Busch Group: Women and Careers in Management

Ellie Li is General Manager of the Busch Group in China.
Source: Busch China.

Ellie Li

My professional career began with a bachelor’s degree in Shanghai, followed by three years in brand marketing at Estée Lauder. I then deepened my knowledge in a two-year study program in Australia and obtained a double master’s degree in marketing as well as translating and interpreting. After another two years of valuable work experience in the Australian cosmetics industry, I returned to China.

I was attracted to join a B2B company after my time in the B2C sector because the work requires high efficiency and expertise. I also wanted to get to know the atmosphere in a European company and a German one was my first choice, as the quality mark “Made in Germany” is highly regarded in China. All these considerations led me to Busch China, where I started as a marketing supervisor and initially took on important tasks in the areas of sales and business development.

I quickly became enthusiastic about vacuum technology because vacuum plays a central role in our daily lives and in the production of countless products that we use every day – from food that needs to stay fresh to medical products and pharmaceuticals. The broad applicability of vacuum makes vacuum technology an essential part of a wide range of industries, even in economically turbulent times.

Mechanical engineering offers numerous career opportunities, and it is particularly important to me that more women seize these possibilities. We need to be confident in technical professions and claim these chances for ourselves. Despite China’s rapid development and the important positions women hold in international companies, the engineering industry is still heavily dominated by men. Only around 10% of the engineers in the country are women. Advancing as a woman in mechanical engineering is not an everyday occurrence, but Busch has given me the opportunities to do so. I have been able to work in a whole range of positions on different continents, gaining diverse experience and developing professionally.