Career Steps
Dato Seri Ivan Teh Early Career Steps
From custom software in a multinational to a start-up, consulting work and the move into data analytics: the early steps that led to Fusionex.
Dato’ Seri Ivan Teh’s early working years combined ambition, technical skill and strategic thinking. Taken step by step, they explain a great deal about the company he would go on to found.
Learning the craft in a multinational
Early in his career he joined a multinational technology company, where he was placed straight into a fast-paced, high-stakes environment. His work was to develop customised software for clients around the world, each with its own requirements, and he took on the challenge with enthusiasm.
In those first assignments his technical ability was matched by strategic thinking. He became known not only for delivering complex solutions but for spotting where a client’s processes could be improved, and his responsibilities grew quickly.
Choosing a start-up
Excelling inside an established company was not enough for him. Looking for a more direct influence on direction and growth, he joined a growing technology start-up.
There his role ranged from product development to customer acquisition and marketing strategy. That breadth gave him a wider view of how a business works, and it was here that he came to fully appreciate the meeting point of technology and business, a theme that would guide his later work.
Advising clients as a consultant
His early career also included time with consulting firms, advising clients from small start-ups to large multinational companies on strategic matters. The work helped those organisations deal with the challenges of a digital landscape, improve their operations and reach their goals, and it widened his own understanding of the industry.
The turn to data analytics
One of the most important of these early steps was his move into data analytics. Recognising the growing potential of big data, he took on a role focused on data-driven solutions, building frameworks and analytics tools that helped companies make sense of very large amounts of data.
That experience confirmed his belief in the transformative power of data and laid the foundation for Fusionex, which he founded in 2005.
A habit of continuous learning
Throughout these years he kept learning. He sought out mentors in the industry, attended workshops and conferences and followed new technology closely, a habit that has kept him close to the leading edge of his field.
Common questions
How did Ivan Teh start his career?
In a multinational technology company, developing customised software for clients around the world.
What did he do before founding Fusionex?
He worked in a technology start-up, advised clients as a consultant and moved into data analytics, building frameworks and tools for large data sets.
What links his early career to Fusionex?
His work in data analytics confirmed his belief in the power of data, and that belief became the foundation of Fusionex.