Lilian Ng

As she progressed through her accounting career, Lilian Ng, MM-A '24 Candidate, became increasingly interested in the ways data science could be used to make her field more efficient. And as she considered the ways technology would continue to transform the way professions like hers operate, Ng decided a formal education in data analytics was the best way to stay ahead of the curve.

“For me, the mix of business management and data analytics within the Ivey MM-A works out perfectly,” says Ng, a chartered professional accountant and Manager of Financial Reporting at iAnthus.

“The technical side aligns with my current interests, but also with a longer-term goal of one day becoming part of upper management. And right now, as a manager, it’s important to at least have a basic knowledge of these tools so I can better manage the people who use them.”

At Ivey, Ng has discovered tools and programs she wasn’t previously familiar with, which broadened her view of the field and its many applications.

“There are other areas of data, such as Big Data, which you hear a lot of people talk about, but I can now actually understand how we can use these tools from professors who are industry leaders – not to mention from my classmates, many of whom also come from a data background,” she says.

“It’s really helped me understand that world.”

In addition to their high level of expertise, she adds, the faculty members are open-minded and interested in learning about students’ experiences.

“We are obviously learning from the professors, but in some ways, they also learn from us. As the class rep, I’ve spoken with professors quite a bit, and they’re also open-minded and responsive when it comes to what we may need as a class and what we find are the best ways to learn,” she says.

And while all her classmates have an interest in data, they come from several different industries, which leads to lively classroom discussions because everyone approaches problems in their own way.

It’s something that’s also translated into how she works cases within Ivey’s Case Method.

“I’m very used to cases from my accounting degree and CPA courses, but I was trained to just pick up numbers, so when I first started Ivey's cases, that’s what I did,” Ng says.

“We now approach the cases from a different perspective, and it’s helped me look at them through a broader lens.’

To Ng, that broader perspective is one of the highlights of the program, and something she thinks will help her throughout her career.

“I have been in the accounting field for almost five years, and I have a certain level of expertise, like everyone else in the program. And like everyone else, I’m meeting people with very different backgrounds than mine, whose own experiences are valuable to our learning,” she says.

“You learn to be open to other ideas and that there isn't always one right answer. Getting that perspective from outside of the field that you've been in, and seeing what you might be able to learn from others, is extremely valuable.”