As the Growth & Marketing Manager at Dobin, a FinTech firm dedicated to improving financial access and literacy, Avinash Pradhan plays a key role in driving the company’s expansion into Singapore and the Philippines. After graduating from his course in Bachelor of Business, Double Major in Banking & Finance, and International Business, he has turned his passion for using technology to empower individuals financially. This had guided much of his career journey, combining strategy, innovation, and impact.

1. What are you up to right now?

I am currently a Growth & Marketing Manager at Dobin (a FinTech firm) while simultaneously pursuing my Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), specialising in Strategy & Organisation.

2. Can you tell us more about your current role and what made you decide to take on this role?

As a Growth & Marketing Manager, I lead projects driving expansion into Singapore and the Philippines. I was drawn to this role because of my passion for scaling products that improve financial access and literacy.

After several years of driving growth and strategy in fintech and e-commerce, I decided to embark on the MBA to sharpen my leadership skills, broaden my global business perspective, expand my network, and prepare myself for future roles at the intersection of strategy and entrepreneurship.

3. If you could highlight one memorable experience in your entrepreneurship journey/ experience so far, what would that be?

One defining moment was building Dobin’s go-to-market strategy from 0 to 1, launching the Dobin app on the App Store & Play Store, and seeing it’s result in tens of thousands of app installs over the years. We got to present our app at the Singapore Fintech Festival and build great partnerships with local and renowned brands too.

Watching a hypothesis turn into real user adoption and impact validated my decision to venture into the startup ecosystem.

4. What are some of the lessons learned or challenges faced?

Growth is never linear. Setbacks are inevitable, especially in startups. Learning to balance learning agility with discipline has been crucial.

You only have 24 hours in a day. With limited time and resources, become ruthless with your prioritisation so you can meet your personal and professional goals.

5. How do you feel studying at the Singapore campus of James Cook University has helped you in your career?

Student Life – Peer-to-peer: Networking, Community Building

The orientation day, before joining school, is a great opportunity for you to meet everyone in an informal setting. I highly encourage any new student to join this event and build camaraderie with your new batchmates. Some of my best friends from my time continue to be my teammates from Day 1.

The Courtyard was always buzzing with activities from Cultural Groups, Business Groups, Psych Society and others. It was a great way to learn and appreciate other disciplines that you may not always get a chance to interact with.

I always appreciated how Joshua (Head of Student Life at that time) helped us in starting BEAM (Business Entrepreneurship & Mentorship Club). We wanted to start a club to help students expose themselves to different industries and build their networking skills. Joshua was always supportive of initiatives that had an impact on the wider JCU community.

Peer Evaluation - Awareness and Self-Development

Given the number of group projects we were required to do, peer evaluation and feedback was a core component of the grade too. As someone who actively sought to learn and build my work ethic, I was always appreciative of the constructive feedback I received to help me grow.

6. What would be your advice for current students?

I’ll sum my advice up in a few key areas:

- Networking: Strong relationships with your peers, mentors and lecturers are invaluable. Your network often opens doors that technical skills alone cannot.

- Attitude: How you approach problems, how you interact or communicate with others in the workplace, how you carry yourself speaks volumes about your character. Remember, first impressions last.

- Collaboration: This Being easy to work with is an underrated skill that continues to become more valuable with seniority. Peer feedback during group projects is an efficient and effective way to learn and receive constructive criticism to help you improve your working style and ethos for the future.

- Experimentation and learning agility: Don’t be afraid to start small, whether it’s a side project, a club initiative, or a business idea. The earlier you expose yourself to experimentation and failure, the quicker you’ll learn. In today’s world, knowledge is so readily available. How quickly you learn and apply it to the relevant context are often key differentiators in fresh graduates.

7. Lastly, JCU's strategic intent is ‘Creating a brighter future for life in the Tropics and beyond, through education and research that makes a difference locally, and globally’. How do you think you have made (or are making) a difference?

Through my work at Dobin, I’ve been contributing to building financial inclusion by helping individuals better understand and manage their money, while building access to credit in underbanked markets across Southeast -Asia.

I’ve also been actively involved in mentorship, across JCU and NUS.  I have always appreciated the feedback I received from industry leaders and mentors while I was studying, and I look for ways to pay forward the guidance I received through mentorships.

Published in 2026