Daniel Seet

Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

“An unabashed, opinionated, individual with a heart of gold to help others in need.”

Hometown: Singapore

Fun Fact About Yourself: I recently picked up tap and swing dancing and have been “swinging” for about nine months now.

Undergraduate School and Major: National University of Singapore, Bachelor of Engineering (Computer)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: RHT Compliance Solutions, Senior Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment thus far has been conducting a seminar for over a 100 people on the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Individual Accountability and Conduct guidelines. The seminar was attended by senior industry veterans, which made it even more imperative that I not just knew my subject matter perfectly but also understood the intentions and fundamental principles. Only then would I have been able to explain and elaborate on why certain things were being implemented and recommended by the regulator. This would have then equipped me to more easily answer their questions satisfactorily.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? My classmates are a very interesting group, coming from quite a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. I would say we are all risk-takers and are very excited to explore new things and open ourselves to new opportunities that to others might seem like too much of a risk. I say this because most of our peers have a very fixed idea of what life should be, and most indeed do take that path: graduating from college, meeting a significant other, getting married, buying an apartment, having children, and so on. But the few of us are actually going against the grain and not following this “ideal life.” Instead, we are uprooting ourselves and moving to an entirely new country to start the next phase of our lives.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? For me, the most important consideration was the follow-through after the MBA. The idea was that I would, hopefully, be able to secure a job and work after completing my MBA. To that end, there were only a few countries where I could see myself working and living. To add on, I always believed that an MBA should be done in a developed country due to the infrastructure, the ability to network, and career prospects that are available. After that, it was a simple process of elimination where I was left with Europe and the Americas. I felt that Europe wasn’t the best place to be at this point in time and the United States wasn’t that much different (in addition to the exorbitant tuition fees US business school charge). Canada offered the best balance of quality and cost, along with being an excellent country to live in. From there, choosing the school wasn’t as difficult; because I wanted to compete with the best, Rotman was the obvious first choice for me. In addition to the innovation and development in FinTech, Rotman also has a very strong reputation for encouraging entrepreneurship, which I greatly appreciate.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am joining the Rotman Risk Management Association and the Rotman Finance Association because that is directly related to the field where I would like to transition. I would like to learn more of what the industry is like from another perspective, providing me with an important opportunity for an intimate insight. However, I would also like to be part of the Rotman Healthcare Management Association, an area where I am very much intrigued. Healthcare consulting or venture capital management specializing in healthcare is something I would possibly like to explore and I hope that this would give me the exposure to make that informed decision. Of course, I would definitely join the swing dancing club, if there is one, to keep up my new found hobby.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? Personally, I felt that the most challenging question I was asked was “Is there a question that I didn’t ask you that I should have?”. This was not a typical question and was essentially a Pandora’s Box. Say nothing and it could reflect badly on you. Ask a wrong question and you might box yourself into a corner. This was really one of the highlights of the interview that I will always remember (I now also use that same question when interviewing candidates). The question not only forces you to reflect but at the same time resolve that reflection. To illustrate, I feel that the question simultaneously tests the candidate’s ability to think about and analyze what the interviewer might be looking for in a candidate and, at the same time, show that he or she possesses that very characteristic that the interviewer might be alluding to.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I have always wanted to do something more directly related to finance and investment products and strategy. Since my first job, I have been stuck in the compliance department, which I don’t really enjoy. Also, I feel that I’ve reached a point where I can confidently say that this is not the career I want. With my accumulated experience, an MBA seems like the perfect way to leverage my experience and interests to pivot career paths. An MBA would also allow me to sharpen what skills I already have and acquire others that will be useful to me in more management roles. Having been in a somewhat-consulting role, I have also come to value the opportunity to network and again the MBA is really a wonderful place for that.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Interestingly, I had actually not applied to other MBA programs. The intention was to focus all my efforts on my Rotman application. If I didn’t get accepted, I would proceed to apply to other schools.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? For me, Rotman presented the best mix of traditional expertise and groundbreaking innovation. Rotman has always been strong in the financial space and that supported my interest in asset and wealth management. However, Rotman also doesn’t hold back when preparing for the future as seen with their Creative Destructive Lab. This blend of both the traditional and novel is very attractive to me, having worked with quite a few financial FinTech firms, even assisting some in their application for licensing with the regulatory. As we move into the future, the only constant that we will experience is change from a fast-developing technology sector that will undoubtedly transform the way we provide financial services. Without a forward-thinking mindset, we will surely be left behind. Speaking to many people – including alumni, current students, the admissions officer, and industry veterans – helped to provide that confirmation that this path at Rotman was definitely the right choice. I am definitely looking forward to the experiences and opportunities that I will have at Rotman.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I am someone who tries to not be too comfortable with where I am; I’m always looking out for new learning opportunities. To that end, I don’t feel that there is a single defining moment that has shaped me, but multiple points in my life where I have picked up useful lessons that have molded my outlook and perspective on things; some of these “lessons” come from the strangest of places. For example, there is a scene in an 80s hit movie, Top Gun, where a senior officer was telling the main character that a good pilot must always take the time and to reflect on his actions. For me, this translates to – whether good or bad – we should perform a sort of “after action review”. If it were a good outcome, what contributed to that outcome and is it repeatable? If it were a negative outcome, what could be done differently and how to avoid such mistakes in the future? This has caused me to become a person who always assesses my own actions before being critical of others. I find that this does help me to become a better person and possibly more emphatic to others as well.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I feel that, considering the path I’m currently taking, I will be in a senior position, hopefully a consummate professional in whatever it is I am doing and considered an expert in my field. Having said that, what I truly wish to become is someone who is known to be well- connected and approachable. I would want to provide “help” specifically in aiding people in finding their career path and providing them with useful advice on how to get there. This is important to me because my personal experience with help from others has not been a very encouraging one. At almost every turn, I would encounter someone who would tell me what they thought was the “best” career path without ever taking into consideration what my interests were. It was as though they were trying to redo their own mistakes through me. Honestly, I found the encounters very disheartening and frustrating. I believe that everyone should find their own passions and career paths. Not all careers were created equal and some are suited better to certain tasks than others. I would like to be that guiding mentor who would be able to encourage and hopefully help open doors for these job seekers trying to find their way.