Empowering her finance team to become decision-making partners was something that Ker Ching Chock FCCA set her sights on as CFO at leading insurance company MSIG in Singapore. She saw the value of digital transformation, not only to enable the team to focus on providing insights for strategic decision-making but also to offer an environment for purposeful work and professional growth. ‘My goal is to make the finance function a place where people feel that what they do genuinely matters.’
As a woman in a C-suite role, Chock also talks about why resilience and strength are key to success, and highlights that her own career path was forged through continual learning and finding her own voice. As we celebrate International Women’s Day in this issue, our article on women in the workplace looks into why authentic sponsorship and visibility are important factors in bringing talented women to the boardroom. How do organisations ensure that senior-level women have sponsors who directly advocate for promotion and leadership roles?
We also consider the career aspirations of Gen Z and what drives them at work. As a future cohort of professionals who value meaningful work, prioritise mental health and seek a competitive salary, hirers would do well to create a workplace culture that’s nurturing and stimulating, while providing empathic leadership.
Elsewhere, we find out why SMEs are turning to fractional CFOs as a means of securing financial expertise that is cost-effective and brings strategic clarity. We hear from local practitioners on what a project-based financial leader does, and how startups need to see beyond the short term to leverage the independence and experience experts offer.
Finally, we find out from one finance professional on how building an AI-powered mini-game for her son became a transformative learning journey. Without any coding skills or IT background, she adopted AI tools to create a simple game from scratch, which in turn challenged her thinking on how finance experts can harness emerging tech.
Further information
See the other regional editions of AB:
