Regina Choo, a Sasin Connect+ Executive MBA student from Singapore, applied the AI and data analytics knowledge she gained in the Connect+ program to her role as Commercial Finance and FP&A Manager at GE Healthcare Thailand. With Choo’s role involving making data-driven decisions while balancing the diverse inputs, needs, and expectations of multiple stakeholders, she found the data analytics course (“Business Analytics for Decision Making”) crucial for her work. “We rely a lot on data. Without reliable facts, it’s hard to make decisions. We used to collect data manually and use Excel for analysis,” said Choo. “While the output might be the same with the traditional Excel method, seeing how easily we can input queries into ChatGPT, use the right prompts, and validate the answers is like unlocking a whole new toolkit.” Although Regina has 14 years of experience in finance, having worked in both Singapore and Thailand, she hopes the Connect+ program will develop her entrepreneurial skills and build her confidence in stepping into a leadership role. In her current position, she collaborates with the business leadership team on defining and planning strategies, but she has always had the urge to be in the driver’s seat. The final block of the Sasin Connect+ program, which includes the “Skills & Values” course, focuses on embracing an entrepreneurial mindset and building the resilience needed to navigate rapid innovation and disruption—turning adversity into opportunity.  

Leadership Development and Managing Conflicts Through Self-Awareness

In addition to data analytics, the Connect+ program’s leadership course, which is part of the EMBA’s Leadership module, helped Regina understand the types of personalities she might clash with as a leader and how to navigate conflicts strategically.

“The leadership course [“Leadership in Organizations”] helps me to be self-aware of what the important values are to me. Because of those values, it drives me to a certain behavior, certain preferences, a certain path—even my decision-making style and thought process—the people that I can click with versus those I have a lot of friction with.” – Regina Choo, Sasin Connect+ Executive MBA 2024 student.

“The way they [Connect+] structure leadership is about knowing yourself before you can know others. A lot of self-reflection, to be honest, but it gives a lot of insights into who I am — what my core values are, and why I’m behaving like that; why I have a certain preference for certain things,” she said.  

A Flexible and Interactive Learning Experience

Commenting on the online platform of Connect+, she felt that the program gave her a lot of flexibility to travel and work while completing her EMBA. Even though there are many online courses available on the market, most consist of pre-recorded videos or are subscription-based; she felt that Connect+ gave her much more than that. “I was surprised because there’s a combination of videos and articles. After you watch one video, it comes with articles for you to read and then some interactive activities for you to test your understanding of what was taught,” she said. The Connect+ program platform also has a forum section where students can input reflections and share comments about the subjects they want to discuss, like how to manage conflicts. Being able to revisit online discussions in her own time allowed her to reflect on her classmates’ insights—something she felt wouldn’t have been possible in a traditional classroom setting. The Connect+ program also includes three residentials: the first two in Chiang Rai and Bali, and the final one in Vietnam. Regina finally got to meet all of her classmates after the online forum discussions on the platform. “The group is only about twenty-five of us, so it’s not too big or too small. We could interact with everybody during the residentials,” she said. In addition, she also got to build business networks through Sasin events and student-led activities, which allowed her to meet Sasin’s alumni and professors. Regina noted that she recommends the Connect+ Executive MBA program for its lifelong learning value and the rare flexibility it offers as a blended learning program.