Sean Lai - MBA Intern

Q: Where is Sean based?

Sean is based in London, United Kingdom and prefers 100% remote projects.

Q: What languages does Sean speak?

Sean speaks the following languages: English (Advanced), Malay (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Sean have?

Sean has at least 8 years of experience. During this time, Sean has worked in at least 4 different roles and for 4 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 1 month . Note that Sean may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Sean's latest experience?

Sean's most recent position is MBA Intern at Hartree Partners .

Q: What companies has Sean worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Sean has worked for Hartree Partners , Mercor Intelligence , CIMB Investment Bank , and Grant Thornton .

Q: Which industries is Sean most experienced in?

Sean is most experienced in industries like Retail , Information Technology (IT) , and Transportation and Logistics . Sean also has some experience in Banking and Finance , Telecommunication , and Energy .

Q: Which business areas is Sean most experienced in?

Sean is most experienced in business areas like Audit , Finance , and Strategy and Planning . Sean also has some experience in Business Intelligence , Research and Development (R&D) , and Accounting .

Q: Which industries has Sean worked in recently?

Sean has recently worked in industries like Retail , Information Technology (IT) , and Transportation and Logistics .

Q: Which business areas has Sean worked in recently?

Sean has recently worked in business areas like Audit , Finance , and Strategy and Planning .

Recommended expert

London, United Kingdom

Experience

Jul 2025 - Aug 2025

2 months

London, United Kingdom

MBA Intern

Hartree Partners

Prepared consolidated accounts, tax adjustments, and supported strategic special transactions leveraging investment banking and finance expertise, including valuation and due diligence support.
Participated in commodity trading simulations and achieved top-quartile performance; demonstrated proficiency in risk management and derivatives strategy.

Apr 2025 - Present

11 months

London, United Kingdom

AI Consultant

Mercor Intelligence

Lead finance capabilities for frontier AI models, managing 30+ domain experts and reporting directly to leadership in flat, high-velocity structure. Develop structured educational pipelines and knowledge frameworks that systematically improve model accuracy and reliability for financial use cases.
Advance multimodal AI capabilities spanning document analysis, financial statement interpretation, and image-based data extraction, enabling more sophisticated understanding and processing of complex finance materials.
Drive GDPval and quality improvement initiatives: establish evaluation frameworks for model outputs, enhance training data quality and relevance, and validate AI-generated financial models, US GAAP and IFRS interpretations, and M&A scenarios to ensure technical rigor and practical applicability.

Jul 2021 - Aug 2024

3 years 2 months

Malaysia

Manager, Corporate Finance

CIMB Investment Bank

Executed full IPO lifecycle for 99 Speedmart: due diligence working group, equity valuation (DCF, multiples), prospectus drafting, regulatory approvals, investor presentations; retail tranche oversubscribed 3.04×.
Advised Celcom-Digi merger: synergy analysis, restructuring strategy, regulatory compliance, post-merger integration, and capital structure optimisation.
Supported DigitalBridge (US-based investor) on due diligence and US GAAP valuation analysis for proposed acquisition of Malaysian telecom towers (~$1.8bn valuation).

Sep 2016 - Feb 2021

4 years 6 months

Malaysia

Assistant Manager, Audit & Assurance

Grant Thornton

Led financial statement audits and advisory projects for diverse industries (logistics, retail, technology), with annual revenues of up to US$1bn annually.
Executed IPO readiness projects, IFRS conversions, US GAAP reconciliations, restructuring advisory, and capital adjustments.
Developed audit automation macros; coached and trained 15+ junior auditors annually.

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Retail (7.5 years), Information Technology (4.5 years), Transportation (4.5 years), Banking and Finance (4 years), and Telecommunication (3 years).

Retail

Information Technology

Transportation

Banking and Finance

Telecommunication

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Audit (4.5 years), Finance (4 years), Strategy (3 years), Business Intelligence (1 year), and Research and Development (1 year).

Audit

Finance

Strategy

Business Intelligence

Research and Development

Summary

Finance professional (CFA, ACA) operating at the intersection of investment banking, corporate finance, and frontier AI development. Leading finance capabilities at Mercor Intelligence in fast-paced, high-performance environment driving multimodal AI improvements and knowledge quality initiatives. 9 years executing IPOs, M&A transactions, and strategic projects across dynamic, cross-functional teams.

Skills

Investment Banking
Ipo Execution
M&a Advisory
Financial Modelling (Dcf, Lbo, Scenario Analysis)
Valuation & Due Diligence
Us Gaap & Ifrs
Ai Analytics & Oversight
Strategic Problem-solving
Leadership & Communication

Languages

English

Advanced

Malay

Advanced

Education

Sep 2024 - Sep 2025

Cambridge Judge Business School

MBA · Cambridge, United Kingdom

Certifications & licenses

CFA Charterholder

ICAEW Chartered Accountant

ICAEW

Profile

Created

November 2025

Last Update

December 2025

Need a freelancer? Find your match in seconds.

Try FRATCH GPT

Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Sean based?

Sean is based in London, United Kingdom and prefers 100% remote projects.

What languages does Sean speak?

Sean speaks the following languages: English (Advanced), Malay (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Sean have?

Sean has at least 8 years of experience. During this time, Sean has worked in at least 4 different roles and for 4 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 1 month. Note that Sean may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Sean be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Sean would be well-suited for roles such as: MBA Intern, AI Consultant, Manager, Corporate Finance.

What is Sean's latest experience?

Sean's most recent position is MBA Intern at Hartree Partners.

What companies has Sean worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Sean has worked for Hartree Partners, Mercor Intelligence, CIMB Investment Bank, and Grant Thornton.

Which industries is Sean most experienced in?

Sean is most experienced in industries like Retail, Information Technology (IT), and Transportation and Logistics. Sean also has some experience in Banking and Finance, Telecommunication, and Energy.

Which business areas is Sean most experienced in?

Sean is most experienced in business areas like Audit, Finance, and Strategy and Planning. Sean also has some experience in Business Intelligence, Research and Development (R&D), and Accounting.

Which industries has Sean worked in recently?

Sean has recently worked in industries like Retail, Information Technology (IT), and Transportation and Logistics.

Which business areas has Sean worked in recently?

Sean has recently worked in business areas like Audit, Finance, and Strategy and Planning.

What is Sean's education?

Sean holds a Master from Cambridge Judge Business School.

Does Sean have any certificates?

Sean has 2 certificates. These include: CFA Charterholder and ICAEW Chartered Accountant.

What is the availability of Sean?

Sean is immediately available part-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Sean?

Sean's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.