CEO Insights Magazine

China has one of the largest and fastestgrowing education markets globally. According to Statista, the country's education market revenue was $1.39 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $2.27 billion by 2027. In this thriving educational landscape, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) shines as one of the most prestigious and renowned institutions.

Established in 1896 as Nanyang Public School and later renamed in 1959, SJTU has become a distinguished university with 31 departments, 11 state key laboratories, and national engineering research centers. The university offers an impressive array of academic programs, including 63 undergraduate, 250master's degrees, 203 Ph.D., and 28 post-doctorate programs. SJTU boasts a vast alumni network thatincludes over 200 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Among these notable alumni is Anna Li An Jiang, the Managing Director of TBAE Consultancy (in association with The Behavioural Architects), who has emerged as a prominent business leader. In a recent interview with CEO Insights Asia, Anna shared insights into her leadership journey and provided an overview of her company. Here are the key highlights from the exclusive interview.

Throw some light on your education and professional background.

I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration & Management from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After graduating I secured an internship with Research Essential, a small research start-up that later joined with The Behavioural Architects (TBA). This marked the beginning of my career in the research industry. Despite having a number of alternative career options, I chose to start my career with TBAE and took up a research executive position, a decision that many frowned upon, however, I am very happy with it, as it opened a gateway to huge learning opportunities. Over the years, I have worked my way up the corporate ladder and today I am Managing Director at TBAE Consultancy in Shanghai.

Elaborate on your experience studying at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The four years I spent studying at Shanghai Jiao Tong University were the most enriching time of my life. The most exciting part was the privilege of being taught by exceptional faculty members, talking to them, and getting first-hand exposure to the business world. This has helped me to develop many values and principles such as respect for all ethnicities and professional ethics. I also had the opportunity to participate in 110 Anniversary Celebrations, where I was able to interact with people from diverse industry backgrounds. These interactions made me realize that we only have one life and need to focus on our passions and achieving excellence in what we decide to do.

Tell us about TBAE Consultancy and its services. Also, how do develop efficient corporate growth strategies in the organization?

At TBAE we pride ourselves in helping our clients to stay ahead of the market and achieve success by providing consultancy solutions based on our expertise in consumer, brand, market research, and insights. Our work focuses on innovation, brand and category strategy, foundational consumer and behavioral insight, and communication. Behavioral science provides a bedrock of principles we use to design methodologies that drive deeper insights and actionable recommendations. Whilst based in Shanghai, we have always put emphasis on diversity of team. Over the years we are able to build significant organic and sustainable growth in and outside China, with footprint in East and South East Asia and beyond. The quality of our work has meant we have been able to attract and retain a good number of repeat clients. I strongly believe our growth is not only driven by the quality of our work but also by having a clear understanding of our vision, mission statement, strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly being open to continuous learning, so we can quickly adapt to the constantly evolving market. This enables us to maintain sustainable growth and keep our teams motivated and engaged at all times - which is a major enabler of the company's success.

How do you leverage your industry experience to guide your team amid constant market fluctuations?

With the speed at which new trends and technologies are emerging in the market, we always ensure we stay up to date with the changing market dynamics. I encourage my team members to focus on their strengths and work on becoming better versions of themselves. We always focus on building and nurturing relationships with all our stakeholders by understanding their business and identifying their pain points to provide them with the best solutions. Also, our approach is grounded in behavioural science which encourages us to look beyond the surface and have a holistic view of the matter at hand.

How do you expect the industry to evolve in the days to come?

It’s been a difficult few years due to the pandemic and various other factors. We are fortunate to have a team of persevering individuals who have been instrumental in successfully sailing through these rough waters. As our stakeholders look at the market from an entirely different perspective this is creating new future opportunities. There is a greater need and interest in understanding and developing a deeper relationship with consumers as well as treating insights as more than just data but interpreting it into clear implications. However, it’s more important for businesses to be sensitive and responsive to the diverging impact of the global market.

What future plans do you have in mind for yourself and your company?

These are exciting times for TBAE to operate in. We are continuously evolving our offer to provide insightsbased consultancy solutions with a strong senior team from diverse backgrounds of innovation, research, brand strategy, and data solutions. I also believe this is the perfect time to build our regional footprint and transform our core as a China-powered insights consultancy that operates across regional markets. For me personally, this is the time to reflect upon my experience and learn new skills and capabilities from the strong leadership team that we have at TBAE.

Anna Li An Jiang, Managing Director, TBAE

Having completed her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration & Management from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Anna joined TBAE in 2011 as a Research Executive. Since then, she has achieved exponential career growth due to her exceptional managerial skills, profound industry experience, and a clear understanding of client requirements. Thus, she has played a key role in the company’s growth story in recent times.