June 11, 2007

Volume 85, Number 24

Web Exclusive

Thinking Globally At CAS

Shan Wei, International Customer Service Representative

I speak Chinese, Japanese, and English. I was so surprised to learn that some CAS employees know more than 20 languages. CAS databases cover scientific literature published in more than 50 languages from more than 185 countries. I’ve enjoyed the multilingual, multicultural environment here at CAS.

When I transferred from editorial operations to sales in 2002, I was not sure if the transition was right for me. I got much encouragement from my manager and my colleagues on the international customer service representative team. We conducted marketing opportunities analysis for different countries, and I learned so much about the Asian market from the projects that I worked on.

Fifty percent of CAS's revenues come from outside of the U.S., the majority of which comes from Japan. The Japan Association for International Chemical Information (JAICI) has represented CAS in Japan since 1977. It's been my pleasure to work with JAICI for the past five years. The business in Japan is still growing. South Korea is the next largest market after Japan. South Korea has a strong academic market and also has a developed commercial market. When China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, it created excellent opportunities for CAS.

We introduced SciFinder Scholar in China in late 2004. The revenue from China in 2006 was double 2004 revenues. CAS has established strong relationships with key market participants including the China Patent Office, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the China Academic Library & Information System (CALIS consortium). I am so happy to see more and more scientists in Asia using CAS products. I enjoy working with people, and with my scientific background and my language skills, I fit this position perfectly.

My seven-year-old daughter is excited every time she sees the picture of the more than 500 scientists at CAS at the end of "NOVA" on PBS each Tuesday. She always asks me, "Mom, where are you in this picture?" We love this program, and I am proud that CAS is a local sponsor for "NOVA."

Wei received a B.S in pharmacy from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University (1982), China, a master's in biochemistry from China Medical University (1985), and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from University of Tsukuba, Japan (1993). Wei had postdoctoral training at the University of Melbourne, Australia, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She joined CAS Editorial Operations in 2001.

View other profiles