NAMUUN Purevdorj - On her journey to Supply Chain Management and Sustainability
Interviewed by Nomunsor Soronzonbold and photographed by Nomko Baatar.
Get to know Namuun Purevdorj (Class of 2011), a Senior Manager of Supply Chain and Operations at Heyday, a unicorn consumer products startup. Learn about her research and work at the intersection of supply chain, sustainability and retail.
She is currently based out of Boston, USA and holds a B.A. in International Economic Relations from Mount Holyoke College and a M.A.Sc in Supply Chain Management and Sustainability from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Full name: Namuun Purevdorj
Hobby Alumni: attended 6 years, from 4th grade to 11th grade
Higher Education: Mount Holyoke College B.A., MIT M.A.Sc
Languages: Mongolian, English, Mandarin Chinese
Sectors: Consulting, e-Commerce, Retail, Beauty/Personal Care, Sustainability
Current Workplace: Heyday Co, Sr. Manager Supply Chain, and Operations
Past Workplaces: Impendi Analytics, Consultant & Category Manager
Frequented Websites: greenbiz.com, scmr.com, wallstreet.com
Current phone: iPhone 12 pro
3 Favorite Restaurants or Coffee shops in UB: Namaste at Flower Hotel, Sekitei Japanese Restaurant near Sansar Tunnel, Rosewood Kitchen
3 Books To Recommend: Doughnut Economics (Kate Raworth), The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S.Lewis), The Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)
3 Movies or TV-Shows To Recommend: Anything Trevor Noah (best comedian), Sound of Music, Explained series on Netflix
3 Songs You Are Listening To Most Right Now: Cover Me in Sunshine (Pink), Moonglow (Billie Holiday), A-O-K (Tai Verdes)
3 Apps To Recommend: TED or MasterClass, Kindle/Audible, Lastpass
3 Podcasts or YouTube Channels To Recommend: Supply Chain Revolution by Sheri Hinish (a.k.a The Supply Chain Queen), Freakonomics Radio, Risen Motherhood
EDUCATION
How many years have you studied at Hobby School and where have you studied before and/or after Hobby?
Before Hobby, I was in Singapore for 5 years with my family until the 2nd grade because my father pursued Seminary (graduate school) there. That is actually where I first learned English.
After I came back to Mongolia, I enrolled at a private school named Oyu-Elite for 3rd grade. While there, I entered into a couple of English Olympiads. One of them was the Hobby School Olympiad and I placed first and received a scholarship to attend Hobby school. So my parents enrolled me at Hobby and I attended from 4th grade till my graduation (11th grade).
What kind of a student were you? What was your favorite class/subject and who was your favorite teacher?
I was a very hardworking student and I remember I would stay up at night to make sure I did all my homework. Quite honestly, I was a book worm so I enjoyed my literature classes. Two of the teachers that made a huge impact in my life are Mr. Xander from 6th grade and Mr. Anthony who noticed my interest in the written word and encouraged me to write. Their encouragement kept me wanting to learn and keep on writing. They are always at the back of my mind whenever I write. Another teacher is Mr. Danny Doucette. He is one of the reasons I pursued higher education outside of Mongolia. There is a program called the United States Achiever’s Program that selects 10 students nationally and helps them apply to U.S. colleges and universities. I remember not being able to decide if I should apply or not, mostly because I was afraid of failing. Danny advised that if I wanted to take a big leap forward in my education, I should apply. This is not verbatim but the basic idea was that I should just try applying and take my shot at applying to school in the U.S. I tried and thankfully, was selected for the program which helped me in navigating the college application process.
Besides my general love for school, I was also quite social and loved the arts. I remember being part of the talent show every single year from my class. My general love for music and dance is because of my parents. My dad was a dancer growing up and both my parents met at Music Teachers’ school and were trained musicians. I remember my mom would come and help prepare the choir portion of my class’ talent show performance.
You were at various schools in Mongolia. How different were they from one another?
I like the curriculum at Hobby. All classes were taught in both English and Mongolian. It helped me to become equally fluent in my native tongue and English as I was still adjusting to Mongolia after coming back from Singapore. The academic workload was also very heavy but prepared me well for university. My years at Hobby taught me to be better disciplined in my studies which prepared me well not only for college but also for the job market.
“My years at Hobby taught me to be better disciplined in my studies which prepared me well not only for college but also for the job market.”
What’s your fondest memory at Hobby?
Back in 9th grade, I was part of the debate club at Hobby and we would meet every Saturday and some weekdays after school to practice and learn different debating styles. That year, we had the opportunity to compete in 2 different international debate tournaments. One in Beijing and one in Seoul. It was such a wonderful experience to not only travel with my classmates, school friends, and teachers but also meet other students from all over the world. Both competitions were challenging and helped me overcome some of the fears I had with public speaking.
After graduating, why did you pick International Economic Relations for your bachelor’s degree?
In high school, I enjoyed taking AP World History and I enjoyed reading economics literature such as Freakonomics by Dubner and Levitt. So I knew I wanted to continue learning more about these disciplines in college. International relations required cross-departmental courses from social sciences so the degree was a strategic decision. Not only was I able to take the classes I enjoy but also fill my major requirements and graduate on time.
How did you prepare for SATs and TOEFL? Any tips?
As I had mentioned earlier, the support I received through the United States Achiever’s Program helped me prepare for the exams. I was able to utilize the test prep books available at the program. I spent all summer of my year before graduation to practice for the exams. Since the exams had very specific types of questions, it required me to learn and understand the questions. It was kind of like learning how to ride a bike because you need to learn how to fall from the bike, how to get up, and how to get back on the bike. When you're taking the exam there are going to be times where you realize there are certain questions that will make you fall because it's not your strength but you learn how to get back up and not get flustered. Practicing with that mentality and strategic approach helped me with all entrance exams, including the GMAT.
“It was kind of like learning how to ride a bike because you need to learn how to fall from the bike, how to get up, and how to get back on the bike.”
Did you get any scholarships for your undergraduate degree? Were you the first Mongolian student?
Yes, I got a full-ride scholarship from the school. I remember the moment I received the acceptance letter because it was my first acceptance letter and a big deal. A few days later, I received another email about the scholarship and it was a huge relief given how expensive U.S. colleges are. Although my parents were ecstatic, they were unsure if this was the right choice since I was the oldest child and we had never lived apart.
I always say that my road to Mount Holyoke college was a God-thing because, amidst my parents’ anxiety, my dad was visited by an American colleague who happened to have a daughter who graduated from Mount Holyoke. Up to that point, my parents contemplated the decision so the colleague’s visit became a clear sign and provided comfort.
I think scholarships are a big motivation to make a decision. However, for parents, their concern goes beyond the financials. Will this be safe for my child? Will this opportunity be the best? As a parent now, I realize how nerve-wracking a decision it was to make.
I was not the first Mongolian student at Mount Holyoke College. The first Mongolian student graduated the year I entered and was a great resource to me.
Two other Mongolians were in my cohort. They were a couple of years older than me as they had both been studying at a Mongolian university before applying to the US. It was so nice to have a Mongolian community during my time in college as we would meet up now and then to make Mongolian food and talk in Mongolian.
What did you learn from university (going to Mount Holyoke college) aside from academics?
Mount Holyoke is the oldest and first of the Seven Sisters (the equivalent of the once all-male Ivy League). It is also the oldest school established to offer higher education to women that still exists as a women’s college today. Since women weren’t permitted or encouraged to pursue higher education in the past, our founder, a woman, who believed that it was necessary for women to be well educated to contribute significantly to society’s greater good, founded the college. This legacy is very much instilled in all of our training and our culture there. It provided me with the confidence as well as the fire to keep pushing and doing my best. Just knowing that many women before me had to go through harder hurdles for me to even be there.
Diversity was also great at the university. One-third of the students were international students because our college supported women regardless of background, status, race, and country. There is a Harvard Business Review study showing that the more diverse the group, the more likely the success. My time at Mount Holyoke taught me to work with and thrive in diverse settings.
Finally, I learned how to better persevere. I held three on-campus jobs as a student while maintaining my health, grades, and social life. I had to learn to keep my head up and keep going despite the no’s I received. These were all invaluable life lessons that prepared me for my life after college.
“The more diverse the group, the more likely the success. My time at Mount Holyoke taught me to work with and thrive in diverse settings. ”
“I learned how to better persevere...I had to learn to keep my head up and keep going despite the no’s I received. ”
Did you go on any study-abroad programs? Are they important?
Mount Holyoke college allowed us to go on a study abroad program in our sophomore or junior year. I applied to a few and decided on the University of Canterbury in England. If you know about the Canterbury tales, that's where it originates from. Canterbury is a very small, historic, fairy-tale-like town, south of London. I studied business and politics since it aligned with my studies at Mount Holyoke. The scholarship from Mount Holyoke college translated over to the study abroad university so I didn't lose my scholarship for that semester abroad. I had an amazing time and was there in the spring term from January until the end of June. During the Spring semester, we had a whole month and a half off for Spring break so I spent the whole time backpacking across Europe and England, visiting friends I made in college and at Canterbury. Over some weekends, I also visited London to meet other Mongolians. I am so glad I went because I met some of my closest friends during this time.
That summer, I applied for an internship that partnered with our school. The internship was with Kopernik, a tech-based social enterprise based out of Bali, Indonesia. Since this internship was from a pool of selective internships, it was paid. Kopernik was an organization started by former UN professionals in the development space so it was a good place to put my studies into action. Since a large portion of their mission was to empower people through technology and business, I witnessed first-hand the importance of local businesses and job creation in economic development. I worked as a communications manager, which taught me some practical skills such as increasing traffic to the website and creating marketing materials. I also had the opportunity to try my hand in doing market research for new technology.
I think work- and/or study-abroad experiences are helpful in personal and professional growth. Especially since mine challenged me outside of my comfort zone. These experiences provided clarity on my next steps after college.
“Work- and/or study-abroad experiences are helpful in personal and professional growth. These experiences provided clarity on my next steps after college”
What did you do after your bachelor’s degree?
I started out my career at a management consulting firm called Impendi Analytics. After witnessing the effectiveness of businesses in bringing impact and positive change in communities, I wanted to pursue a role in the business world. I conducted several informational interviews with alums that shared that management consulting was one of the best places to work on different business problems for different types of companies and industries.
Practically speaking too, as an international student, there were limited options for the type of companies that will provide work visa sponsorship. Consulting was one of the options with good sponsorship prospects. Impendi Analytics was one of the first companies I interviewed for and since I was graduating a semester early, I wanted to work for a company that would let me start in January.
I was actually applying to the consulting arm for one of the largest big data companies at the time. But by my final interview, I was notified that the consulting arm had decided to spin-off and create their own company named Impendi. At my final interview, they met me and told me about the separation. I had a choice to make. Do I want to work for a newly formed company or do I want to stick to the big guys (established companies). When I got the offer, I wasn’t too sure I should accept given there were other opportunities with much larger, better-known firms. However, I realized that I was going to be one of the first five people in the company, which would provide me with the opportunity to accelerate my learning and growth. And that is exactly what happened. My work focused mainly on end-to-end sourcing and procurement as well as spend optimization solutions for Fortune 500 firms across the US and Europe within the rail, steel, and construction industries. Anything from formulating recommendations that save millions of dollars for specific categories within a firm to helping with the revamp and implementation of entire strategic procurement organizations.
Not only did I learn to be a consultant and other typical skills you learn at your first job but also had the opportunity to lead projects beyond my job description. I was able to get direct exposure to the clients’ C-suite as well as lead internal training and recruiting for new hires. There were many long days and travel but the role pushed me a lot more than I think other jobs would have so I'm very thankful for the experience. I’m also very proud of how far the firm has come since its inception. Impendi was recently recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of 2021’s fastest-growing private companies.
I read your blog post on MIT’s website that you wanted to pursue supply chain management because of its importance in business and local economies ( To the Mom applying to Grad School: | MIT Graduate Admissions). How did you decide on your master’s program? Were you the first Mongolian student?
Yes, I was the first Mongolian student in my program. The profile of supply chain professionals has increased dramatically over the past few years. The profession is not only seen as critical but also as a competitive differentiator for organizations. It may seem like Supply Chain Management is an obvious choice of study now since the pandemic has exacerbated Supply Chain issues all around the world so there has been constant media coverage. But that was not the case pre-pandemic and when I was applying for graduate school.
As a consultant, I worked on projects that solved my clients’ supply chain problems. However, it was not until during a visit to Mongolia in early 2019 that I realized how critical logistics and supply chain management and infrastructure were to businesses and ultimately, the economic and environmental sustainability of entire communities. My realization came at a time where I was going through a major life change so I was in a very reflective state. The magnitude of the environmental and economic issues hit home much harder than before. This led me to do some more digging and research into one of the roots of these issues: the lack of proper logistics and supply chain management know-how.
At the time, graduate school was always a “plan sometime in the future” but I was unsure when. Up to that point, I was quite comfortable in my role as a consultant and had not planned on a master’s yet because I was unsure of what I would be going to school for. I remember typing in “Master’s in Supply Chain Management '' in the google search bar and seeing MIT as the top result. After doing some digging, I found that MIT’s program was actually the top Supply Chain program in the world and had leading research in Supply Chain Sustainability. It was the perfect program for what I was interested in pursuing. I wasn’t too sure I had a chance but when I shared this with my husband, he encouraged me to give it my best shot.
“I realized how critical logistics and supply chain management and infrastructure were to businesses and ultimately, the economic and environmental sustainability of entire communities. ”
“The profile of supply chain professionals has increased dramatically over the past few years. The profession is not only seen as critical but also as a competitive differentiator for organizations. ”
During my application process, I decided to also apply to MBA programs that offer a Supply Chain focus since I was doing all the typical graduate school application work such as taking the GMAT. I did not want to put all my eggs in one basket. I also applied to all available scholarships and grants since graduate school is very expensive. I was so fortunate to be selected as the recipient of the highly competitive Advancing Women through Education (AWE) fellowship offered by the global women in supply chain organization, AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations and Education) and MIT. The fellowship provided a full-tuition scholarship to one female student in my cohort so it was an honor and a dream come true. Since MIT’s program was my program of choice academically and none of the other graduate programs provided the same level of scholarship, deciding on MIT was a no-brainer.
To provide a little more context, the supply chain management program is within the MIT School of Engineering but much of the program requirements overlap with courses at the MIT Sloan Management school. That’s why I would describe my program as a hybrid of an engineering and management degree. I also completed the Sustainability Graduate Certificate from the Sloan Management School.
What was the main focus of your studies?
My research was focused on sustainable supply chains. Research has shown that over 80% of a consumer company’s greenhouse gas emissions come from its supply chain. Also, companies with more sustainable supply chains can better mitigate supply chain risk and reduce costs as they gain more visibility and control of what goes on in their value chain. So it is prudent for businesses to focus their sustainability efforts on their supply chain.
Specifically, for my thesis research, I focused on solving for the optimal distribution network that minimizes transportation carbon emissions. My research aimed to answer if it is possible to reduce carbon emissions while still meeting the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of minimizing transportation costs and meeting delivery time requirements. We partnered with one of the largest digital retail distribution companies in the world to tackle the following questions: Are there feasible optimal network configurations that meet global and corporate emissions reduction goals? Could the utilization of intermodal, alternative-fuel vehicles such as electric trucks or biofuel planes, or the procurement of electricity by own renewable energy sources sufficiently reduce carbon emissions? Finally, what are the trade-offs for these optimal network scenarios?
Although the research focuses on a specific distribution network, we found the findings could help companies reimagine how entire supply chains can design greener distribution networks.
My research is currently published on MIT’s DSpace so I encourage readers to look it up if they are interested in learning more about it.
“I focused on solving for the optimal distribution network that minimizes transportation carbon emissions...while still meeting the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of minimizing transportation costs and meeting delivery time requirements.”
Since the research was complex in nature and novel in its methodology, it was very challenging and a huge learning opportunity for my team. I was very thankful to have the mentorship from two of the leading scientists and thinkers in the Supply Chain Sustainability space - both female pioneers in their respective research fields. My research was also selected to be published on the Supply Chain Management Review so it will be published within the following year.
In addition, due to my interest in retail supply chains, for my Sustainability degree at Sloan, I got to work with one of the largest green apparel brands on the labor aspect of their supply chain “How do we ensure the livelihoods of workers within the supply chain?”. I also competed in a shark-tank-style entrepreneurship competition by creating a business case for apparel traceability through QR codes on tags. It was truly eye-opening to get to work on two different aspects of Supply Chain Sustainability - the social and the environmental. These retail-focused supply chain experiences brought me to my current role at a start-up called Heyday.
“Research has shown that over 80% of a consumer company’s greenhouse gas emissions come from its supply chain. Also, companies with more sustainable supply chains can better mitigate supply chain risk and reduce costs...So it is prudent for businesses to focus their sustainability efforts on their supply chain.”
CAREER
Tell me more about your current role at Heyday? What does Heyday do?
Heyday is a venture-backed e-commerce aggregator that partners with entrepreneurs to acquire, launch and incubate brands in large marketplaces like Amazon. Heyday is developing a marketplace-native technology, data, and operations stack, but we have also opened up traditional brick-and-mortar channels for some of our brands. Although Heyday was founded just over a year ago, we have been scaling rapidly with over 15+ brands and counting across the home, lifestyle, and personal care categories, each brand averaging an annual revenue of $15 million. We recently raised our Series C funding so the scale and speed of our growth are continuing to increase.
I am the operations and procurement lead for the health, beauty, and personal care brands within our portfolio. I manage the end-to-end supply chain for all these brands. This includes overseeing purchasing, inventory, and logistics decisions as well as managing supplier partnerships and negotiations. To do this, I partner across the supply chain team both locally and internationally to ensure the stability of our product supply. I also partner with brand management and other cross-functional teams to help plan and launch new products and growth campaigns. Recently, for example, I visited one of our manufacturing partners to sample and select the type of products that we will be adding to our product portfolio and launching for one of our personal care brands. I was able to help select the base product, unique scents, and even the container packaging. Given the nature of my role is very high visibility, it’s fulfilling to realize the material impact of my job daily.
Since I am at a start-up and as one of the earlier members of the supply chain organization, the opportunities to build processes and capabilities that shape the way we organize and operate our team are boundless. One of my brands was the first brand at Heyday to ever go brick-and-mortar (a.k.a selling in national physical stores). So from a supply chain and operations perspective, it was an entirely new process that I had the opportunity to learn, drive and create the current standard for.
I have also been able to lead cross-functional projects that automate operational processes, reduce complexity/working capital, and increase internal capacity. From implementing contracting systems to creating onboarding and mentorship frameworks, there have been tons of opportunities to innovate.
In addition, I have started the charge on incorporating sustainability practices at Heyday. This means understanding the opportunities and necessary changes in our supply chain that address climate change, water security, deforestation, human rights, fair labor practices, and corruption. This has been very exciting for me and my team because given the scale and complexity of our brands’ supply chains, our efforts can bring a material positive impact to the environment and the people involved in our supply chain. One of the efforts I am leading is a sustainability project with MIT to reduce and eliminate waste within our supply chain and packaging.
What made you change directions and join a start-up?
I was introduced to Heyday by my graduate program alum who left his role at Boston Consulting Group to work at Heyday. In addition to Heyday being in the tech and retail space, I noticed the high caliber of the teams during the interview process. I simply did not want to miss out on the opportunity to join a high-growth startup, enter at an early stage of the company and help build the company from the ground up. Coming out of graduate school there were several enticing opportunities, especially in tech and consulting, so I had to evaluate the opportunity costs of taking on one role over another. Through my evaluation, I realized that the roles at the large tech and consulting firms will be available if I choose to go that route in the future. However, joining Heyday was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
What are some tips you would like to give to people entering the job market in supply chain management?
Supply Chain management needs have been growing and the profession has been gaining increased visibility so the job market has seen increased job opportunities.
For someone interested in entering the field I think most importantly, since supply chains are vast, identifying the areas of the supply chain you're most interested in is key. Read about the different roles and career paths and discern which areas will best fit your interests, skills, and future career goals.
Much like other industries, advances in technology are rapidly increasing the adoption of digital supply chain technologies. These advances, therefore, require supply chain professionals to acquire and grow in their tech skills. I highly recommend everyone learn the basics of coding, data analytics, and database management.
I am happy to be a resource for students and professionals who are interested in learning more about the opportunities and career paths.
“Advances in technology are rapidly increasing the adoption of digital supply chain technologies...requiring supply chain professionals to acquire and grow in their tech skills.”
FUN QUESTIONS
May we ask if you are single or married? What are your thoughts on family planning in Mongolia?
Yes, I am married to my best friend of over 10 years and we have 2 daughters. I am beyond thankful for my partner and the family we have built together.
I am unsure what the current family planning situation is in Mongolia however, I can offer up some of my thoughts on marriage and parenting. I think a healthy marriage is partners making a commitment on purpose, for purpose. Purpose is crucial as it provides alignment within a partnership - are you both rooted in the same values and working towards a shared purpose/meaning? Chemistry and feelings can seem important in the beginning but they can also be fleeting. Love is a choice so I think the intentionality to love and continue loving is critical. From the examples of successful and loving marriages in our lives, what truly lasts is for both partners to continuously make the conscious decision to choose to love no matter the circumstance.
“Purpose is crucial as it provides alignment within a partnership.”
I think the same goes for parenting. I think it’s very important to be intentional in having children but also intentional in raising children. I have read recently about how many children in the past decade have been “babysat by television” and that research shows the high correlation of depression, loneliness, and anxiety in such children. This makes me really sad and I hope that our generation does a better job in caring for children. I think intentional parenting requires us to make the conscious decisions that help nurture and develop our children to the best of our abilities and not solely rely on distractions. Children truly are mirrors of who we are as parents/adults so parenting, in turn, helps me become more introspective and conscious of my actions and feelings.
How do you relax? What’s your hobby or where can we find you when you are not working?
I usually spend most of my non-work hours with my family enjoying the outdoors either at a nearby farm or hiking.
For some alone time with just my husband or by myself, we go to our family gym. Our gym has child care and activities to keep the kids busy while we work out together (or separately) and enjoy the sauna.
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I had different phases. When I was really little, I wanted to become an entertainer, so I would dance and sing in front of people. I also wanted to be a teacher for a period because both my parents have teaching backgrounds and I wanted to be like them. I also remember wanting to be a lawyer as I noticed quite a bit of injustice as a young person and thought lawyers could fix all the problems.
Do you have any talents that you’d like to share? You mentioned earlier that you sang in Hobby school’s talent show?
Yes, music has always been a constant in my life. My love for music stems from my parents. I grew up in a house filled with singing and instruments playing. Both my parents went to music school so they play several instruments and compose music. A lot of people don’t know this but while I was growing up my parents composed and recorded several Mongolian Christian albums. I sang in a couple of their records.
In college, I was in three separate musical groups - the Vocal Jazz, Acapella, and Choir. During my early career days, I also sang for a large church choir. Now I mostly sing for my kids at home (haha).
From your podcast interview and blog, it felt like you are a very hardworking, persistent, and tenacious person. Can you please elaborate on how you developed these characteristics?
It is a testament to how my parents raised me. One of the things I remember vividly are these daily routine schedules my mom would make for me and my younger brother starting from when I was 4 years old. We would create it together on colorful cardboard paper. We used fun stickers and different colored markers. This approach to life, to have goals, a plan, routines, and to stick to the plan, has helped me be disciplined in all areas of my life.
In addition, when I think about my love for school, it’s from how much my parents intentionally spent time teaching me. When I was five, my mom taught me how to read and write in Mongolian and my dad taught me how to do the math. During this time, we had just moved to Singapore so I also had to learn English and keep up with my school work. It was challenging for a 5-year old but my parents taught me to work hard and practice even if it was difficult.
“One of the things I remember vividly are these daily routine schedules my mom would make for me and my younger brother starting from when I was 4 years old...This approach to life, to have goals, a plan, routines, and to stick to the plan, has helped me be disciplined in all areas of my life.”
Who is your role model in Mongolia? A living person and why?
Both of my parents. I hope I can become as good of a parent to my children as they were to me. Besides their steadfast faith, perseverance, and discipline, I look up to my father’s integrity and my mother’s empathy.
I would like to also mention a family friend who has been a mentor since I was a child. She is Singaporean but has lived in Mongolia for many years because of her love for the Mongolian people and culture. She has selflessly helped and supported many families, students, and even hospitals around the country and is truly an unsung hero. I aspire to be as generous and loving as her.
Do you have any mentors? How did you pick them as mentors?
Yes, I have a few mentors that I have met from different seasons in my life. One is from my first real full-time job whom I continue to share and consult regarding my career. I met my second mentor during my time in graduate school. We share the same profession and passion for sustainable supply chains so she is a great resource and sounding board. Finally, I have mentors from my home church and family whom I can reach out to about more personal advice.
I would say some mentors I have intentionally sought and asked for mentorship. However, my closest mentors found me. These relationships were organically developed through time and proximity.
What’s the best life advice that you’ve received? Who gave this advice?
In all honesty, as I reflect on what truly got me through my darkest days as well as helped me find the brightest days is my Christian faith. The bible verse I most often refer to is 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you”. It reminds me that grace will provide me with the strength for whatever I may face or need to overcome. That grace alone is enough.
Personal advice you would like to extend to fellow Hobby Alumni?
Learning from mistakes is more important than not making them. I hope that we are all braver in what we are willing to try and continuously grow. We can’t grow unless we are okay with mistakes being part of the process.
“Learning from mistakes is more important than not making them.”
Personal advice you would like to extend to fellow Hobby students?
Ownership. Give everything you do, your all. Make sure that in whatever you do, even for the smallest task or shortest paper, you do your best. The proactive attitude and accountability that comes from having ownership will be integral to your personal and professional growth.
What are your good and bad habits?
A good habit is that I drink enough fluids. Two work-related good habits are daily prioritization of to-do’s and asking for help as needed. Though simple, these boost productivity and overall performance.
A bad habit is that I stay up late to make up for the day. I have a terrible sleeping schedule. I think I try to overcompensate for the day by staying up to catch up on reading or some other task. I should cut down on the sugar too. I’m a real sweet tooth.
Funniest story at work you can share with us?
I was 5 months pregnant when I had to get on a connecting flight to Finland for work. When you are pregnant you have a tiny bladder so I was frequently using the bathroom. This time, I had spent so much time at the security line that I hadn’t had time to use the bathroom but I really had to go. The bathrooms at this Chicago terminal were far apart from some gates but I thought I could make it. By the time I got back to my gate, I was told the gates just closed and I wasn’t able to get on. The next flight wasn’t until tomorrow! Imagine telling your boss that you missed a flight because you had to use the bathroom. At the time it was stressful but now I laugh about it.
If you can pass 1 law globally, what would it be?
Universal basic income so everyone can afford food, clothing, personal hygiene needs, and supplies for school.
Now if you can fix 1 problem in Mongolia, what would it be?
I would solve the supply chain infrastructure problems so that we can easily export/import as well as grow and attract more businesses.
Name 3 conspiracy theories you believe in.
I don’t believe in conspiracy theories.
Who would you recommend to interview next from Hobby Alumni? And Why?
Bilguun Ulammandakh and Mergen Nachin. Both are very successful in their respective careers so I would love to learn more about their experiences.
