Held on 26 September 2024 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the NUS Business Analytics Centre Symposium (BACS) 2024 was a spectacular event with over 500 attendees and 93 exceptional projects presented by 95 talented students.
From AI innovations to advancements in Healthcare, Finance, manufacturing, e-Commerce, and Consumer Analytics, each project demonstrated the future of business analytics in action. The diversity of ideas and the depth of problem-solving were truly remarkable—and every year, our NUS Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) students continue to set new standards of excellence.
BACS is an annual event organised by NUS Business Analytics Centre (BAC) that brings together like-minded people with a strong interest in relevant fields of Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. It also marks the culmination of NUS MSBA students’ journey, where they showcase the capstone projects that they have worked on with industrial partners in real business problems over the past few months.
The event commenced with Jen Park, the emcee for BACS 2024 and a proud NUS MSBA alumnus, taking the stage. This was followed by an opening address from Associate Professor James Pang, Co-Director of NUS BAC. Joe Chiu, Vice President of Digital & Data Management Systems at Changi Airport Group and a member of the BAC Advisory Board, also delivered a speech to the NUS MSBA community.
We are deeply honoured and grateful for the unwavering support of our industry partners, whose contributions have been instrumental in the growth of the NUS MSBA programme. Their involvement provides our students with valuable insights and opportunities to explore real-world analytics and AI applications, creating a positive feedback loop that enhances both their skills and mindset.
Dr Ray Han, Director of Generative AI Centre of Excellence at SAP, noted “This year, I have seen quite a lot of actual projects being realised and generating real business value, so it has been a great opportunity for us to also network.”
Dr Ramine Tinati, Managing Director of APAC Center for Advanced AI at Accenture, shared that “I’ve been seeing the topics the students have been covering, and some are covering very Advanced AI topics. I’m extremely impressed to see this being done in a Capstone project, so I’m very pleasantly surprised by the quality and the ability for the students to be able to articulate their technical projects in a very easy and digestible way.”
It was heartening to see many NUS MSBA alumni return and witness the programme’s evolution. Over the past 11 years, the vibrant community that has flourished continues to be a valuable asset, further strengthening the positive feedback loop within the NUS MSBA ecosystem.
Many commented on the significant progress they have seen in how the NUS MSBA programme continues to keep pace with real-world trends in business analytics, a testament to the forward-thinking approach of our curriculum and our commitment to producing industry-ready talent.
Gino Tiu, NUS MSBA AY21/22 Valedictorian and Vice President of Data Analytics & Enablement at Temasek, shared that “I feel that at the end of the day we’re not just developing tech people here. We’re actually training the next generation of change makers, leaders, problem solvers right. I think that is the real value of the (NUS) MSBA.”
Frank Guo, Managing Director of Huawei International, presented the crystal trophies to the 6 Outstanding Capstone Project Award (OCPA) winners. These outstanding students will also take home $500 each in recognition of their exceptional achievements.
A huge congratulations to the 6 OCPA winners (in alphabetical order):
Gisela Tjahjadi, NUS MSBA AY22/24 part-time student and a Senior Manager at Visa, expressed her gratitude for the recognition, “I was very surprised and thankful, and I’m very grateful for the people that I met in this programme. I didn’t achieve this award just because of my own efforts, but also because of the help of my professors and support of my friends and family.”
Reflecting on his growth throughout the NUS MSBA programme and capstone project, NUS MSBA AY23/24 student Brendan Lim shared that “I think one of the areas in which I’ve grown and learnt from this project is the ability to generate actual business insights and recommendations for a company based on the data and data science theories.”
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the industry leaders, faculty members, students, alumni and attendees who participated in BACS 2024 – your presence and support made this event unforgettable. Together, we are shaping the future of business analytics!
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For enquiries and more information on sponsorship opportunities for the NUS Business Analytics Centre Symposium 2025, please contact Mr. Edward Kung at edward.k@nus.edu.sg.
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