One day my brother took me to the opening of his friend’s shop. I remember him not being sure about how to manage his accounts and the things you need to consider as a new business owner. I knew then that I wanted to understand how a company works, and that by becoming an auditor I’d have the best chance of learning.
After completing ACCA, I joined EY in Kuala Lumpur in 2012, then moved to PwC in Singapore in 2015, before making the leap to industry in 2017. My time in audit did not disappoint; I gained experience in education, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, printing, plantation, construction, property development, investing, financial shared service, oil and gas, shipping and retail.
I love overseeing the entire finance function and knowing how it all works
As the financial controller at Welltech Construction, I love overseeing the entire finance function and knowing how it all works: managing cashflow planning, budgeting, forecasting, hedging, investment and joint ventures. Alongside my time in audit, ACCA has provided a strong foundation, helping me get to where I am today. The professional papers even prepared me to think and view myself as a manager, and to resolve problems with ethics at the forefront. I’m grateful to be in ACCA’s network of likeminded professionals, who are always ready to assist one another.
My proudest achievement to date was undertaking investments and hedging during the pandemic. Most construction work shut down at great cost to the business, resulting in projects posting losses. Investing in developed properties, however, was booming, with sales prices rising and foreign currency in fluctuation. By investing in this sector and hedging foreign currency, we made a substantial return and managed to keep the company running at strength. From this, I learned that you never rely on one income stream.
I strive to continually improve myself, both intellectually and emotionally
In a desire for personal development and self-discovery, I strive to continually improve myself, both intellectually by reading books and listening to podcasts, and emotionally by practising meditation and tai chi. I also aspire to contribute to the wellbeing of others through volunteer work and teaching tai chi. In addition, I’m working towards financial independence through investment and a drive to pursue goals and dreams without undue financial stress.
If I weren’t an accountant, I would probably be a lecturer and tai chi teacher. I believe in the importance of study in all its forms. We must understand the principle behind the topic, and once understood you can apply this in all scenarios; by teaching a person to fish, they can then feed themselves for a lifetime.
