Management Science alumna Tanika Dahad graduated from UCL School of Management’s BSc Management Science programme in 2020, starting her career as the world adapted and responded to the COVID-19 outbreak. During this time, she secured her first consulting role Deloitte Digital specialising in customer strategy and innovation before moving on to her current role as an Associate UX Researcher at FinTech start-up Moneybox.
In this blog, Tanika takes us through her role at Moneybox and the opportunities her role presents in balancing creativity with analytical insights and data. She also explores the gender split at Moneybox and the ways in which our Management Science programme prepared her for a career in the tech world. For Tanika, spring insights and internships aren’t the be all and end all for a career in tech. Instead, she notes, confidence, personality and soft skills play a significant role in creating career opportunities.
tell us about yourself
I grew up in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, and went to school in Cambridge before joining UCL to study Management Science. After graduating, I spent three years at Deloitte working in proposition design consulting before moving into the start-up/scale-up space, where I now work at a fintech called Moneybox.
Outside of work, I train weekly in dance and target rifle shooting. I’ve also authored a book and host my own podcast, The Hidden Health Code, where I explore topics at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and health.
what is your current role at moneybox?
At Moneybox, I’m a UX Researcher. My role involves uncovering insights about customer behaviour and needs. This means working closely with the product, design, and engineering teams to ensure we’re solving the right problems and creating new features and content that really resonate with and help our customers.
I really enjoy my role mostly because the people I work with are amazing and the culture is a great fit for me, but also because it’s a good mix of analytical thinking and creativity. I also love seeing my work being turned into solutions that get delivered pretty quickly - something you don’t often get to see in consulting. Knowing that my work is going towards helping people feel more confident about their financial future is very rewarding too.
have you always wanted to work in the fintech space?
Not at all—I had no idea what I wanted to do, even when I graduated. I had so many interests and wasn’t sure which path to choose, so I started in consulting to explore different industries and projects. Through that experience, I realised I had a strong interest in finance and healthcare.
As for working in tech, it wasn’t a specific goal, but tech has become an essential part of almost every industry. I was also drawn to innovative environments, and tech is often at the forefront of driving change and creating solutions.
what is the gender split like at your current company?
Moneybox has a pretty balanced gender representation across all levels, which is great to see, though it does vary by team. For example, the UX research team I’m part of is all women, while engineering has more men (which is the main driver of the gender pay gap at Moneybox and the wider tech industry), and product and design have a good mix of genders.
do you feel the management science programme prepared you for the industry you’re in now?
Definitely. The Management Science programme equips you with a toolkit of skills—data analysis, finance, design thinking, and more—that are relevant in almost any role or industry you want to go into. It also improves your critical thinking, problem-solving, and presentation skills, all of which are invaluable in any workplace.
For fintech specifically, it gave me the foundational knowledge to navigate both the financial and technological aspects of my job, but more importantly, the confidence to tackle ambiguous problems. The course really helps you become a “jack of all trades,” which is perfect for fast-moving industries like fintech or tech startups.
how were your experiences of the graduate job market?
I was lucky to secure my graduate job at Deloitte through a second-year summer internship, but graduating during the pandemic brought its challenges. Many companies were hesitant to hire, and some revoked offers or delayed start dates—mine was pushed back by five months.
If I could go back, I’d consider smaller companies or startups sooner. While Deloitte was a great learning environment, startups offer a pace and level of ownership that can really accelerate your growth. Some of the most impressive people I met at Deloitte had startup experience - they had a mindset and problem-solving approach that was just on another level. That said, every experience teaches you something valuable, so it’s about aligning your choices with your goals at the time.
what advice would you give to graduates entering the tech world?
Be confident and share your perspective: It’s easy as a new employee in your first job, and also as a woman, to feel imposter syndrome and be shy in sharing your opinion - I felt this myself. But your voice is valuable and people hired you because they want to hear it. It also adds to the diversity of thought which is very needed in tech.
Soft skills and personality will get you over the line: In a job market full of lots of technically skilled candidates, your soft skills and personality will set you apart in interviews. You’re not expected to know everything, but employers care about how you approach problems and communicate your thinking. Bringing your personality and being authentic also helps you find a workplace culture where you truly fit, so you’ll enjoy it more too.
Explore different industries and take risks: Tech is everywhere now, so if you’re passionate about a specific area like fashion, healthcare, or law, there are tech opportunities in those spaces too (which pay just as well too). Don’t feel confined to big names or traditional pathways. Startups, unconventional roles, or even starting your own business are great options too, especially if you don’t have big financial responsibilities yet. It can feel scary to not go down the conventional routes, but this programme equips you with the tools to explore these paths, and you don’t want to have regrets later down the line that you didn’t explore what genuinely interests you.
Spring weeks and internships aren’t everything: I remember everyone putting a lot of pressure on themselves at university, feeling like your future depends on getting a first-year spring week or an internship at a big-name company, but it doesn’t. While internships are great, non-traditional experiences like passion projects, volunteer work, or part-time roles can also add a lot of value to your CV and make you stand out. I didn’t do a spring week or any first-year internships but still landed multiple offers later on because of the skills and experiences I’d built in other ways.
what have been your career highlights so far?
One highlight was creating a financial inclusion tool which is now used by Deloitte to advise banks and insurance providers. It provided comprehensive data and insights into demographics lacking access or affordability of financial services, relevant industry regulations, and competitor analysis.
Another was launching my podcast, The Hidden Health Code, which allows me to share my passion for psychology, neuroscience and health with a broader audience. It’s been a creative outlet outside of my job and a way to explore topics I deeply care about.
Find out more about UCL School of Management’s BSc/MSci Management Science programme.