SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 22 July 2019 - Experts in datascience and analytics convened in Singapore last Friday to discuss trendsshaping the future of this S$1 billion industry at the CollabXData Symposium 2019,jointly organised by Singapore education provider PSB Academy and New Zealand'sMassey 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 eventwas held to mark the launch of Massey University's Master of Analyticsprogramme in Singapore through a collaboration between PSB Academy and the NewZealand institution.

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

Demandfor data science and analytics skills in Singapore is growing at anunprecedented rate, with Data Scientists beingidentified by LinkedIn's 2018 Emerging Jobs in Singapore report as the nation'stop emerging job role, recording 17 times growth in demand over five years.

Addressingthe importance of developing Singapore's big data capabilities in his keynoteaddress, Professor Stephen Croucher, Wellington Regional Director, MasseyBusiness School, said: "Businesses have always looked at data to help them makebetter and smarter decisions, but the ability to collect and store huge amountsof data has grown at an unprecedented rate in recent years.

"It's imperative that organisations have people with the right technicalskills and critical thinking ability to unlock the value of this data. We'reglad to have found our first private education institution (PEI) partner inSingapore, PSB Academy, with a shared mission to train professionals to harnessthe power of this valuable asset, and help them gain an advantage in acompetitive global economy."

The event sawpanellists take a deep dive into pressing topics such as the balancing actbetween cybersecurity and data protection regulations needed to cope with massiveamounts of sensitive data.

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

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

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

"We'reproud to be the first PEI to partner with a distinguished New Zealanduniversity to offer a course in data analytics. This course will equip studentsin Singapore with both the technical ability and competence in criticalthinking to generate business insights and make crucial organisational decisions andthat can deliver tangible value to the regional economy.

"TheMaster of Analytics is sponsored by the world's leading business analyticssoftware provider, SAS, and will provide graduates with a globally-recognisedSAS certification. In addition to offering a valuable practical learningcomponent, the course also offers the opportunity for specialists in financeand marketing to solve unique business problems in their niche fields."

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

About Massey University

Ranked inthe top 300 universities in the world and one of the three New Zealanduniversities with a QS ranking of five plus stars, Massey University has awell-established reputation for its academic leadership, research excellenceand innovative teaching. With over 218active international partnership agreements with tertiary institutionsaround the world including Singapore, and its wide reach in distance educationtotalling more than 250,000 distancestudents, Massey has garnered an international perspective into theeducation sector.

About PSB Academy

Once known as Singapore's Productivity and Standards Board, PSB Academyis known today as "The Future Academy", with an approach to education thatfocuses on what really matters: performance in the New Economy. In 2019, theAcademy was conferred "Best Educational Institute - Singapore" by APAC Insiderand earned 2 consecutive SBR National Business Awards in 2017/18 in theEducation category for outstanding work in the region. Today, we host over12,000 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.