Road Less Travelled -Interview with Fredy Bush

Originally published in The Peak magazine, Hong Kong, December 2008

"As the older and wiser person I am today, I look back and realise I took a risk for my family and it brought me to China," says Fredy Bush, eyes wide with excitement. "In thinking I was sacrificing for them, it actually gave me my life."

Download PDF (1.56 MB)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is quite an extraordinary statement for the founder and CEO of China’s leading financial news and data analysis company. But then Fredy Bush is no ordinary person. The head of Xinhua Finance and its subsidiary Xinhua Finance Media, she started life as what could be described as a second-class citizen in American’s most tightly religious state. In Utah, as a Mormon in a restricted, male-dominated society, the map of her life, like those of most women, was determined at birth-her primary role would be as wife and mother. And so, at the tender age of 19, Fredy Bush was married with two small children.

Perhaps if her husband had not died in a motorcycle accident when she was in her first year of college, she would still be an obedient housewife in Utah and Xinhua Finance would have been a distant possibility. The accident left her with few opportunities as an uneducated teenage mother. Poverty was her most daunting obstacle-she recalls being unable to the point of being homeless,” she says, in a way that suggests the wounds may not have healed completely. “You just don’t have any room.” Yet now she considers challenge a privilege and says that conquering the uphill battle added depth and understanding to her life.

It took an apparently inconsequential event to change her direction. While marking time in a doctor’s waiting room when one of her children became sick, she picked up a Reader’s Digest and happened to open it to an article on single undereducated teenage mothers.

The statistics stressed the likelihood that her offspring would not attend college but become blue-collar workers involved in drugs or alcohol: Then and there, Fredy Bush vowed never to let that happen.

Moving herself and her children out of Utah and its belief system, she found a job in California with a Taiwanese woman who mentioned lucrative positions for English-speakers working for government officials in Taiwan. In 1985, Fredy Bush and her children moved to Taipei.


FOREIGN FIELDS

It was a culture shock to say the least. Apart from the foreign customs and language, she hadn’t realized Taiwan was still under Chiang kai Shek’s martial law, impose in May 1949- the restrictions especially on free speech and the press were a stark contrast to what she had been used to in her native land. Still, her resolve held, and after finding work as an assistant to the secretary general of Taiwan, she started learning about trading in commodities.

In 1998, martial law was lifted, state-owned enterprises were privatized and the markets liberalized. It was the opportunity Fredy Bush needed. Having learnt Mandarin and having understood the world’s securities markets, she set up a consulting business helping multinational companies identify business opportunities in China, particularly offering advice on the creation of Taipei’s commodities futures market. Then, as China followed Taiwan’s example, in the mid-1990s Fredy Bush’s company linked up with Xinhua News, the official voice of China’s government, providing it with the financial information and analysis that would attract foreign firms to the rapidly expanding Chinese economy.

That led in 1999, to a proposal that the news agency invest in an international financial news and analysis services to which it would also license its name- although she realized( and ensured through links with foreign financial houses) that the business had to be seen as independent of any government control or manipulation.

Fredy Bush literally created indices, ratings, financial news, investor relations services and distribution in a time when none existed: She brought transparency to the Chinese market with disclosure and analysis of the performance of China’s major companies. She went on to found subsidiary Xinhua Finance Media, which distributes financial data, analysis and news through a television, radio, newspaper, magazine and online network.

In less than 10 years, she managed to list the companies on two major international markets: Mothers Board of the Tokyo Stock Exchange with a global lattice of 11 countries and the Nasdaq stock market.

A MAN’ S WORLD

Ironically, the blue-eyed blonde has found herself going from one male-dominated world to another-she is often the only woman in the boardroom. In the past, even though she was the CEO, negotiation dialogue was often directed to male counterparts rather than herself. It has taken a long process to prove herself, but, in the end, there was no denying shareholders were raking in profits. “You finally gain their respect where inevitably they say. “She makes us money so we kind of have to let her in.” she laughs.

The secret to making it, Bush says, is having a dream that excites, the courage to take a risk and , finally, persistence to never give up-particularly if you are an undervalued business woman. Amongst her many accolades, the most meaningful was the Wall Street Journal’s Top 50 Women to Watch award in 2004, because women’s contributions to business, society, charity and global corporate culture are so poorly recognized.

“There’s definitely a glass ceiling. As much as we’ve progressed, it’s still there.” She says. “My belief is that people don’t fail-they quit. I would encourage them not to.” Her kids, after all, represented all the motivation she needed to persevere. They were the catalyst that propelled Bush into one of the most dynamic emerging markets in the world and her involvement in China’s changing regulatory structure presented an undreamed of career opportunity. “It’s pretty historic in a lot of ways.” She smiles. “Our company plays a tiny role in all of that but it’s what makes me want to get out of bed every single day. It’s such an incredible place to do business.”

Asked if she would change any aspect of her past, Fredy Bush answers immediately that she would have enrolled in college had she been able to afford it. She still managed to beat the statistics by putting both her children through university and any future grandchildren will have the same advantages.

FULL CIRCLE

In fact, education remains so close to Bush’s heart she founded the Chazara Foundation to provide girls in poverty-stricken Chinese provinces like Ningxia with schooling. Annual high-school fees account for more than half an average household’s yearly income and boys usually have priority- if the chance ever even arises.

The next step was creating the Xinhua Finance Library Foundation to build libraries in poor villages, further giving children with no formal education a head start. So far, three libraries have been built in Ningxia and another in Inner Mongolia, with a total of 7,000 donated books. Bush has every intention of immersing herself fully in charity work when she retires.

The main dilemma she face now is how to raise the visibility and encourage involvement in the tow foundations without making them overly large and impersonal. She is intent on avoiding overheads that result in a small percentage of every dollar reaching those in need. At present, only one member of staff oversees the charities, allowing the majority of the funds to go directly to students and books.

Yet she remains personally fully involved. Every Friday night, she takes home a stack of folders and the following morning, writes letters to pupils sponsored by the Chazara Foundation. With more than 1,000 students to date, keeping abreast of correspondence is no mean feat. However, she wouldn’t have it any other way and takes the same approach with the Library Foundation.

“Rather than just writing a cheque and feeling like we’ve done our charitable deed, we actually dig the people in the village,” Fredy Bush divulges, with the hope that the tight-knit bond with her students will continue well after they complete there studies. She is keen to know when they marry or reach other turning points in life, much as if they were her own. Many wonder how they can repay Bush but she asks only in return that they pass on the goodwill.

She also hopes those supported by the Chazara Foundation may one day return to volunteer themselves. With so much time dedicated to her family, biological and other, it’s no wonder that, several years ago, Fredy Bush wondered if the trade-offs she was making for her nearest and dearest meant giving up a life she never had. But, as she says, she now realizes it was precisely that sacrifice that has made her life such a success.

一个美国女人和她的上千个中国孩子--专访新华悦动传媒CEO Fredy Bush女士

原文刊登在《今日民航》2009年3月刊, P66


布希女士, 全球商界50强女性之一。十年之内她在中国领导两家公司在世界两大主要市场上市；这位在中国市场上成就事业的女强人先后创立了两大基金会-资助失学女童重新获得读书机会的羽蝶基金，和在中国偏远乡村建立图书馆，以知识脱贫的新华图书馆基金会。从美国犹他州到中国上海再到偏远的宁夏；从两家上市公司到两家慈善基金会，她做的的确不少。而推动她热心公益事业的是一段不能抹去的人生记忆……

与书本为伴的贫困母亲

在访谈过程中，记者了解到眼前这位杰出的商业女性并非毕业于某知名院校，她甚至没有接受过高等教育。在她还是青少年的时候，就已经是两个孩子的母亲了。 在她20岁那年，丈夫不幸因车祸去世，留下了年轻的她和年幼的孩子。

布希强迫放弃了自己的学业，为了抚养孩子，她做过很多份不同的工作，但是学历低，经验少， 令她无法获得足以维持生活得薪水。提起当初的艰辛生活，她至今记忆犹新:”在美国，政府会给穷人发食品领取券，这是超市收银员最讨厌收的东西，因为这些食品券让他们费力而不赚钱。有一次，在收银的时候我才发现我买的东西多了，已经超出了食品券的额度，只能让收银员一件一件的将超出的商品取消。那个收银员很不耐烦，怪我买不起还要拿这么多，身后排着常常的队伍，所有的人都在看着我，我的儿子看到我被人责骂，立刻就哭了起来。”

就是这些不愉快的经验和羞辱，令她有要自强的决心。布希从那时起就懂得知识能够改变命运的道理。尽管放弃了学业，但是她仍然坚持自修: 数学，历史，小说…所有能够拿到手的书籍她都看。书本是她的良朋也是益友，或许是因为不在学校的人更加珍惜学习的机会， 布希读书的广度与深度为她日后在商界叱诧提供了足够的知识储备。直到今天她仍然保留着读书的习惯，无论到哪里，她总是会抽出时间去读书。

一本航空杂志,让他与上千失学女童结下不解之缘

机会总是眷顾那些有准备的人，是偶然也是必然，布希有了今天的成就，而书籍无疑便是成就她事业成功的关键。在一次公务旅行中，一本航空杂志上的文章吸引了布希女士的注意。文章讲述了在中国宁夏贫困地区的一位妇女，用自己微薄的收入无偿资助了上百个女童读书的事迹。布希被这篇文章深深的触动了。谁也没想到，就在几个月后，这位金发蓝眼睛的美国女人毅然亲自踏上了中国西部这片贫瘠的土地，开始了和上千名贫困女童之间的不解之缘。

第一次看到与北京，上海的繁荣形成强烈反差的中国西部乡村，看到因贫困而失学的女孩子，她陷入了沉思。布希似乎在这些中国西部地区贫困的女孩子身上找到了自己从前的身影。要让她们受到应有的教育，有了知识，她们的将来才会有希望。”不怕贫困，就怕你没有脱离贫困的决心，” 对布希来说，只有怀揣希望和梦想，人生才能得以改变。那一刻，在布希的脑海里，产生了这种强烈的想法，也是在那一刻，布希决定成立用于资助失学女童的羽蝶基金。如同布希女士说的，希望这些女孩子能像羽蝶一样，通过自己的努力，将来能够破蛹成碟，振翅高飞。

从羽蝶基金成立至今，通过该基金的资助而复学的女童已超过1000人，其中80位女孩已经念到高中，15人步入了大学校园。布希女士告诉我，他们每一位受到资助的女童，都和她有一个约定，那就是等将来她们学业有成之后，有能力的时候，也要尽自己的能力去帮助像她们一样因贫困而失学的孩子。

布希说:”只要她们愿意，我就会资助她们，一直到她们把书念完，但是当她们有一天能够自己站起来有能力的时候，她们就会帮忙做和我一样的事情。今天我资助了一千个，几年后这一千个孩子会资助更多个一千人，这样就能够把这份事业继续下去，帮助到更多的人。”

布希每年都在她繁忙的工作中抽出三天时间，长途跋涉亲自探望这些女童。每次她下飞机后还要花上五六个小时车程才抵达学校，对日理万机的集团掌舵人来说似乎是一份奢侈。但布希却觉得十分值得:”我自己从中得到的比我付出的要多。她们真挚的笑容，充满希望的眼神足够让人融化，也令我暂时忘记工作上的烦恼。” 今天，成为众人妈妈的布希常常收到”女儿”寄来的信，通过助手的翻译，她会利用周六的时间逐一回信。

延续书的力量-----建立图书馆基金会

与此同时，布希还成立了新华图书馆基金会，在中国偏远乡村建立图书馆并为之提供图书，提升当地群众的识字机会和文化水平，从而帮助他们摆脱贫穷，改善生活。很容易想象到这个概念来自布希本身与书本的”亲密关系”。在布希心中，就算全村只有一个人能读书，他也可以通过阅读图书馆里的书籍，将知识传播给其他人。迄今为止，该基金会在宁夏为一座乡村图书馆提供了经济上的资助并捐赠了书籍，还分别在宁夏和内蒙古自治区完成了3座图书馆。

零八年五月份的四川大地震，不仅令许多人无家可归，还令许多孩子失去了他们读书的学校。陕西省宁强县也是此次地震的重灾区之一，当地文化部门辗转找到新华图书基金会，希望基金会能够帮助他们重建一所因地震而倒塌的小学，布希一口便答应了，她还亲自勘察了校址，为学校送去了35万元的捐款。

然而，令布希最骄傲的是，她得家人，朋友，还有她的员工都非常支持她回馈社会的举动。新华图书馆基金会已成为公司文化的重要部分。她的员工们除了捐钱外，还会经常捐书，捐物，有很多人更亲自去宁夏，内蒙当地，亲自动手，挖地基，搬砖头，砌泥灰，和村民们并肩劳动。慈善的意义并不仅仅在于提高物质上的援助，用布希自己的话， “这并非是简单的施与和接受。在帮助和获得帮助的过程中，每位参与其中的人已变换了身份，相互帮助，不分彼此。与人分享的过程中，也是与自己的心灵沟通的过程。”

“永远不要小看自己”与”永不放弃”

作为一名杰出的商业女性，布希也很享受她的家庭生活。布希平衡事业与家庭的秘诀是全身投入，在办公室与家庭里，你永远不要三心二意。”其实中国女性比国外女性拥有者更多的机会，”布希说， “我的职业领域以男性为主导，但我从一开始就告诉自己，我一定要成功!在这个路途上，坚持是最为重要的。”

对于那些有抱负的女性们，布希给出了两点建议: 第一，永远不要小看了自己。第二，永远不要放弃。这两点建议，也正是布希自己人生的缩影吧。

当布希最后谈到《今日民航》杂志时，她鼓励的说:”当初我是因为飞机上的一本杂志，才有了今天的两个基金会，帮助需要帮助的人。我也希望有人在看过你们的杂志之后，能去帮助更多的人。”

目前,新华图书馆基金和羽蝶基金正在中国偏远的地区发挥着作用，它们让布希女士帮助别人改变生活得梦想得以实现，为一家上市集团带来了无价的企业文化，同时也为那里的孩子们带去了知识并成就他们的梦想。


布希女士介绍:

布希在2004年曾入选《华尔街日版》”全球商界女性50强”；2006年获得美国族裔组织联盟颁发的埃利斯岛荣誉奖章；2006年10月在第五届CNBC亚洲商业领袖奖的评选中被授予年度亚洲企业家奖，以及香港美国商会颁发的”最具影响力女性”奖之年度最佳企业奖。她所领导的新华悦动传媒[Xinhua Sports & Entertainment Limited ( NASDAQ: XSEL); 前名新华财经传媒(Xinhua Finance Media Limited) ]是一家中国领先的传媒集团，重点聚焦体育与娱乐传媒领域。公司于纳斯达克上市，员工超过1300名。XSEL一直以服务中国年轻的新富一族为营运宗旨，把精彩的国际体育赛事和优质的娱乐内容引进中国，并透过其独有而广泛的传播平台送递至目标受众。XSEL的传播平台涵盖电视,互联网,移动通信,广播,报纸,杂志,以及校园营销网络等众多媒体报道。此外，XSEL还可为广告客户提供一站式综合全面解决方案,充分满足客户在传播各阶段的不同需要,成为链接广告客户与新富一族之间的桥梁。