What is your current role and responsibilities? How is it going so far?
As Assurance Senior Manager at Moore, I’m in charge of one division of our assurance department. My division specializes in dealing with audit engagements of listed companies in Hong Kong. We also handle capital market transactions such as mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings. I supervise my division’s assurance managers to ensure they can complete their engagements smoothly. It has been challenging, as I have to oversee multiple engagements and clients. Though we’ve been working from home, I ensure my team is able to deliver on time. I run morning briefings through Skype or WhatsApp, and I also frequently call up our clients to make sure they’re able to meet deadlines as well. The firm takes part in university career fairs, so I also help during these recruitment seminars. We talk to fresh graduates about the culture and work environment of Moore, and I get to share my work experience with the students in terms of how I grew as a fresh graduate working in the field of audit to a senior manager.
What inspired you to become an accountant? How did you start your career?
During secondary school, I studied advanced mathematics and physics – I didn’t think of being an accountant until after the public exams. My best friend in school gave me some advice and made me realize my strengths, so I decided to major in professional accountancy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. I was a science student, so it was difficult learning everything about accounting and economics at the start. After graduation, I joined one of the Big Four firms as an audit associate and was promoted to manager after five years. Eager to explore new possibilities, I decided to join Moore. A few friends asked why I left the Big Four, but I didn’t think it was a step backwards. Though working at the Big Four equipped me with fundamental accounting and audit knowledge, my strengths and abilities made a greater impact at a medium-sized firm like Moore. I was also presented with more opportunities for growth. I was promoted to senior manager within a year.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years?
I feel my 30s are the most valuable and energetic part of my life, so I would like to stay and grow at Moore. I hope to continue my profession in assurance, specializing in financial reporting.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your career so far and how did you overcome it?
It would be taking on my new role of Assurance Senior Manager at Moore. The workload increased a lot, and there was more expectation from the partners. It was a tough period during the first few months, but I feel I’m getting better at prioritizing and handling multiple tasks now. I overcame these difficulties with help from those partners. They spent a lot of time sharing their past experiences with me and increased my confidence in fulfilling my responsibilities.
Which continuing professional development courses did you find to be the most useful to your job and why?
The updates on financial reporting standards are the most helpful in my day-to-day work as they provide detailed insight on the latest in the fast-changing world of financial reporting standards. The refreshment courses in general saves me a lot of time as the content is precise and the illustrative examples are practical in engagements.
How do you think the Qualification Programme (QP) has helped you in your career so far, or prepared you for your current role?
The QP has helped me to build a solid foundation in financial reporting, corporate finance, audit and taxation. I’d say it is crucial for all junior accountants to join the QP in the early stages of their career as it could be difficult to find time to study complicated concepts or learn new knowledge when you become part of middle management at a company.
