Smart and seamless

Behind the seamless online shopping experience at Sea Limited lies the work of Statistics alumnus Zhao Yi Ling, who designs internal systems and algorithms which shape how millions across Southeast Asia experience the digital economy.

Yi Ling, who also read a Minor in Management of Technology, is a Product Manager at Shopee, where she builds scaleable product solutions in collaboration with cross functional teams – from business users and engineers to regional operations – to improve the efficiency, personalisation and intelligence of its platforms. This creates a more agile and resilient e-commerce ecosystem that can adapt quickly to changing consumer needs.

One of the defining milestones in her career at Shopee was leading a major system migration project, which successfully transitioned key operations from third-party tools to proprietary internal platforms. This initiative not only strengthened the company’s control over its core business processes but also generated significant cost savings annually. For this effort, her team won the company-wide Outstanding Project Award, which recognises work that delivers exceptional impact across the organisation.

Yi Ling also took on a pivotal role as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to onboard and train a newly formed regional operations team. She led the creation of structured training plans, comprehensive user guides, and hands-on sessions to accelerate team ramp-up and ensure a smooth transition. “It was a meaningful opportunity to mentor new team members and help lay a strong foundation for long-term operational excellence.”

Yi Ling’s long-term ambition is to become a leader in product management – one who shapes product vision and drives the creation of user-centric, scaleable and forward-thinking solutions.

In no small part, the integration of knowledge from statistics and technology management – complementing statistical rigour with technological acumen – provided many essential skills for her work today. These include interpreting user behaviour, making robust data-driven decisions to drive business strategy and optimising product performance.  

Beyond the classroom, she broadened her global perspective through the NUS Overseas College (NOC) programme, the Imperial College Business School Summer Programme and the Sino-Singapore Undergraduate Exchange Programme.   

The collective takeaways from her university journey allowed her to bridge the gap between business strategy and technology delivery, broadened her cross-cultural perspectives and ignited her passion in entrepreneurship and technological innovation – attributes which continue to shape her career growth and aspirations.

Yi Ling says, “I aspire to contribute meaningfully to the technology ecosystem by building products that not only advance business goals but also elevate user experiences and create positive societal impact. Ultimately, I hope to grow into a leadership role where I can mentor future talent, champion bold ideas and drive innovation that leaves a lasting mark on industry and society.”