Meet an Alumnus: explore all the possibilities!

Manto Ip joined EDHEC’s Master in Management-Business Management in 2019. He recollects his experience of the program. 

France was not the destination that you would have picked. Yet, you decided to seize the opportunity to study there. What made you change your mind? What would you have told the younger you about this change of plans?

When I was a student, looking for an exchange program, I was targeting Amsterdam but I was unable to get this choice. I was offered the opportunity to go to France instead. I didn’t want to go. But I did anyway and it turned out to be great! I was already in Lille, met many people, and had a lot of fun. When I went back to Hong Kong, I realised that I wanted to develop my career outside of my home country. I wanted to come back to Europe. I chose to come back to Lille.            

I would tell the younger me to go for it because you never know what to expect. There is a Chinese traditional story “Sei Weng lost his horse” which tells the tale of an old man, his son, and a horse. The message of this story is that misfortune can turn into a blessing or good luck can turn out to be bad. I strongly believe that they are many things you can’t predict. So it’s best to give it a try and enjoy every situation, embrace the change. Don’t overthink. Live the moment.

You have lived in Lille and studied at EDHEC Business School for three years. How has your vision of France evolved?

I had zero knowledge about France before coming. But as my knowledge of the French language and culture grew, so was my interest in the country. Now that I’m in Paris, I really enjoy the diversity, the culture, the job opportunities... and the quality of life. You can easily travel. All of this makes the country great.       

What are the main highlights of your studies?

I would say my Master 2 year. I chose the MSc in Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence because I wanted to gain technical knowledge to enable me to work in business intelligence for example.

You joined TEDxEDHECBusinessSchool and finally were given the opportunity to give a speech. What were your missions when you first started?  How was the selection process? What topics did you address? How did you prepare?

When I arrived at EDHEC, I really wanted to join an association. I met TEDxEDHECBusinessSchool’s president and really enjoyed our conversation. I joined the Speakers’ selection department. My mission was to recruit speakers. When I came back to EDHEC after my gap year, I auditioned for the student speaker.

I chose to talk about comparison. In Hong Kong, there is a lot of competition. People keep comparing themselves instead of focusing on themselves. We don’t spend enough time thinking about our journey and how the dots connect. Comparison is largely driven by our strong focus on other people, but not on ourselves. The more you focus on yourself, the less you compare yourself to others.

I love to quote Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address: “Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

Connecting the dots helps you realise how much you achieved.  

You chose the MSc in Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence for your Master 2. What are the main takeaways of this final year?

To me, the key takeaway is all the technical skills I gained including coding. These are knowledge I use daily.

My passion for data grew during my professional immersion year. I had the chance to work as a Pricing data analyst at Michelin and a Business Analyst at L'Oréal. I’m doing my final internship at Amazon as Business Analyst. In the long term, I aim at becoming Data Scientist.

If you were to meet students who are willing to come and study in France and at EDHEC, what would you tell them?

I would tell them to explore all the possibilities for their career, check where people work, and understand their missions. 

When I first came, my focus was on consulting. I talked to the consultant and finally realised it was not for me. I finally found my passion in data.

I would also tell them to have fun and embrace the change because you never know what is coming next. Who would have predicted Covid?