Think a successful business career requires a business degree? Rui Liu ’11 wants you to think again.
“I didn’t have a grand plan,” Liu admitted with a laugh. “I studied economics at Wabash, minored in political science, and never thought I’d end up managing supply chain finance, but life is beautiful that way.”
Now the vice president of finance at Range Ward, Liu has built a career in corporate finance by leaning on skills not typically associated with business: listening, storytelling, and relationship-building.
“In finance, people assume you’re buried in spreadsheets all day,” he said. “That’s true at first, but as you move up, the job becomes taking numbers and turning them into stories people can understand and act on.”
“Before you explain what the numbers mean, you have to understand your audience,” he explained. “What’s their day-to-day like? What challenges are they facing? Once you really listen, you can translate the data into something relevant to them. That’s how real decisions get made.”
For Liu, the soft skills — listening, communicating clearly, and seeing the bigger picture — were sharpened at Wabash.
“Wabash taught me to think critically and speak with purpose,” he said. “I took philosophy, economics, Cultures & Traditions, each one pushed me to see the world through a different lens. That mindset helps me every day in business.”
What mattered most wasn’t what he learned, but how he learned.
“At Wabash, you can’t hide in the back of a lecture hall. You are expected to show up, think deeply, and talk about things that matter. That prepares you for real-world conversations,” said Liu, now based in San Antonio.
He still draws on advice from one of his favorite professors, Peter Mikek.
“‘Explain it to your grandpa,’ he would say. If you can take a complex idea and make it simple, that’s when you really understand it,” Liu said. “I use that with my team all the time.”
Liu appreciates the way the Wabash faculty connects with its students. Office hours, faculty dinners, and routine conversations at campus events or while crossing campus, home games, and other events all emphasize meaningful conversation.
“I really value personal interaction, and when I spoke with professors at Wabash, I could tell that education and personal development were truly their top priorities,” he said. “It felt substantial, like I wouldn’t just be gaining knowledge and skills, but also building meaningful relationships. That combination means so much more to me than just the degree.”
Liu’s career has taken him through companies large and small, across cultures and industries. Whether it be working with suppliers in Vietnam, China, and Thailand to prepare two new business units at while at Roku, or traveling to Mexico to work with Toyota affiliates and dealers for material handling, the common thread has always been human connection.
“Business is all about relationships,” he said. “You don’t succeed alone. It’s about who you work with, who you learn from, and how you help others grow.”
Liu offers this advice to students.
“Find a place that will challenge you, support you, and teach you how to think — not just what to think. Your major doesn’t define your future. Your mindset and the relationships you forge along the way do.”
