Women in STEM: From LSE to the top of the fintech industry

Maryam: Hey guys! Welcome back to the Extra Credit podcast. I’m Maryam, your host. If this is your first time tuning in to our podcast, let me give you a quick rundown.Every month, we talk to students, graduates, professors and people from academia about their stories, their insights, and their thoughts about the beauty and challenges of studying abroad.Today, we have a special guest, Monica Millares. She’s a trailblazer for women working (and thriving) in the financial technology market — or “fintech” for short. If you’re wondering what that is, think of online banking, e-wallets, virtual credit cards and other kinds of payment you can make that don't require you being face to face with an actual person.With a degree in engineering and management of information systems, she has spent many years growing her career around the world, from her home country in Mexico to the UK and all the way to Asia. Seven years ago, Monica moved to Malaysia to spearhead the launch of BigPay, which is one of the largest digital banks in South-East Asia today. But before all of that, Monica here was just another ambitious international student like you and I. She travelled to the UK to pursue a Master’s degree in Management of Information Systems at the London School of Economics. Monica, welcome! So glad to have you join us today. Monica: Thank you, Maryam. The pleasure is all mine. Thank you.Maryam: Alright. I just want to let you know that I think your journey is really inspiring, seeing how far you’ve worked your way up to becoming a major industry leader after you graduated. We know that it takes a lot of grit and hard work to succeed in this field.For many of us, the experiences and skills we’ve gained during our student days often shape how we approach the real world. So, let’s go back to the beginning, alright, I’ll dive right into the questions, okay?Growing up, what was your childhood like? What was it that sparked your interest in engineering?Monica: Well, I had a good childhood. But at the same time, I was a nerd. I’ve always been a nerd. Since I was in kindergarten, I was the best in the class. So, my childhood was a lot about studying as well. I always got a diploma for “Best in Class” at the end of the year, from kindergarten all the way to middle school, high school, university, and then my master’s. So, that’s part of who I am and I guess, because I was at the top of the class many, many times, when it came to the moment to decide what to study, engineering was kind of one of the things that people suggested to me. It’s not that I wanted to, but they were like, “Oh, you should study engineering because you’re good at maths, because you have good grades.” And that’s how I ended up doing it. Maryam: That’s so great to hear but, yeah, sometimes, we do things because people tell us that that’s what’s good for us. But I’m glad that in your case, it’s something that you actually excelled in, so it became the right career path for you.So, back in 2002, you used to study Industrial Engineering at a local university in Mexico, but what made you decide to do a master’s degree in Management of Information Systems in the UK?Monica: Yeah, I guess, it was two things. One, my mother. She always said, “Hey, you have to continue your studies and, if possible, study abroad.” So, that was one thing, you know, like the push from parents.Then, the other one was — my first job was as an intern in the product team in a development bank. And well, my parents didn’t pay for my master’s. I paid for it. So, basically, what I did — it’s like, I had to get a scholarship, and the easiest way to get a scholarship back then was to study a tech-related master’s. At the end, I did not get a scholarship, but instead, I got a loan to go abroad. But same, I got it because it was a very technical field that I was getting into. Just practical.Maryam: Well, your mom wanted you to study abroad, but was it your choice to study in the UK or were there other options and other countries?Monica: Well, I looked into the US and the UK and Europe, but my mom passed away when I was way younger. So, it was not like she forced me to, right. She was not around. It was 100% my choice to go. Maryam: As I know it, Management of Information Systems blends technical, scientific and business knowledge together. So, can you tell us a bit more about what sort of coursework you were doing? And which did you enjoy the most?Monica: Yeah, so, when I studied engineering, we had coding classes, right. And I enjoyed them. But then when I started working, I used to work a lot with the tech team within the bank, so my idea of studying my master’s was like, oh, I wanted to do the systems architecture in a company and be super technical. And when I got to LSE — basically, LSE was very social science-based as well, at least back then. So, the programme that I studied ended up being not technical. It...