Isabel is a Consultant in our Guangzhou office and head of the Online Enforcement Team, both in China and globally. She is involved in detecting online IP infringements and manages more than 100 online enforcement programmes a year. In the process, she has built up a large and efficient network throughout China and Southeast Asia.
Isabel is a perfect example of what is known as the wisdom of the paradox, central to the thinking of both ancient Chinese philosophers like Lao Tzu and modern western psychiatrists like Carl Jung. Jung famously wrote that only the paradox is capable of reflecting the complexity of life. Isabel has always felt completely protected by the three men in her life: her father, her elder brother, and her husband. She is quick to give examples of how much they have helped her with important life decisions and how much she has depended on them. And yet, paradoxically, she has developed a surprisingly individualistic and independent approach to life.
All her formative years were spent in Foshan, a large city, about 35 kilometres south-east of Guangzhou, widely known as the ‘City of Kung Fu’. Isabel’s father was a businessman there and her early years were comfortable and secure. She has a fond memory from kindergarten days when a boy in the class was treating her badly and her father stepped in and told the boy he could not treat his girl that way. She was grateful and enjoyed being protected.
When the time came to think about university, she had no idea which university to go to or what to study and her first instinct was to turn to her elder brother for advice. He responded quickly, suggesting she should study Finance at the well-regarded Guandong University of Finance and Economics. At the time, a Finance degree was seen as the ideal choice for girls: when they graduated, they would be able to get a well-paid and stable job with a bank, which would not only please them, but also make their parents happy. Isabel happily accepted her brother’s advice. In her first year, however, the University offered two experimental courses, one in Finance and one in Business English. Because Isabel’s English grades were good, her teacher encouraged her to apply for the Business English course. It was highly competitive, but she managed to get a place and found herself surrounded by a group of extremely capable and highly motivated students. In one of the early assessments, she was graded 15th out of 18. That activated an independent and disciplined response. She began to work extremely hard, starting at 5.00 am so that she could practise her English for two or three hours before classes began. By the end of the first Semester, she had gone from 15th position to 5th. It was the first time she realised that she could actually change things, change the outcome: it was up to her.
Although it was usual for girls to marry and start a family early, and Isabel’s mother was encouraging her to do just that, she had other ideas. When she was 22 or 23 she didn’t want to be in a serious relationship, but she met her future husband and he gave her the confidence to think she could be in a secure relationship and at the same time continue to develop herself. The security of close relationships was enabling her to be bold and to follow her heart. Unusually for China, she was in her thirties before she had a child. Her son, Changchang, is now six years old and very close to the three children of Isabel’s brother. They spend as much time together as possible and that particularly pleases Isabel: she doesn’t feel the need to have any more children as Changchang and his cousins are as close as siblings.
Isabel’s first job after she graduated was with an American company that developed and implemented corporate social responsibility programmes for large companies. She worked there for four years, translating and managing the programs and training staff. Then the management structure changed and she decided to look for another job. She had two criteria: the company must be an overseas company and the staff conditions must be good. Rouse filled the bill on both counts and she joined to work on online enforcement. At the time she knew nothing about IP, but her English skills and experience with the American company appealed to Rouse. Just four years later she was appointed team leader in China – and last year, Global Team Leader.
Isabel’s domestic arrangements might seem unusual, but for her they are absolutely perfect. She considers herself very lucky. During the week, Changchang stays with his grandparents, Isabel’s in-laws She greatly admires and respects them, they are educated, intelligent, and knows they will be a good influence.
Isabel says Rouse has been a good place for her both professionally and personally. Personally, it has enabled her to explore and extend her boundaries. For example, the year 2019 was a particularly challenging one for her because as well as being pregnant, she was appointed Team Leader. It all seemed overwhelming. She was feeling stressed and not at all sure she could cope with the added responsibility. She spoke to a colleague who obviously knew that Isabel had the capacity to succeed in the new role and gave her advice she has never forgotten. She told Isabel that she was assuming a personal boundary, a circle of competence and ability, as being of a certain size. Instead, this was an opportunity to extend her boundary, to make the circle larger. Isabel worked on that. In 2023, when she was asked to be Global Team Leader, her first instinct was to say “I am confident in China and have a stable and efficient team – but Global? I’m not sure”. She was thinking of all the challenges, how to balance domestic and global issues, family life and personal development. Then she concentrated on making her personal boundary bigger – and it has worked.
Isabel believes that her reliance on the protection of those close to her, particularly her father, brother and husband, has enabled her to be bold and live life in a way that suits her. She feels she is very lucky – and luck has probably played a part. But the wisdom of the paradox is also in play.
