Ajith Kumar Ramasamy Madeswaran’s curiosity about analytics was peaked during an internship with Egnify Technologies, a cloud-based Assessment and Learning Analytics platform.
With the objective of helping students to improve exam performances and maximize learning outcomes, Ajith was tasked to conduct market research on nation-wide entrance exams, do feasibility studies and execute marketing campaigns across social media platforms.
He was intrigued by how data insights can help management make critical decisions quickly. “I was curious and driven to learn how to make more impactful evidence-based decisions,” he said.
After his internship, Ajith wanted to take his interest one step further and build his knowledge of marketing analytics. He explored various options to further his education in this field and decided to pursue The NUS MSc in Marketing Analytics and Insights.
Ajith (third from left) and MSc classmates
He does admit that he has a bias towards NUS Business School. He joined an entrepreneurship summer programme during his undergraduate days. That positive experience, as well as the relevance of the curriculum, gave him the additional impetus to return to NUS.
“I think analytics is a must-have skill for anyone who wants to be part of a decision-making process in any organisation,” said Ajith. “The MSc programme equipped me with the confidence to handle data comfortably and make sense of it.”
Ajith and his classmates in a module held during the circuit breaker period
Data is power
While pursuing this Masters, Ajith had the opportunity to venture into the consulting space for the first time. He joined the student-led Yale-NUS Consulting Group and took a lead role in formulating a market strategy for a Singapore technology start-up.
The BIZCareers team helped Ajith prepare for his next internship at Boston Consulting Group. At the consulting firm, Ajith analysed financial and operational data of potential acquirers for a mining company based in Indonesia. Ajith said the experience led him to become proficient in working with financial data.
Ajith’s TeamNUS Golf at a driving range
For someone who is not afraid to try out new things, the NUS experience has opened up many new doors for Ajith, both in the classroom and out. He has even taken up a new sport by joining TeamNUS Golf. “Never be afraid to try something new, even if it means that you have to step out of your comfort zone as it opens up a lot of avenues for personal and professional growth,” he advises.
Ajith (front row, centre) with the Shopee football team
Beyond MSc
For Ajith, the main highlight of the programme was his internship with e-commerce platform, Shopee. He worked with the Regional Marketing Solutions team to analyse and improve advertising performance in order to increase sales and grow the customer base.
“I had the opportunity to learn from some of the best,” said Ajith, who will continue to do as he begins his full-time position at Shopee this month after graduating from his MSc programme.
