Yami Hu

Director, Strategy & Business Development Brunswick Corporation

Manufacturing is the bread and butter of our economy. Seeing our customers enjoying Boston Whaler boats brings great joy to me!

Yami joined Boston Whaler, a subsidiary of the Brunswick Boat Group, in 2016 as manager of strategy and business development. In only two years, she was appointed director of the department. Today, Yami works on strategic projects across multiple divisions. Her latest project is an online sales model for Boston Whaler boats. This program is being designed to reshape the landscape of the boat purchase experience at Boston Whaler, allowing consumers to purchase directly from the factory.

As an alumna of Brunswick’s Leadership Development Program, which brings MBA talents to the company for two years of development, Yami knows the importance of mentorship. She is especially aware of the internal and external obstacles faced by female leaders, and takes the time to mentor and encourage them. She is also a member of Boston Whaler’s Diversity Council.

Yami continues this important work as a career advisor with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she received her own MBA. There, she facilitates small-group workshops and does one-on-one career pathway coaching sessions with new students. While she is dedicated to mentoring both male and female students, she understands the subtle differences in confidence levels and learning styles between women and men, and she takes extra time to encourage and guide female students.

Yami has also made a strong impact on her community at large. She volunteers with Boston Whaler’s annual Boatload of Backpacks program, which donates school supplies to three local elementary schools. A breast cancer survivor, she also gives time to a little-known nonprofit called Little Pink Houses of Hope, which provides breast cancer patients and their families with free weeklong vacation retreats along with other breast cancer families. These retreats provide much-needed respites from schedules dictated by medical appointments and from thinking about the financial burden of treatments.