Leading minds decode Big Data to deliver a boost to Singapore�s $1 billion data analytics industry

SINGAPORE -�Media OutReach - 22 July 2019 - Experts in data
science and analytics convened in Singapore last Friday to discuss trends
shaping the future of this S$1 billion industry at the CollabXData Symposium 2019,
jointly organised by Singapore education provider PSB Academy and New Zealand’s
Massey University.

Academics and industry leaders attended the CollabXData Symposium 2019 organised by PSB Academy and Massey University, to examine trends shaping the future of Singapore’s data analytics sector.

 

The event
was held to mark the launch of Massey University’s Master of Analytics
programme in Singapore through a collaboration between PSB Academy and the New
Zealand institution.

 

The symposium,
which was held at the PSB Academy City Campus in
Marina Square, saw over 300 academics and industry practitioners come together
to discuss how Singapore’s Marketing, Banking and Finance sectors can harness
the power of big data to drive better business decision-making.

 

Demand
for data science and analytics skills in Singapore is growing at an
unprecedented rate, with Data Scientists being
identified by LinkedIn’s 2018 Emerging Jobs in Singapore report as the nation’s
top emerging job role, recording 17 times growth in demand over five years.

 

Addressing
the importance of developing Singapore’s big data capabilities in his keynote
address, Professor Stephen Croucher, Wellington Regional Director, Massey
Business School, said: “Businesses have always looked at data to help them make
better and smarter decisions, but the ability to collect and store huge amounts
of data has grown at an unprecedented rate in recent years.

 

“It’s imperative that organisations have people with the right technical
skills and critical thinking ability to unlock the value of this data. We’re
glad to have found our first private education institution (PEI) partner in
Singapore, PSB Academy, with a shared mission to train professionals to harness
the power of this valuable asset, and help them gain an advantage in a
competitive global economy.”

 

The event saw
panellists take a deep dive into pressing topics such as the balancing act
between cybersecurity and data protection regulations needed to cope with massive
amounts of sensitive data.

 

Other highlights included breakout sessions led
by industry leaders including Chia Hock Lai, President of the Singapore FinTech
Association and CEO of FinTech consultancy Switchnovate, and Prantik Mazumdar,
Managing Partner at Happy Marketer, addressing opportunities in the FinTech and
marketing space respectively.

 

The
newly-launched Master of Analytics programme is taught by leading experts in
the field of data analytics and is focused on building the capacity of
professionals in Singapore to transform big data into business intelligence.

 

Calvin Tan, Head of the School of
Postgraduate Studies at PSB Academy explained that the partnership with Massey
University, whose business school is double-accredited by the Association to
Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for Business and Accounting programmes,
would offer an internationally-recognised qualification tailored to the demands
of Singapore’s marketing and finance landscape.

 

“We’re
proud to be the first PEI to partner with a distinguished New Zealand
university to offer a course in data analytics. This course will equip students
in Singapore with both the technical ability and competence in critical
thinking to generate business insights and make crucial organisational decisions and
that can deliver tangible value to the regional economy.

 

“The
Master of Analytics is sponsored by the world’s leading business analytics
software provider, SAS, and will provide graduates with a globally-recognised
SAS certification. In addition to offering a valuable practical learning
component, the course also offers the opportunity for specialists in finance
and marketing to solve unique business problems in their niche fields.”

 

The Master of Analytics programme is offered as both a full time or
part-time course, with the first intake in September 2019. Applications are now
open through PSB Academy.

About Massey University

Ranked in
the top 300 universities in the world and one of the three New Zealand
universities with a QS ranking of five plus stars, Massey University has a
well-established reputation for its academic leadership, research excellence
and innovative teaching. With over 218
active international partnership agreements with tertiary institutions
around the world including Singapore, and its wide reach in distance education
totalling more than 250,000 distance
students, Massey has garnered an international perspective into the
education sector.

About PSB Academy

Once known as Singapore’s Productivity and Standards Board, PSB Academy
is known today as “The Future Academy”, with an approach to education that
focuses on what really matters: performance in the New Economy. In 2019, the
Academy was conferred “Best Educational Institute – Singapore” by APAC Insider
and earned 2 consecutive SBR National Business Awards in 2017/18 in the
Education category for outstanding work in the region. Today, we host over
12,000 students from more than 50 nationalities with our slate of certificate,
diploma, degree and short courses every year. For more, visit www.psb-academy.edu.sg.