Alumni Interview Series Vol.9
First‑tier enterprises set standards; second‑tier build brands; third‑tier manufacture products. This widely‑quoted saying suggests that to become a world‑class enterprise, one must act as a standard‑setter in its industry, or at minimum take a leading role in standard‑making. This becomes especially critical when enterprises aim for international competitiveness, sustained technological leadership and strong brand influence.
Michael LAM
Managing Director, Asia‑Pacific, BSI (British Standards Institution)
In this instalment of our 20 Years, 20 Alumni interview series, we talk with Mr. Michael Lam, Managing Director of BSI Asia‑Pacific. As a globally‑leading standards and certification body, BSI serves sectors including aerospace, automotive, finance, built environment, food, and healthcare. Drawing on its expertise in standards knowledge, certification, training and regulatory services, BSI empowers clients to boost operational performance, achieve sustainable growth and manage risks effectively. As a senior leader of this global organisation, Michael Lam holds himself to high “standards” in work, study and personal life alike.
From Game Participant to Standard‑Setter
Michael Lam joined a testing, inspection and certification group in 1989, taking charge of both China Affairs and the Food Division. Thus began his career in the TIC* industry.
*The TIC industry covers Testing, Inspection and Certification services, commonly abbreviated as “TIC” internationally.
Over more than three decades, he has witnessed the evolution of China’s TIC industry: from early‑stage learning, to alignment with global markets, and onwards to growing domestic awareness of independent standard‑setting. This trajectory mirrors China’s transformation from a production‑driven nation to an innovation‑led economy. According to Lam, throughout the 1990s and before 2000, China’s TIC sector was largely in a learning phase. Foreign supervisors were stationed on‑site in mainland China to guide implementation and alignment with international standards. Given the industry’s deep ties to national welfare and people’s livelihood, local practitioners absorbed knowledge like sponges.
After 2000, local management teams started developing tailored domestic solutions to support home‑grown industries, rather than only servicing import‑export businesses. The decade post‑2010 saw exponential industry expansion. TIC moved to the very forefront of national economic wellbeing. During this period, the state prioritised quality. Diverse certification schemes fostered a new cohort of outstanding enterprises, and craftsmanship became a widely‑discussed theme in the media.
Compared with his previous employer, BSI does not fit neatly within classic TIC. It operates across the hybrid STC domain: Standards, Testing and Certification. BSI now operates in over 180 countries and regions. Most clients are industry leaders. The relationship is rarely a simple buyer‑supplier dynamic; it is more of strategic partnership. Clients such as Huawei and Xiaomi inspire BSI in return. Together they explore ways for enterprises to strengthen viability and build business resilience for the future. Part of BSI’s mission is to help companies understand that they should not merely meet standards — but also shape and refine them.
Learning as a Flow‑Driven Journey to Happiness
Against the backdrop of the TIC industry’s boom after 2010, Michael Lam sought further education to broaden his horizons and keep pace with industry development. He enrolled in an EMBA programme to raise his personal professional benchmarks.
He researched EMBA options in China with great care. Believing learning demands serious commitment, he drew up clear selection criteria. The Fudan‑Washington University EMBA programme resonated with him for its rigorous academic culture, which matched his own attitude toward learning. As he expected, the interview panel demonstrated solid theoretical grounding alongside sharp practical insights covering pricing mechanisms and procurement efficiency. The interviews were not one‑sided questioning; the exchanges with faculty proved illuminating.
Immersed in the curriculum, Lam found his classmates of Class 9 equally engaged. Despite heavy coursework, this cohort of like‑minded peers generated great intellectual energy and creativity, enjoying fluid, insightful debates both in and beyond class.
Happiness stems from inner order. — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Through empirical research, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi concluded that happiness originates from inner mental order. Work need not be drudgery. If we recognise and cultivate more flow states, ordinary working moments can become states of deep immersion.
The same principle applies to learning. For Lam and his peers, this was a novel experience after years in the workplace. He realised how rewarding it was to pursue higher learning standards collectively, investing time and energy side‑by‑side. Much like friends dancing hand‑in‑hand around a bonfire beneath a star‑studded sky, their inner ideals and passions shone bright.
As class monitor, Lam devoted energy to building class culture amid his studies. On the question of balancing work, family and school, he calls it a false premise: perfect balance is unattainable. What matters is whether your commitments are worthwhile and whether you live up to your own standards. Looking back over those 18 months of EMBA studies, Lam has no doubt it was worthwhile.
The Gobi Trail as a Metaphor for Corporate Management
Michael Lam took part in the 9th Gobi Challenge (G9). This endurance race unfolded across desolate Gobi terrain, traversing unique Yardang landforms. Participants hiked by day and camped in tents for four days and three nights.
Race rules set the bar for physical endurance — and offered a real‑world simulation of management challenges. As Lam observes, when the body pushes toward its limits, a peculiar addictive mindset kicks in. The world abounds with intelligent people and physically‑fit people, yet few combine both qualities. He trained for 18 months, clocking more than 1,000 kilometres of running to prepare. Unfortunately, a knee injury cost him a spot on Team A; he joined Team B instead.
Though disappointed not to make Team A, Lam threw himself fully into Team B and served as its captain. He had to manage his own injury while leading his whole team to each finish checkpoint. The experience, he says, closely mirrors running a business. First, goals and standards must be grounded in solid understanding: of the road ahead, industry trends, individual physical limits and team capacity. Unrealistic targets pursued by sheer willpower will burn out the team — a dangerous risk out on the Gobi or in corporate leadership.
Second, collective objectives must integrate each individual’s goals. Shared targets and aligned standards unite minds and forge deep team bonds. Third, organisational efficiency counts. As a team competition, the Gobi Challenge tests leaders on translating pre‑race strategy into action and unlocking core team strengths — no less demanding than corporate management.
As Asia‑Pacific Managing Director of BSI, Lam oversees operations across 13 countries and territories. Local cultures, workforce maturity and client needs differ widely; copying one market’s playbook elsewhere leads to misalignment. His management approach centres on respecting local leadership, listening to regional perspectives and acknowledging divergent management cultures. He shares practices from other markets as reference points, enabling locally‑adapted solutions. In leading a multinational organisation, he believes success hinges on recognising differences and unlocking intrinsic motivation for growth across teams.
The Gobi Challenge posed its own set of hurdles. Team members were top professionals from diverse backgrounds, and getting high‑achieving individuals to align on shared standards proved demanding. Even so, the rewards upon completing the challenge were immense for every participant.
As Michael Lam puts it: Life is not a reckless adventure, but an irresistible current. Each of us navigates our own course along this river. Whether sailing under fair winds or through tempests, stay true to your inner standards, and you will reach your destination.