An-Magritt Lilleaasen Nese

Academic and industry experience before joining Imperial College Business School

What work experience or internships did you have before starting at Imperial College Business School?

I joined MSc Business Analytics straight after my undergraduate. The summer before I joined Imperial I had a summer internship within Equity Research at SEB.

Why did you choose to study a Master’s in Business Analytics? Why specifically at Imperial College Business School?

After three years with accounting and finance, I wanted to do something different, and my big dream was to learn how to code. In my undergraduate, I was introduced to financial analysis, which I liked a lot, and the combination of analytics and programming that Imperial offered sounded just perfect. Imperial had a good reputation both among my acquaintances and globally, especially within technology, so that was an easy choice.

Your time at Imperial College Business School

What skills did you learn on the MSc Business Analytics? 

I acquired valuable skills in almost every subject, with statistics and machine learning among the courses I have applied most frequently. My ambition with this degree was to learn how to code, and after one year I learned to programme in R, Python and SQL with no prior knowledge of coding.

What were your favourite things about MSc Business Analytics?

I liked the variety of modules. The subjects were both interesting and challenging, which really motivated me. There were many good and knowledgeable teachers, who were motivated in their job and inspiring to listen to. This, in combination with a fantastic group of students in my cohort, made it encouraging attending lectures.

Which module, elective or project stood out for you?

I found the modules Optimisation and Decision Models and Digital Marketing Analytics very interesting. I also enjoyed our Capstone Project, where we developed an application to automate manual processes for an investment company based in London. This included downloading and storing financial reports and company information, and applying OCR to read and extract text from PDF’s. This project was a good way to prepare for a job within consulting.

How would you describe your MSc Business Analytics cohort?

My cohort was a good bunch of people, and I really enjoyed coming to class and the social events we had. The group projects were surprisingly motivating and successful, because everyone contributed and did their best. We were a diverse group of people, and I learned a lot from the different cultures. Like I got to try my first Chinese meal with some of my Chinese friends from class – and loved it!

How did you find living in London?

London is the best city I’ve lived in, an amazing city where there is always something to do! Even though I had less spare time than what I expected, I tried to explore as much as possible when I had the chance. Things I loved to do was visiting new markets and coffee shops, having a picnic in a nice park, trying out new dining places, going to musicals (when I could afford it), or traveling by train to cities outside of London like Winchester, Bath or Paris. I hope I get the chance to live in London again later in life, it’s a great city!

Your career after the MSc Business Analytics

Please outline your career path since studying at the Business School.

After studying at Imperial, I joined EY consulting in Norway where I work within Finance and Performance Management.

What do you enjoy most about your work and what are the main challenges you face?

The thing I enjoy most about my job within consulting, is the opportunity to work on projects for different companies and sectors. So far, I’ve had the opportunity to work within the O&G sector and the healthcare sector. It’s always a challenge coming directly from university, with little work experience, to a new industry. However, the MSc Business Analytics prepared me for a wide range of challenges which has made the transition from being a student to being a professional easier.

How has your MSc Business Analytics contributed to your career success?

EY has a big focus on digitalisation and analytics, which made my degree in Business Analytics highly relevant for our projects. The capstone project I did at Imperial within automation and text handling, has been a valuable experience when working with robotics in EY, both in terms of understanding the process and the importance of error handling. I’m also a bit surprised by how much the visualization module has impacted my way of working and building models, it’s an important tool in almost everything I do.

What advice would you give to a prospective student considering studying MSc Business Analytics and a subsequent career in the sector?

Prepare yourself for a year with a lot of work and in return you will get a steep learning curve within analytics (I have never learnt that much in 12 months before). My experience is that what we learn is sought after in many businesses, and you can work in almost any sector you want.

Alumni Network

Have you stayed in touch with your classmates from MSc Business Analytics? How do you stay in touch?

I was the only student from Norway in my cohort, which makes it difficult to meet in person, but I try to stay in touch through Facebook and LinkedIn.