Kacci Xia
Kacci (MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation 2025) is a Chinese social entrepreneur and General Manager at Sichuan Blue Sheep Craft Commercial Company Ltd.
Kacci’s story
Despite initially starting her career by working for a Fortune 500 company, Kacci felt a strong pull towards making a meaningful social impact. Before finding her way to the social enterprise she now works for, she began her journey with volunteering, helping the relief efforts after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and in the following years supporting local rural communities. Through this work she realised that helping to create sustainable change for disadvantaged groups fulfilled her.
Kacci is now part of , which creates opportunities for people facing disadvantages, promotes fair trade and ensures cultural preservation. When the enterprise’s founder decided to step down, Kacci was invited to take on a leadership role within the organisation. To prepare for the new position as General Manager, she decided to sharpen her business knowledge and came to Sussex to study an MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation as a Chevening Scholar.
You came to Sussex with an established career in accounting and communication. Why did you decide to go back to university and study MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation?
To explore how innovation can be meaningfully applied to advance social enterprises. While ‘innovation’ is widely discussed, I found that my own understanding of how to apply innovation in practice was still unclear.
What was your favourite part of your course at Sussex?
It was very well-structured and comprehensive, especially for aspiring entrepreneurs. The group work and discussions were particularly valuable, as they allowed me to explore different perspectives on management, innovation, and market dynamics.
How was your experience as a Chevening Scholar at Sussex?
It was inspiring. Scholars came from diverse backgrounds, yet shared a strong sense of openness, leadership, and global perspective.
Sussex also provided many opportunities for connection and exchange, which strengthened my understanding that being a Chevening Scholar is not only about personal development, but about contributing to global society as a responsible global citizen.
What was your favourite place on campus?
The Library. I really appreciated the learning atmosphere on campus, every building had spaces where students could sit and study. I enjoyed the nature around campus too, especially the nearby National Park.
How does Blue Sheep Crafts support local communities?
Blue Sheep Crafts works with four main groups:
- people with physical or mental disabilities
- families caring for children with disabilities
- people living in remote and underprivileged areas
- non-profit organisations and social enterprises.
We purchase their handmade products and sell them through our platform. Profits are reinvested into the business, and surplus income is donated to support low-income families and patients in need.
If we want to create meaningful change in the sector, it must begin with cultural transformation.” Kacci Xia
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
You have recently stepped in as the business leader of Blue Sheep and Crafts. What have been the biggest rewards and some of the challenges of stepping into this leadership role?
The most rewarding part is the trust from Blue Sheep and Craft’s founder, team, and our volunteers.
The biggest challenge has been maintaining the trust of our community – ensuring that people continue to believe in our mission and values, while also leading the organisation to grow and create greater impact.
What have you learned about cross-cultural leadership and social entrepreneurship through this journey?
At Sussex and in the UK, I experienced a strong culture of diversity and inclusion. Through everyday interactions, events, and campus initiatives, I saw how mutual understanding between cultures can be actively fostered.
When I returned to my team, especially one with diverse ethnic backgrounds, I began to rethink how to build our organisational culture, centered on understanding, inclusion, and mutual support.
However, I also realised that embedding these values into daily practice is not easy. How we apply them within the team, in our relationships with producers, and in our engagement with customers, remains both a challenge and an ongoing aspiration. For me, creating impact in social enterprise is not only about improving economic outcomes, but also about shaping culture. If we want to create meaningful change in the sector, it must begin with cultural transformation – and that transformation starts with ourselves and our teams.
What did you enjoy the most about your time in the UK?
Its international environment, respect for life, and inclusive culture.
How do you hope your work will inspire other young social entrepreneurs in China and beyond?
I have been sharing my experience by organising youth volunteer workshops, where I apply analytical frameworks learned at Sussex to help participants understand social needs and explore innovative solutions.
Rather than only teaching theory, I integrate real practice through Blue Sheep – encouraging participants to identify problems and work towards solutions.
I also engage with businesses to promote socially responsible practices, inviting them to explore overlooked communities and build meaningful connections. I see myself as a connector: amplifying strengths for shared good.
What advice would you give to other Sussex students or alumni who want to create socially responsible businesses?
Every business can integrate social responsibility by:
- their decision-making – we can ask ourselves whether our actions are positive for people, the environment, and the economy.
- exploring how to include marginalised groups, either as contributors or beneficiaries.
For those who want to build a social enterprise, it is essential to spend time deeply understanding the needs of a specific group and clearly defining the problem you aim to solve. In the age of AI, what cannot be replaced is a human-centered approach to problem-solving.
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