Sarah Li

Life at the palace: Passion and curiosity drive career success at the cultural edge

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Sarah is consistently ranked as the top sales performer, specialising in high-end client relationship management, luxury event planning, and revenue maximisation. She studied in Switzerland before coming to the UAE but her interest in The University of Manchester goes back to her days as a young tourist when she visited the university. She applied to join the Manchester Global Part-time MBA but was initially deemed ineligible because of her age. Undeterred, she reapplied and, following a successful personal interview, she became the youngest student (aged 23) based in the UAE to join the programme. As a Chinese national working for a western luxury hospitality brand in the Middle East, she frequently references the importance of culture in relation to her work experience at the interface between cultures (where multinational clients and governments meet), as well as her multicultural MBA study experience. In her own substantial travel experience – she has visited over 111 countries - she emphasises the benefits of travelling mindfully and remaining open to local cultural influences and learning from them.

“I arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2017 as a fresh graduate and joined the Palace (Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental). In 2020, when COVID started, I decided it was time to think about improving and developing myself, in terms of education. So, I started to research MBA courses - Chinese students tend to follow global rankings - the Manchester course was online and manageable in my daily life, with the Dubai branch just an hour away, which was super helpful. So, I started my MBA journey.”

Sarah brought a distinctive set of insights, experience and skills to her cohort. Her role as an event manager was unlike at other properties, with each function ‘super unique’ – Emirates Palace hosts worldwide summits and global events - working in support of the highest levels of government in the UAE, and often on projects relating to the relationships between countries. It’s a demanding role and requires the essential skills and experience of dealing with VVIPs of different cultures. However, after enrolling on the programme, she faced the same challenges as everyone - how to balance work and study - and quickly realised it would not be easy. But the learnings came thick and fast.

“The first thing I learned from my Manchester MBA changed my life – this is about time management. You need to balance your work, study and your personal life and you have to adjust it within a very short time because no one will wait for you. The second thing is that you are working with people from different industries who you may never have met in person - only through the calls needed to do your group project. So, you learn to open your mind because people from different cultures may think totally differently. For example, the Chinese mindset is do a ‘thousand meetings’ while Europeans are more focused on the quality of discussion.

“Working at Emirates Palace has also given me a unique insight into the fusion of Eastern and Western hospitality philosophies. The Palace was previously operated by Kempinski, a European luxury hotel group, and is now managed by Mandarin Oriental, a renowned Asian brand. Through this transition, I’ve learned to integrate both styles into my own leadership approach – a valuable lesson in adaptability and cross-cultural communication.

“So, you need to change your mindset and accommodate yourself within the multicultural environment. This really helped my career because when you can handle a group of five or six people, literally speaking every day or every week, it improves your confidence and improves your communication with your global clients. Of course, the courses and theory helped me a lot and that's how I have grown myself - it's like personal development plus the practice of business theory plus the mindset.

Sarah completed the negotiation skills elective module during the MBA and now applies these skills daily in her role.

“For example, I currently lead the Indian market for Emirates Palace. It’s a culturally rich market and nuanced in its approach to business, requiring a deep understanding of negotiation psychology, relationship-building, and patience. It’s not easy but I love challenges. Every conversation sharpens your ability to listen, empathise, and position value in a way that resonates across cultures.”

Sarah applies the same passion to her relationship with The University of Manchester, which includes volunteering her time to help others.

“I have a very strong connection with the University and the Middle East branch in Dubai. I often attend events because you always want to meet new people and make new friends and, at our stage, when you meet someone it's about sharing information from different fields and learning what they're doing and how the market is going. You're somehow forever connected because of the Manchester DNA.”

“Every day in my life is somehow connected with the MBA. At the moment, I'm supporting the Manchester MentorME programme as a mentor (my female mentee is from the UK) and really enjoying our programme. Every time I share with her my life and my work experience, it is something totally new for her because she grew up in the UK and I grew up in China. Manchester is literally everything in my life.”

“Volunteering for mentoring first of all needs you to be a good listener and, when you listen to your mentee, it's a time to think about why she is asking me these questions and what she wants to learn from me. I'm helping her through the mentoring programme but I'm also developing myself so you need always need to be curious and ready and have the passion to learn and grow along with your mentee. You also need to make sure that whatever you are sharing is useful - I love helping people and it's time I like to use to inspire other people and often to develop myself.”

Sarah obviously lives life to the full and is also committed to lifelong learning. She summarises her attitude and approach in a single word.

“I would say one word covers it – passion! Because I'm passionate about new things, I'm passionate about my life, I'm passionate about the energy of this world and I'm passionate about literally everything happening in my life. I learn from every day and everything I see and from everyone I meet.

“I have already contacted the Manchester DBA office and put my name down to start the new semester. Getting a doctoral degree would be my next goal in terms of education and, career wise, of course I want to keep growing more with Mandarin Oriental because it’s a global hotel group with opportunities literally everywhere. We have an internal transfer project for two three months to another property to help and guide them, so this is something which I'm applying to do.”

Travel remains a particular passion for Sarah – but with changing aims.

“I've been to 111 countries including some really special ones, such as Afghanistan, Iran and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia and seen the beauty of these places. When I started traveling, I was five years old and my first destination was Thailand. I set myself a goal to travel all over the world but today, I have totally changed my mind. I still have the same goal but the reason why I travel is not just because of the ‘bucket list’. It's because I want to learn about a new culture and about the real life. I have become more curious about this world of 195 countries and for me, there's no poor place and there's no unsafe place, because everywhere in this world is a home to somebody. You cannot judge it - you have to go there and see how people live.”

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