Hundreds of tertiary institutions’ students descended on the last HKICPA Career Forum at Cyberport to explore the treasure trove of career-related opportunities awaiting them. The palpable sense of excitement reminded Regan Fung Chun-hin of the boisterous magic school scenes in the popular Harry Potter film series.
The CPAs firms exhibiting at the forum were of particular interest to Fung, who is now a final-year student of business administration in accountancy at Polytechnic University.
“Although information on these companies might be available online, person-to-person interaction was more rewarding because we could ask questions and clarify issues right away. By talking to the young representatives of some CPA firms, who might have graduated just a few years ago, I was able to get a sense of individual company’s corporate culture and see if I could fit into it,” he says.
The forum’s organiser, HKICPA, had matched some pre-registered students with individual exhibitors for their on-site internship placement interviews, he notes. “I attended the group and individual interviews arranged by Grant Thornton Hong Kong. Later they informed me of my successful application.”
During Fung’s two-month internship at Grant Thornton Hong Kong, he focused on assisting in the compilation of the firm’s annual “Corporate Governance Report”, which looked at the compliance of companies listed in the Hang Seng Composite Index. Fung was involved in the parts on environmental, social and governance (ESG).
“I found this experience highly rewarding and meaningful. Personally, I think environment sustainability and profit are equally important for a company. I am glad to see the financial sector has become progressively socially responsible. Meanwhile, ESG was covered in my curriculum at school, this internship allowed me to apply the theories and concepts learned at school in the workplace.”
Fung is weighing several options and believes if he enters the profession, he will definitely enrol in the QP to become a CPA.
“It will be a milestone and self-actualisation in my career,” he says. “I think I will initially go into auditing to build a solid foundation. Then I may consider specialising in risk and IT. The business sector is increasingly digitalised and specialists in these areas will be in high demand.”
