Alone in Taiwan
The First Cross-Border Negotiation: Taiwan
Sent alone to Taiwan as the only English speaker in the company, I negotiated my first international supply contract.
My first international negotiation happened unexpectedly. As the only English speaker in the company, I was sent alone to Taiwan to evaluate suppliers and negotiate a supply contract, a responsibility far beyond my years at the time. It was the moment I transitioned from operational execution to strategic decision-making.
In Taiwan, I learned how cross-border partnerships truly work: navigating cultural nuance, aligning expectations, validating technical capabilities, and structuring agreements that balance cost, quality, and long-term reliability. I had to make real-time decisions, assess risk, and represent the company's interests without senior oversight.
This experience became the foundation of my global BD career. It taught me how to negotiate internationally, manage supplier relationships, and build trust across cultures. Those competencies later shaped multimillion-dollar alliances with Ministries of Health, CROs, CDMOs, NGOs, and global distributors across 15+ countries.
