With Southeast Asia’s internet economy expected to climb 300% in 2025 to reach $200 billion, business opportunities are abound in this sector and NUS BBA alum Joel Ding (class of 2014) is in the thick of the excitement.
Seizing Opportunities in a Multi-billion Dollar Industry
Joel at Google Mountain View
Graduating with a specialisation in Marketing and a minor in Technopreneurship, Joel is currently a Senior Programmatic Account Strategist at Google in Singapore. That means he helps clients achieve their digital advertising goals on Google’s platforms.
“My day to day involves providing consultation services to regional digital marketers, from helping them with the formulation of media strategies to sharing technical best practices with regards to the Google enterprise advertising platform (DoubleClick). Being in this role requires me to straddle between technical and business conversations, which is a skill set that I picked up and honed since my schooling days.”
A “noogler” is an affectionate term used in Google for their new hires
Joel’s career path into ad tech was not planned. In fact, he had always wanted to be an entrepreneur and even started an e-commerce company at the age of 18.
“With my deep passion for entrepreneurship, I was hungry to learn and knew I needed to build up my knowledge in business management. Thus, pursuing a degree at NUS Business School was a clear choice for me.”
It was while in the NUS BBA programme that his interested in ad tech was stoked.
“One thing I liked about NUS business school is the rigour and flexibility in the curriculum that results in a holistic undergraduate experience. As one who has always taken the unconventional path in my education, the NUS BBA curriculum gave me many opportunities to explore my interest and develop on it. Given the dynamic and ever changing landscape today, I believe that having a diverse set of experiences will serve me well into the future.”
Joel (second from right) with his team Rocket Fuel during his one year NOC stint
Selected to be part of the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme, Joel took up an internship in Silicon Valley with then start-up unicorn, Rocket Fuel, where he was a media and network analyst. While in the United States, he also enrolled for graduate courses at Stanford University.
“I was exposed to the challenges, dynamism and disruptive nature of the industry, and they fascinated me. The experiences and skill sets I gained there have followed me throughout my career.”
While his education and experiences have led him down the ad tech path for now, his dreams of being an entrepreneur are still very much alive.
“While I have taken a different path going into the ad tech industry, I would still like to venture out on my own one day. I am optimistic that the perspectives I gain in my career would help me achieve that.”
To his juniors in the NUS Business School, “Keep chasing your dreams, build lasting relationships and enjoy the journey!”
Joel (back row, left) with his mates during his Commencement photo shoot
For more information on the NUS BBA programme, please visit bba.nus.edu.sg.