Every year, pre-MBA career treks are organised globally for incoming MBAs to visit organisations and learn more about the business and economic environment of the cities and countries they are based in. These treks allow incoming MBAs to network and engage with organisations that are involved in impactful and innovative work. The Oxbridge Pre-MBA Singapore 2019 Trek is a student-led and University-supported collaboration between 15 incoming MBAs from Cambridge Judge Business School (CJBS) and Oxford Saïd Business School (OSBS).
The trek took place during July and consisted of 4 themed days; Industry, Technology, Finance, and Consulting.
Our first day started at Olam, a leading food and agri-business company, where we learned about their impactful value chain. Next, we visited LumanLab, an insights-driven engine for MetLife. Through an interactive session, we learned about interesting collaborations and inspiring projects.
Day 2 was filled with exciting tech offices tour. Our first stop was at Shopee, a fast-growing e-commerce platform under Sea Group (previously known as Garena). Here, we were introduced to the engaging role of a Product Manager. Next, we went to Google. We were all impressed with the office filled with free food, multiple cafeterias, fitness, massage rooms, and a nap area! Last but not least, we visited Grab, a ride-hailing transport services, food delivery and payment solutions provider, where some of us won small gifts from a fun quiz.
We spent the morning of Day 3 with the founders of award-winning startups. Luceps, an omnichannel customer engagement solution, and Uniphore, a global Conversational AI technology company. All founders shared their insights on the current Singaporean job market. In the afternoon, we visited Goldman Sachs Wealth Management Division and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
On the last day, we began at Portcullis Group, one of the largest Asian independent wealth managers. We learned valuable insights from the key executives, who kindly took the time to welcome us warmly. Our next stop was at Deloitte Consulting. We worked on a mock case interview and got a chance to network with Monitor Deloitte; the strategy arm. The trek ended at IQVIA, the Human Data Science Company, where we also got to work in teams on a market entry case study.
The Singapore Oxbridge Trek was definitely a memorable experience; we learned from successful companies, yet the best part was getting to know all the future classmates. Thank you to my fellow trek organisers; Fahd Niaz, Jason Shih, and Zeus Chen, as well as all the host companies for taking their time to welcome us throughout the trek.