Ep 3: Dr Julian Tan - From Subang to Becoming the Head of Digital Business Initiatives & Esports, Formula One

Dr Julian Tan is the Head of Digital Business Initiatives &
Esports in Formula 1 (London), and someone I got to meet while
studying in the UK.





Perhaps a little selfishly, I’ve loved how this podcast gives me
the “excuse” to reconnect with old friends and Julian is
definitely one of them. You’ll find out soon enough because my
goodness, there is just soo much to unpack from our conversation!
We recorded this way back in May 2020 & I’m still blown away
by everything I’ve learned and I’m sure you will too. :)





So buckle up & get ready for this ride! 





Who is Julian Tan?


Julian spent some of his earliest years in Hong Kong but moved
back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for primary school in Sri Subang,
and were some of his happiest years. But unfortunately, all that
changed when he moved to secondary school (around the age of 13)
because:





In Standard Six, I got along with everybody. Everybody was my
friend. and then suddenly you come into high school and then you
immediately get picked on because at the time, I was a little bit
overweight. 





Weight, a natural inclination towards rule keeping & always
doing academically well meant that Julian stood out. And not, at
least to his peers, in a good way. But you know what I was blown
away? It was the way in which Julian handled that challenge:





And it was, I would say, at the age of 13, 14. I remember writing
it down on a note, like, don't care what other people think. Just
keep doing what's important to you and also surround yourself
with people who can support you because at that age, I felt like
the more time that you spend with people, you either morph into
them or they'll morph into you.





So make sure you pick your company very wisely. 





Wow. I do not know if I would have had the wisdom to do that in
his shoes!





The Oxbridge Experience


Julian ended up going to Oxford University to do a Bachelors
& Masters in Engineering Science. And in the process,
graduating in the top 3rd percentile with First class Honours,
being the top engineering student & scholar of Jesus College
& the recipient of numerous department and collection
prizes. 





But soon after graduating, he wrote a viral Huffington Post
entitled: A First Class Degree from Oxbridge - So What?. And we
explore that article in the podcast and why looking back, he
would have wanted to have handled his time in Oxford differently.
Which is not to say he “regretted” doing what he did!





Cambridge University was his second chance to get the university
experience he wanted, which is where he went to next for his PhD
in composites engineering. And we talk about his experiences
there as a PhD student and also the age-ago debate of Oxford v
Cambridge: are they really all that different? 





But all good things must come to an end & as with any
“adulting” process, there comes the need to find a job. 





Boston Consulting Group, London


Let’s be real. Julian has an academic CV that anyone would kill
for. But reality is a bitter pill and as Julian puts it in his
May 2012 Huffington Post article, “people rely too much on
education being the silver bullet to every conceivable problem.”
Even with the grades he had, the rejections kept coming. And we
talk about that: the emphasis on education & false myth that
the world is your oyster when you have the grades. 





Julian eventually ended up at Boston Consulting Group and it was
there that he first became exposed to Formula One. 





Head of Digital Business Initiatives & Esports,
Formula One


Julian, alongside Frank Arthofer, helped to establish the digital
& esports division in Formula One. Most prominently to date,
Julian’s team was responsible for the Virtual Grand Prixs that
took place during the COVID-19 pandemic when no other races were
being held! 





At the end of the Virtual Grand Prix run, F1 Esports achieved a
stunning 30 million in views, and up to 85 million when social
media is thrown in the mix!





In the podcast, we unravel the genesis of those results. Touching
on topics such as:


The process used to establish the corporate structure for a
digital and esports department (F1 had never had a marketing
campaign before)!

What the esports field was like back in 2017;

How the different F1 offerings were conceptualised e.g. the
Pro series v the Virtual Grand Prix races; 

Esport opportunities for gamers like Brendan Leigh (who is
now signed on to Mercedes, a F1 team!), even though Brendan
didn’t even have a driver’s licence!

What it was like putting the Virtual Grand Prix races
together; and

How F1 intends to stay ahead of its competitors. 






And if you haven’t already done so, go check out one of the F1
races! I did and kudos to Julian and his team, because I was
hooked. This, from a girl who has never watched a race in her
life. Because the races really were that thrilling! I even have a
favourite F1 driver that I now follow - who would’ve thought?





Other Topics Discussed


The question of identity: Who am I? If I have also been
“special” because of my academic achievements, who am I when I
enter an environment (like Oxford or Cambridge) where everyone is
exactly the same as me with the same background and I find out
that actually, I’m not that “special”?

How pursuing a PhD differs from an undergraduate degree?

Is consulting at one of the prestigious MBB firms really a
“dream” job? 

What qualities someone should have to succeed as he has?






For show notes & more, visit
https://www.sothisismywhy.com/episode3