manager and PR liaison. In 1989, I got a graduate assistantship from the West- ern Illinois University and was lucky enough to get out of China right after the student movement in Tiananmen Square. In early fall 1989, I came to the States to pursue my master’s degree with two suitcases, a humble heart, and a strong will. And along my journey, at every critical moment, someone was there to inspire, support, and guide me.

I was hired by Conferon (now Experient) through a headhunter in 1993. Over the last 19 years ownership has changed several times and so has the brand, but I stayed. People call me a “lifer,” and in my case there are good reasons. In 1999, my mother was diagnosed with bone cancer. Bruce Harris, president and CEO of Conferon, bought a ticket and sent me back to Shanghai to be with my dying mother until her very last moment. The other reason is, I have good faith in the company I work for. I know what I want to do and where my passion is. It makes no sense to change a job while I am in for a career.

Someone once said, “Success is when preparation meets opportunity.” In my case it’s true. In 2003 I began to learn global business strategy and manage- ment from a personal mentor who worked in another industry. His C-level vision and understanding of global busi- ness on a cellular level made a profound impact on me and made me what I am as a professional businesswoman. I started to think about what my compa- ny’s global business could look like, and drafted a global business plan. At that time, “going global” sounded very much like a cliché and was viewed by many as a luxury. My plan did not then go very far due to many hurdles and competing priorities. But I didn’t give up, because

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what I believe in personally is equally important for the future growth of the company and the company’s leadership position in the industry.

In 2006, I got support from Conferon for my global initiative and started to travel to the Far East to check markets out. When Conferon was rebranded to Experient, I became director of inter- national market development, working in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and emerging markets such as Eastern Europe.

The more I traveled, the more I could see the world becoming more and more “flat” due to technology. Technology has been helping to crush the political, economical, and financial barriers that keep us from doing business globally. That year I converted my personal vision into the company’s global service strategy — the “glocal” strategy. A global strategy combined with local culture is the essence of glocalization. No mat- ter where our clients go, our account management team works directly with our clients, and we engage a local partner for operations management. This allows us to service our clients anywhere in the world.

I think the turning point for me was a 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics experi- ence where we put our glocal strategy to the test. A Fortune 200 client of ours came to me wanting ideas, and since China is their largest growth market, I suggested an event held in conjunction with the Summer Olympics. We part- nered with a local company with close ties with the Chinese government for operations management, and together we delivered what many insiders con- sidered unthinkable, thanks to strong support from top-level Chinese govern- ment [officials]. It not only proved glocal

strategy worked, but solidified my posi- tion as a global expert within Experient.

Then, in fall 2008, the global financial meltdown fundamentally changed the way we do business. In the corporate world, meetings began to be commod- itized and procurement got involved, and associations were looking for ways to survive. Going global became an absolute necessity, not a luxury. People have started to realize that [for] orga- nizations to be sustainable in today’s turbulent and volatile economy, [they] need to go global or they will be global- ized. It’s as simple as that. Globalization at its ultimate level is when customer service is supported on a local level. American companies can not go to big emerging markets such as Brazil, Rus- sia, India, China, and South Africa to tell them: “This is our American way, so it’s the only way.”

In fall 2009, due to the increasing demand from our existing clients, our Global Sourcing division was established. Many people have played an important role in helping get me to where I am today. I was especially grateful for two confidants and friends. My boss, Jerry Murphy, is a great example of new-generation leader- ship. He is innovative, open-minded, nimble, daring, and technologically savvy. Equally important is my trusted global adviser, David Spain, managing partner from The Partnership, who is a wealth of global destination and busi- ness knowledge. David is instrumental in connecting me to the right players around the world.

. —Barbara Palmer AUGUST 2012 PCMA CONVENE 33