Alumna, Banking Industry Leader Encourages Students to Take Advantage of Every Opportunity

When Alice Gao ’94 MBA first moved to the United States from China in 1990, she began working at a bank in New York City. While eager to advance her career, she was concerned that without a gradaute degree from an American university, she wouldn’t have opportunities to move up. She began to consider pursuing an advanced degree.

Gao, who has a Bachelor of Arts degree from a university in her home country, was excited about the possibilities a master’s degree – in particular an MBA – could offer. She applied to the University of New Haven, hoping to make new connections while building the foundation that would enable her to achieve her career goals.

“I was very, very excited when I was accepted,” she said. “I then moved to New Haven from New York City. I knew what I wanted – a U.S. education and to fit into the mainstream – and I was able to accomplish that at the University.”

‘I gained a lot of confidence’

In addition to the skills she developed in the classroom, Gao felt a sense of belonging at the University. She was grateful for the connections she made with her classmates and for the diverse community she became a part of.

“There was a good-size population of international students at the University, and I could mingle with them pretty easily,” said Gao, who earned an MBA with a concentration in computer and information systems. “There were a lot of people from Taiwan and Thailand, in particular. We shared a similar culture as students from Asian countries. At the same time, I got to interact with local students, and we had a lot of group studies. I learned so much from them.”

Gao’s MBA helped her advance her career just as she’d hoped. She applied for and earned a higher-level position than she’d previously had: a role as a lending officer with Bank of China, Los Angeles. It was 1994, and Gao packed up her car and drove across the country to begin the next step of her career. She felt prepared, even as she accepted and started her position.

“Some people with an MBA still need a training period, and I was able to just step right into my role,” she explains. “I gained a lot of confidence and life skills from my time at the University. I’m determined to learn, so I pick things up really fast. The degree really gave me a way to get through the door. Otherwise, I fear my resume wouldn’t even have been considered."

‘I want to help customers’

Gao has been on the West Coast ever since, advancing her career and exploring new areas within banking. Her success at Bank of China caught the attention of a headhunter who offered her a position at a local bank – something Gao was interested in, and it was a role that she, ultimately, accepted.

Over the next several years, Gao moved on to what is now Bank of the West/BNP Paribas, focusing on lending and expanding her focus from small business to middle-market lending. Her responsibilities also included wealth management and branch operations. Her next position as a team leader and senior credit approver for HSBC Bank USA enabled her to expand her skillset to cross between marketing and credit departments. She then spent about a decade at ICBC USA, a subsidiary of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations, as senior vice president, head of commercial banking, leading a multi-functional team to succeed on a global scale.

By this time, another bank was trying to recruit Gao. East West Bank needed people who understand business in the Chinese market. Gao, a native of mainland China with extensive experience working with businesses there, was a natural fit. She began working for East West Bank, the largest independent bank headquartered in southern California, late last year.

A senior vice president, Gao leads a new team called Cross Border Commercial. A seasoned banker and compelling leader and mentor in the commercial banking sector, Gao inspires her team and clients with her passion for driving strong business results by helping ambitious business owners and financial institutions find ways to grow their business. As the team continues to grow, she hopes to continue to expand their services and impact on a global scale.

“I want to help customers and I like to do deals,” said Gao, who is based in East West Bank’s Pasadena, CA, location. “When we do loans at East West Bank, we also help grow Chinese businesses. We really bridge banking business from China, Hong Kong, and the U.S.”

‘You have to get ready’

Gao has received numerous honors in her banking career and is a frequent speaker before industry groups and conferences, including Meet The Money, MIT World Real Estate Forum, Urban Land Institute's Emerging Trends in Real Estate United States and Canada annual conference, and the Women's Executive Forum. In 2014, Gao received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of New Haven. She also serves as Secretary General on the China Enterprise Council and the Board of Advisors for World Trade Center Los Angeles.

Gao’s career has enabled her to regularly collaborate and connect with individuals and businesses on two continents, and she’s grateful for her experience at the University that helped her learn how to bridge Chinese and American cultures. She describes being a student in the United States as “totally different” from attending school in China, something that she says was a valuable learning experience.

“In China, you basically listen and follow instructions,” explains Gao, a member of the Pompea College of Business Advisory Board. “There’s not much encouragement for creativity or trying new things. Everything is essentially following instructions and being a good listener, as well as being humble, modest, and not challenging the professors. I had to adjust a bit when I was a student in the U.S.”

It was that adjustment, she says, that helped her have the confidence and skills she needed to excel as a professional. She encourages all students – and international students, in particular – to get out of their comfort zones and to take advantage of every possible opportunity. She hopes the lessons she learned will also help them to succeed.

“For many international students, we have been taught to be humble and modest,” said Gao. “I believe that needs to be changed. You need to use your voice and you must speak up. In China and other Asian countries, if you behave this way, people may think you are not being respectful, but in the U.S., it is different.

“I hope students know that they can’t expect opportunities to just come,” she continued. “You have to get ready, prepare for them, and grab them. For example, don’t wait until you are 125 percent ready to ask to move to the next level of a position – ask when you’re 50 or 75 percent ready – and use your skills to make an impact.”