Jeremy Chia
Master of IT in Business (Financial Technology & Analytics)
Graduation Class of 2020
Banker, CitiGroup
With a background in engineering and having worked in the financial services sector, I was looking for a postgraduate programme to expand my knowledge of fields related to my current areas of professional interest–Data Analytics, Finance, Strategy and Technology. Among the numerous and varied postgraduate options considered, I felt that the versatility of the industry-focussed Master of Information Technology in Business (MITB) programme was most suitable for me as it allowed me to build upon my background and work experience.
MITB combines discipline-specific, advanced technical coursework with easily transferrable skills like critical thinking, analytic ability, and strategic planning to give me the competitive advantage that I believe exists at the convergence of knowledge in the areas of data analytics, technology, and business. Beyond just professional development, MITB has also given me the opportunity to foster many meaningful relationships with my classmates and professors from diverse backgrounds, career stages, industries and nationalities–many of whom have shared with me insightful perspectives and interesting conversations.
While it might be challenging at times to find a balance between work, study and social life, I do believe that the journey itself is one worth taking. To those who are considering embarking on your postgraduate journey, I leave with you a favourite quote of mine:
Many thanks to my professors, staff and fellow classmates who have helped, supported and been a part of my MITB journey. Special thanks to the following professors whom I have taken multiple modules with and those who have encouraged me to pursue my further studies in the area of Information Systems and Management:
Dr Patrick Thng
Digital Banking and FinTech, Strategy and Organization
- In the current Fourth Industrial Revolution with significant disruptions caused by Fintech start-ups, the financial services industry is undergoing a paradigm shift. Understanding Fintech innovations and their transformational impacts in business in the Digital Banking and FinTech course, combined with Strategy and Organisation course’s theoretical and practical approaches in strategic analysis, formulation and execution taught by Dr Patrick, have helped me to navigate the turbulent impact of technological innovation in any industry.
- Dr Patrick has an immense wealth of industry knowledge and experience. The numerous case studies and industry examples he shared and discussed with us have greatly aided me in my understanding of the subject matter and my ability to apply what was taught in various business case scenarios and projects. His ability to simplify complex concepts in bite-size understandable topics coupled with his sense of intellect and humour has motivated me to be a life-long learner.
- I was also very fortunate to have the opportunity to be his Graduate Research Assistant (Strategy and Organization) in developing an innovative and impactful blended learning module "Corporate Strategy: Vertical Integration and Diversification" for the Masters programme.
Prof Kam Tin Seong
Data Analytics Lab, Visual Analytics and Applications
- Prof Kam is truly passionate about data analytics techniques and data-driven business knowledge discovery, anchored by principles, concepts, methods and best practices from both statistics and data mining. Building upon the foundations learnt in Data Analytics Lab, his module in Visual Analytics and Applications teaches students how to interact with the visual representation of business data and to detect meaningful patterns, trends and exceptions.
- Beyond data analytics and its visual representation, Prof Kam’s modules taught me to learn how to learn, the importance of perseverance and project/time-management.
Prof Paul Robert Griffin
Corporate Banking and Blockchain, Capstone Project: Distributed Ledger Technology / Smart Contracts
- Prof Paul‘s Corporate Banking and Blockchain course had the perfect blend of theory and industry-application. There were opportunities for hands-on experience on smart contract development in Solidity language and prominent guest lecturers like Mr. Satheesh Kumar, Founder and CEO of Kratos Innovation Labs, which has developed commercially ready blockchain and smart contract solutions.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the discussions I shared with Prof Paul during my Capstone Project. Under his guidance, I was able to integrate and apply what I have learnt (both within and outside the classroom setting) to solve industry challenges in a holistic manner by considering both the technological and business aspects of a Distributed Ledger Technology system design.
