then. I gained critical thinking and learned how to approach things with an open mind through my studies. My two degrees also helped me to be able to consider things from multiple angles and have a big picture view. In addition, I learned how to be a good team player and be proactive,” Lü says.

Lü’s current job as the Business Development Manager at the mobile games company Fingersoft is something that she can attribute to her education, entrepreneurship and networking skills. She is immersed in the game development process, product management and working in a cross-functional team environment which depends a lot on communication. She says that the best thing about her work is the number of new challenges.

“It is also the most challenging thing as there are constantly new things to learn. The mobile game industry changes a lot, but I really enjoy the industry,” Lü says.

Her journey at Fingersoft started through an internship opportunity. This experience provided her with a steep learning curve, as she had no prior knowledge of mobile game development or the gaming industry. Nevertheless, she was able to rapidly acquire a comprehensive understanding of both areas, thanks to the Industrial Engineering and Management studies.

“The strategic thinking skill developed through my academic journey at the IEM program was crucial in my role as a business development manager, enabling me to effectively plan and manage projects.”, Lü explains.

While having a busy working life, Jinni Lü says that she has been able to carve out a nice work-life balance for herself in Oulu. She exercises regularly by going to the gym a few times a week or takes long walks. She also picked up tennis recently, which is a sport she really enjoys.

When asked what Lü considers to be the best thing she has gained in her time in Oulu and her experiences as a student at the University of Oulu and working in the gaming industry, she is quick to reply.

“The self-confidence that I built through my experiences. I am not afraid to try new things. That’s what I would say to anyone who comes here. Believe in yourself, establish your own network and don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone,” Lü says.

Text and photos: Janne-Pekka Manninen