JOHOR BAHRU, 14 NOV. – “As an entrepreneur with over 10 years of experience, practical experience alone is invaluable, but combining it with rigorous academic inquiry elevates your career and personal growth to a whole new level,” said Dr. Luo Yu, recipient of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree at the 70th Convocation Ceremony of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

The 35-year-old entrepreneur and educator, from Guizhou, China, was awarded his doctorate from the Azman Hashim International Business School (AHIBS) in recognition of his outstanding academic output and research bridging corporate leadership with empirical science.

As the CEO of Guizhou Kaerwen Culture Development Co., Ltd. (贵州卡尔文文化发展有限公司), which he founded in 2015, Dr. Luo Yu built an enterprise specialising in student training, international education consulting and cross-cultural exchange between China and Malaysia. However, after over a decade in business, he realised that practical intuition alone was no longer sufficient for resolving complex, long-term strategic management challenges. Driven by a strong desire to close the gap between theoretical knowledge and commercial practice, he chose to enrol in the DBA programme at UTM’s Kuala Lumpur campus in October 2022.

During his doctoral studies at UTM, Dr. Luo Yu focused his research on digital consumer psychology, intelligent entrepreneurship, and organisational digital transformation. Moving into academic research required a major change in how he worked. As a business leader, he was used to making quick, intuitive decisions, but doctoral study demanded strong theoretical frameworks, careful research methods and lots of reading. To bridge this gap, he adopted a “scholar-practitioner” mindset. By spending time reading systematically, regularly asking his supervisors for feedback and using his own company as a live case study, Dr. Luo tested classroom theories in real business scenarios, turning everyday operational challenges into evidence-based research insights.

His dedication to academic excellence yielded significant achievements. During his time at UTM, Dr. Luo Yu authored multiple high-impact papers in prestigious SSCI-indexed international journals, including the Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Technology in Society and the International Journal of Manpower. In addition to his publications, he contributed to the global academic community by serving as a peer reviewer for several SSCI- and ESCI-indexed journals.

Achieving these milestones required rigorous self-discipline and strategic adaptation. Balancing executive responsibilities with doctoral studies meant trusting his corporate team and delegating company operations, while reserving early mornings and weekends for intensive research. Furthermore, transitioning from a Chinese-speaking environment to an English-driven academic landscape presented an initial hurdle, which he overcame by actively participating in campus discussions, seminars and networking events in Kuala Lumpur.

Looking to the future, Dr. Luo plans to bring the academic insights and research culture he experienced at UTM back to his company and broader professional network in China. A central aspect of this vision is embedding an organisational culture that encourages team members to “speak with data,” ensuring that strategic business decisions are backed by empirical evidence rather than intuition alone. At the same time, Dr. Luo remains deeply committed to his role as an educator, striving to continue teaching and mentoring young people while helping them connect classroom learning with real business challenges.

Dr. Luo also aims to expand educational bridges between China and Malaysia, creating broader pathways for Chinese students to pursue higher education abroad. Celebrating his graduation, he expressed heartfelt gratitude to his family for their unconditional support, as well as his corporate team for managing business operations during his studies. He gave special recognition to his main supervisors, Dr. Theresa Ho Char Fei and Dr. Teo Poh Chuin, alongside Prof. Fauziah Sh. Ahmad and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shathees Baskaran, for their patience and guidance throughout his academic journey.

Dr. Luo’s journey serves as a powerful inspiration for working professionals and aspiring scholars alike. Offering advice to the younger generation pursuing their ambitions, he shared: “Embrace lifelong learning and never be afraid to start. Be patient, stay resilient and trust the process. Your past struggles and failures are the best raw materials for your future success.”