From Apple to Entrepreneurship: Broad Fall 2026 Global Engagement Fellow Ying Liu Inspires the Next Generation of Global Leaders

Each semester, the Broad College welcomes an international alum to Michigan State University’s campus for a week of events centered on global outreach and impact. During their visit, these Global Engagement Fellows share their business expertise and provide mentorship to students, engage with faculty and staff and highlight the college’s global initiatives. As the Broad College of Business’s Fall 2026 Global Engagement Fellow, Ying Liu (MBA ’00) shares insights on global supply chains, sustainable innovation and the importance of adaptability in building a meaningful career.

From helping establish Apple’s operations in China to founding a sustainable packaging company, Ying Liu (MBA ’00) has built a career defined by innovation, resilience and a commitment to solving complex global challenges. This fall, Liu returned to Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business as the Global Engagement Fellow, bringing decades of international business experience and entrepreneurial insight to the next generation of Spartan leaders. As founder and CEO of Blue Lake Packaging, Liu is advancing sustainable alternatives to traditional plastic-based packaging while drawing on her extensive background in global supply chain management, corporate responsibility and operations. Her return to campus provided opportunities to engage with students, faculty and university leaders, sharing lessons from a career that has taken her from Beijing to Silicon Valley and beyond.

Liu’s journey to global business leadership began with an unexpected opportunity. After earning an undergraduate engineering degree in China, she traveled to the United States in 1997 to teach Chinese at Hamilton College in New York. Determined to pursue an MBA, she drove approximately 12 hours to East Lansing to interview for Michigan State’s graduate business program. An admission offer and scholarship ultimately made her education possible, allowing her to earn an MBA with concentrations in supply chain management and finance in 2000. Shortly after graduation, Liu joined Apple as a supply chain analyst, beginning a 12-year career that would place her at the forefront of the company’s international expansion. As one of the first employees assigned to establish Apple’s operations in China, she helped build the organization’s infrastructure, supplier relationships and operational processes from the ground up. She also contributed to the team responsible for launching the first-generation iPhone in 2007 before advancing to senior leadership roles overseeing product operations and corporate supplier responsibility.

Following her departure from Apple in 2012, Liu embraced entrepreneurship, initially launching a software company focused on travel planning. Her entrepreneurial journey eventually led her to an industry she had previously overlooked: packaging. Recognizing the environmental challenges associated with conventional packaging materials, she conducted extensive research across the industry’s supply chain, from recycling facilities to raw material sourcing and manufacturing processes. This exploration inspired her to establish Blue Lake Packaging, a company focused on developing innovative, fiber-based cushioning solutions designed to replace traditional plastic packaging. Today, Liu is applying her global operations expertise to address sustainability challenges while promoting responsible manufacturing practices and building an inclusive corporate culture. Her work reflects a belief that meaningful innovation requires both an understanding of complex business systems and a willingness to challenge established industry practices.

Throughout her engagement with Broad students, Liu emphasized that successful careers rarely follow a predetermined path. Reflecting on her own experience, she acknowledged that supply chain management was not originally a field she envisioned pursuing. Instead, the strength of Michigan State’s academic program introduced her to opportunities that ultimately shaped her professional future. Liu encouraged students to evaluate career decisions through three considerations: what brings them personal fulfillment, where market demand creates opportunities and how their individual strengths can provide a competitive advantage. She also urged aspiring entrepreneurs to develop practical experience and a deeper understanding of business challenges before launching their own ventures. **”People need to see the world before changing it,”** Liu said, underscoring the importance of gaining industry knowledge, building professional networks and developing the skills necessary to turn ambitious ideas into sustainable businesses.

Returning to East Lansing also gave Liu an opportunity to reconnect with the university community and experience its continued evolution. Through conversations with students and engagement with campus organizations, she was particularly impressed by the leadership, collaboration and initiative demonstrated by Broad Spartans. She recognized student organizations as valuable environments for developing problem-solving abilities, navigating challenges and preparing for the realities of professional leadership. Drawing parallels between her experiences at Apple and as an entrepreneur, Liu emphasized the importance of resourcefulness and achieving meaningful results despite limitations. Whether managing global operations or building a business with a smaller team and budget, she explained, the ability to prioritize effectively, adapt to uncertainty and solve problems with limited resources remains essential. These qualities, she believes, are increasingly valuable as organizations navigate economic uncertainty, geopolitical challenges and evolving global supply chains.

For Liu, serving as Broad’s Global Engagement Fellow represents more than an opportunity to reflect on her professional accomplishments; it is also a chance to invest in the institution that helped launch her career. A returning member of the Broad community who has participated in advisory board activities, she expressed a strong desire to elevate the college’s visibility and share its accomplishments with audiences around the world. Liu believes Broad’s academic excellence, research contributions and student experiences deserve greater recognition, and she hopes to support efforts that strengthen the college’s global reputation and impact. Her journey from international student to global corporate executive and entrepreneur demonstrates the transformative power of education, adaptability and purposeful leadership. As she continues to advance sustainable innovation through Blue Lake Packaging, Liu remains committed to encouraging future business leaders to embrace new opportunities, approach challenges with curiosity and develop the resilience needed to make a lasting difference.