Melissa Lou is a woman with many interests, and is unafraid of pursuing them. Currently a Senior Venture Architect at Boston Consulting Group X (X.Ventures) which invents, builds, scales and invests in startups with the globally established companies; she had previously co-founded Delegate, an events startup that provides technological tools to create offline, virtual, and hybrid event environments.
Prior to her foray into entrepreneurship, Melissa graduated from EHL Hospitality Business School (formerly known as Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne), and started her career in luxury and events partnership at Quintessentially Singapore, a luxury concierge and lifestyle management group that work with high network and corporate clients.
Education as a foundation for success
My initial interest in event management and business led me to EHL, and I was persuaded by its strong reputation and inspiring alumni testimonials.
When I received the acceptance letter, it was a no-brainer for me to take up the opportunity - to experience a new format of education where practical skill sets are prioritised in a fresh environment that would bring me out of my comfort zone.
"I was seeking a career where I could make an impact on society, and EHL had equipped me duly with the insights and inspiration to do so across distinct industries."
Thriving in multidisciplinary teams
Working in a multidisciplinary team where different expertise converge - from Engineering, Product, Strategic design, I support the projects with my expertise in the commercial and operational aspect.
Managing different skill sets, expertise and personalities for a singular goal and purpose felt like second nature to me since EHL, where I had honed the skill of nurturing and building relationships to build business objectives together in an impactful manner.
This definitely helped me professionally as I was able to quickly adapt to various work functions, environments and industries.
Adaptability and confidence
Further, aside from the all-rounded business foundation - inclusive but not limited to financial management, marketing and operations - which EHL had given incisive real-world application, I was also able to sharpen my business acumen, and learnt to be flexible and adaptive. All of this technical knowledge served me well in the hospitality industry, and fed into my confidence.
Many may underplay the importance of confidence but I believe that the presentation and delivery is just as crucial to the technical “know-how”, especially in management roles and start-up businesses.
I believe that these have helped me both in my entrepreneurship journey as well as in my current role as a Senior Venture Architect at BCG X, where I work with multidisciplinary teams and undertake diverse roles in the venture building journey, from business model development to operations and commercialisation.
Fostering future leaders, driving change
I believe that the value of such skills cannot be underestimated and will give every EHL graduate a competitive edge in today’s capricious and unpredictable world. For instance, during my undergraduate days at EHL, we were constantly exposed to different groups of people, projects and lines of work. It taught me to be flexible – which is crucial when launching your own business, particularly in technology, when you have to constantly pivot according to market conditions and demands.
As a younger student, I had personally gained so much from EHL’s resources - from the sharing sessions by industry experts, job platform to the global alumni network that we can always tap on. Now that I have graduated, I believe in giving back to the same community that had nurtured my potential and championed my journey.My education at EHL had equipped me with both technical and soft skills, and most importantly the motivation and confidence to pursue my interests.
It convinced me that the world was my oyster, as long as I put my heart into it.
