November 17, 2023, by aczht
Alumni Junyi Xiao (International Business 2017) growing her successful business
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2023 – Celebrating 25 years of innovation at University of Nottingham Business School
About Junyi:
Junyi Xiao (International Business 2017)
Founder of W&W Trading and Consulting Ltd
Junyi is the founder of W&W Trading and Consulting Ltd, an international trading consultancy and service company with its headquarters in Nottingham. W&W specialises in the food and beverages industry, giving East Asian brands the opportunity to expand into new European markets.
Junyi’s journey after graduating:
Since graduating in 2017, Junyi has seen her business grow from an initial idea into a multinational venture, employing 18 staff and providing logistics management services for several large clients based around the world. With offices in Nottingham and China, and a new branch in Singapore on the horizon, Junyi has been able to put her International Business degree into practice from the start.
“My learning experience at Nottingham was really wonderful. I had a lot of great professors, including my tutor, Tim Bailey (Industrial Economics), whom I always spoke with about my future and the changing world. Professor [Chenqi] Wang, one of the top researchers in the world for emerging markets, was really amazing. He gave me a lot of inspiration and ideas about how to develop my future.”
University’s Innovation Park.
Junyi has made the most of her connection to the University since graduating, benefitting from the practical support and community of likeminded entrepreneurs at the Ingenuity Lab, as well as utilising the university’s student intern scheme, and volunteering as a project sponsor on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management MSc.
“I really enjoy this feeling of connection to the university. At the start of setting up my business, I got a lot of inspiration from other Ingenuity Lab members. Now as a fast-growing team, we can give opportunities to the next generation through internships and entrepreneurship student projects. It’s a mutual process – we also discover a lot of talent from these projects.”
This year has seen large growth for the company. In February 2023, W&W expanded their operations in China, opening a new office in Shenzhen after receiving a second round of investment, and in October, the Nottingham team moved to a new office at the University’s Innovation Park (UNIP), having outgrown their base at the Ingenuity Lab.
Over summer , they worked with new partners giffgaff and UberEats to deliver a Welcome Pack project for over 20,000 international students at universities across the UK. The packs serve a dual purpose: connecting W&W’s partner brands with the international student market and ensuring a warm welcome for students arriving in the UK, something close to the team’s hearts.
Junyi’s ethos and reflections:
“Comprised mostly of international alumni, we once embarked on their own journeys to study in the UK – now as we witness students from around the world arriving in the UK, we resonate deeply. We were once in their shoes, often yearning for home during holidays. This experience of studying and living in the UK inspired us to initiate this project, with the hope of extending support to future international students.”
This is emblematic of the ethos that underpins Junyi’s business: connecting people, places and markets.
What’s next?
As the Business School celebrates its 25 anniversary by looking to the next quarter century, Junyi is looking to the future as well.
“Breaking through more international barriers, that’s the true meaning of international business. In the past two years, the world changed a lot – due to war, trading wars, the pandemic. So, I think the true meaning, and the whole life purpose for international traders or businesspeople, is to bring the world together to break through these barriers. That’s my purpose.”
If you want to expand your business, find out more information on the University’s Innovation Park.
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