Yushi Guo - International researcher

As a native of Liaoning province of China, Yushi Guo 03MBA says he felt committed to return home after graduating from Goizueta. Today, Guo serves as vice president/associate partner for Gallup Research in Beijing, and he appreciates honing his business skills in the bustling capital. Guo oversees profit and loss for the well-known market research firm’s Chinese headquarters “Beijing is a dynamic, fast-paced, and international city with such a long history,” he notes.
Interestingly, Guo received a BS in forestry from Beijing Forestry University in 1994 and an MS in ecology from the school in 1997. “I was active in environmental protection activities. It made me realize that sustainable development of local communities might be a more effective way to protect nature.” After graduation, Guo worked for the China International Forest Travel Service and got a chance to apply his ecotourism concepts at the travel marketing company. “I reset my career direction at that point to the business field,” he says.

In 1999, he left his position as assistant manager to head to the United States to further his education. On his decision to move to the United States, Guo says he was interested in learning about a different culture. He adds that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offered a major related to his previous studies. He received an MS in leisure studies from the school in May 2001, concentrating in resource management. “Graduate school there gave me the theories, but I also felt that formal business training was still necessary.” Soon, Guo was off to Atlanta, receiving his full-time MBA from Goizueta in 2003. “I obtained systematic business training from Goizueta, which continues to benefit me in my professional life.”

Guo joined Gallup in June 2003 as a participant in their Emerging Leaders Program in Lincoln, Nebraska. “Gallup was a good choice, since it’s a research-based consulting company where I could leverage my prior graduate school education gained in research.” After the initial training, Guo selected China as the destination for his job placement in the company, taking the post of director of marketing in September 2003 in the Shanghai office. He relocated to Beijing in September 2004 after a promotion to his current position.

Following the market preferences of the Chinese people remains compelling work, says Guo. “The country is experiencing fast economic growth, and vast changes are happening here. When traveling in China, you can see a nice blend of traditional Chinese culture and modern international cultural elements.”