​Liverpool alumnus shares insights from a global career

An outstanding alumnus from the University of Liverpool, Gordon Hunter, executive chairman of electronics manufacturer Littelfuse, Inc., visited Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University to share his experiences with XJTLU students.

As well as sharing stories about this student years, Hunter (pictured below) talked about the time following his graduation when he was especially ‘hungry for success’, and about his experiences at companies including Ford, Nokia, Elo Touch Solutions, Intel, and Raychem, before joining Littelfuse.

“I believe that one of the things really shaped me was being able to have a job at a young age,” said Hunter. “It made me realise that you can learn things at work that you cannot easily acquire by studying.

“I really believe very strongly in the intern programmes our company offers to young people around the world to encourage them to accumulate work experience,” he said.

Hunter first came to China in 1983, and expressed his amazement at the development of the country in recent years, saying: “In my hometown, nothing has really changed since 1983. By contrast, the development here has been really fantastic.”

In addition, he shared some wisdom about the importance of human resources and a strong company culture:

“All companies, technology companies included, are run by people, and the starting point for having good people is having good management of human resources. Once you have good people in your company you can develop a good company culture, inspiring loyalty to the company, mutual respect, and a supportive environment. This progress takes time, but it’s worth it.”

Ziran Sun, a Year Two student on the BA International Business with a Language programme, said he was inspired a lot by this event:

“I think it is especially important during our studies to gain some practical insights,” he said. “When you learn a lot of theories in textbooks, you might not truly understand them. I think it was very helpful for me to learn from the practical experiences of someone who has had such a successful career.

by Yanzi Wu; edited by Danny Abbasi and Jacqueline Bánki; photos by Weiqian Zhang