Catherine's 25-year long career has always revolved around data, which paved the way for her current job, teaching the next generation of business professionals about data analytics.
Driven by the notion of "learning to teach and teaching to learn", Catherine finds joy in continually learning together with her colleagues and students. "I don't believe that one person can know everything, but collectively we can. Hence I believe in smart collaborative learning - each person learning a different thing and sharing it with the rest," says Catherine.
INNOVATE@ISS speaks with Catherine to understand her teaching philosophy, and the passion that drives her.
1. Please tell us about your professional background.
I have always dealt with data throughout my career, and I have done every job within the spectrum of data - from data collection as a market researcher, to data analysis, data forecasting, providing consultancy and operationalising data internally within the organisation. Hence it makes sense for me to further my career by teaching the next generation on data.
2. Could you share more about the work which you do at NUS-ISS?
I am currently heading the Analytics & Intelligent Systems practice and teaching Data Analytics in our Master of Technology in Enterprise Business Analytics (MTech EBAC) programme.
Amongst the content that I teach, I am most passionate about Customer Analytics and Forecasting as they are very practical and actionable.
Customer Analytics can be used to identify needs, as well as gaps between customers and organisation's offers, as well as identify new opportunities for the organisation.
Forecasting is important as well, if you know what's coming, you can plan properly and optimise strategies accordingly.
3. Why did you choose to teach at NUS-ISS?
I was referred by an ex-colleague to join NUS-ISS as an adjunct for the MTech EBAC programme three years ago. I find value in sharing the knowledge I have to the next generation, and I find that NUS-ISS appreciates what I have to offer as a practitioner.
I am inspired by the notion of "learn to teach and teach to learn". The industry is changing very fast, hence it is important to be learning continually, which is something I enjoy as well.
4. What do you look forward to most about your work?
I look forward to interacting with people who are passionate about acquiring knowledge and solving problems with data. In my current role, I am able to interact and impact a lot more people in the industry. I also enjoy working with my colleagues from various practices. We can put our thoughts together and offer something that benefit Singapore and help bring about the Smart Nation vision.
5. How do you keep up with the industry?
At NUS-ISS, we are different from the usual academia. The work we do is closely tied with the industry. We have close interactions with companies through our consultancy and internship engagements. Just this year, our MTech EBAC students are working on over 40 industry projects.
To keep up with the technological changes of the fast paced analytics environment, we keep up by doing collaborative learning with our students and our team.
This is what effective learning is about - capitalising on group intellectual capacity to conquer new topics. This is true within my practice as well as for our students - different teams tackle different challenges so that as a whole, the group will learn more things in a shorter time.
6. What are your favorite activities when you are not working?
I am a foodie, so I love to cook, bake and learn about different cuisines. My specialty is macarons. I feel delighted when people enjoy my food and also enjoy hosting gatherings.
Many have commented that if I ever run out of job, I can go into the food industry. That being said, I would rather keep it as a hobby and share my passion with my loved ones.
7. Tell us something about yourself that very few people know.
Very few people know that I have played volleyball competitively since the age of 10 and have won quite a few awards (featured on left). My position in the team was the setter, in which I had to analyse the weaknesses of the opponents and the strength of my team and play to our advantage. I was the captain of the NUS Volleyball Team once and was the coach of the Hong Kong University Women's Volleyball Team when I was in there.
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