‘Give Yourself a Kick in Your Rear End’

Seizing the opportunities available to him in China gave Mads Vesterager Nielsen the skills and confidence to take on the job as General Manager of the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China (DCCC), even before he graduated from Public Management and Social Development.

'Working for DCCC is incredibly exciting because all of the efforts you put into the job go towards helping Danish organisations and companies to operate in China. The job has given me excellent insight into the Danish engagement in China and contacts among some major players’.

Mads Vesterager Nielsen got the job at DCCC in January 2018 after a six-month internship at the Royal Danish Embassy in Beijing. He believes that the internship position and his proactive approach were crucial in landing the job in the first place.

Challenge Yourself to Experience

When Mads Vesterager Nielsen arrived in China in August 2016, he decided to challenge himself to experience as much as he possibly could. Therefore, he joined extracurricular activities at SDC, he travelled in China during holidays and took part in numerous events in Beijing.

‘It is very important to challenge yourself to engage with your surroundings and have your own experiences. You have to give yourself a kick in the rear end and join some of the many exciting events that are held in Beijing every day, because it will give you an understanding of Chinese people and society which is invaluable going forward’, says Mads Vesterager Nielsen.

Wherever his career takes him, he is determined to stay curious and to relentlessly pursue knowledge about everything Chinese – and how Danish organisations and companies can operate successfully in China.