You made the bold move from corporate leadership at Mobicom to pursuing advanced education in Boston. What was that midnight moment when you decided, 'I need to make this change'?
My childhood wasn’t that fancy. My parents didn’t have enough money to send me to a private or foreign school. In fifth grade, I took a test to enter a math-focused school and got in. Later, I wanted to go to a Turkish–Mongolian school at eighth grade—one of my friends was accepted—but the annual dormitory fee was about $800, and my parents couldn’t afford it. I remember crying an entire day at the kitchen table because I really wanted to go. It was the first time I wanted something so badly for myself, but they couldn’t pay. I ended up going to a public school and then a local university, which was still good. I placed around 55th or 56th out of 3,000 candidates, so I got in, then worked at Mobicom for 11 years.
I never gave up on studying abroad, though. My family couldn’t support it financially, so I started looking for scholarships. I realized I needed more community work and stronger English skills. I spent two years on IELTS preparation—did lots of tests until I got a 7. I joined a nonprofit called Women for Change, which does women’s leadership and empowerment. That experience opened me up to new areas like democracy and human rights. After I felt ready, I applied for different scholarships in the U.S., UK, Australia, and Canada. I got rejected three or four times before finally receiving a Fulbright Humphrey scholarship. I was confident I’d get something if I kept trying, so in the second or third year, I made it.
You hold a CFA credential, which anyone in finance knows is like climbing Mount Everest while solving math problems. What kept you going through those exams when most people would have given up?
When I started, there were fewer than five CFA charterholders in Mongolia, maybe three. Now there are more candidates, but it’s still small. I had been working in corporate planning and budgeting for a while, and I wondered about my future career. I was doing well at Mobicom, but what if I left? Only internal stakeholders knew my capabilities, so I needed a recognizable qualification, like something that sets me apart in the job market. I explored CPA, but that’s more for accountants, and I’m more into financial management, forecasting, and budgeting. So CFA felt closer to my field.
I spoke to one of the first Mongolian CFAs to learn about the journey. Then I found three friends, and we studied together, all becoming CFAs eventually. I passed Level II in 2018 while I was at Boston University. Then I went to Myanmar, got busy, and paused for two or three years. I resumed in 2024 and completed it.
At that time, there was no official CFA Society here. We tried forming one once we reached 30 charterholders, but the requirement moved up to 150. With a population of only 3 million in Mongolia, and a smaller fraction in business and finance, it’s challenging.
You've lived in Mongolia, studied in the United States, and worked in Myanmar—that's quite the global perspective. What's something you've noticed about leadership that transcends cultural boundaries?
Before leaving Mongolia, I thought working in the U.S. or any multicultural setting would be hard. But in Boston, I interned at a fintech with affiliates around the world. I realized I could function well. In Myanmar, a typical meeting might include a Burmese person, a Japanese person, a Singaporean, a Malaysian, and an Indian. Completely different backgrounds.
One universal trait is being clear about the final outcome. If everyone understands the goal, they’ll deliver results. If they only focus on their own perspective—cultural differences, or how they personally do things—they’ll face many obstacles. But if a leader keeps people’s eyes on the end result, it works across cultures. That’s the key.
Being able to envision the result helps to reach it, rather than getting stuck on how far away we are or how different the circumstances might be.