Over 700 aspiring accountants spent a fruitful day at the HKICPA’s “Leading with Strategy” Career Forum 2017, deepening their understanding of the profession with the latest specialised knowledge and insights shared by exemplary CPAs.
Held at Cyberport on October 8, the full-day annual event this year celebrated its 10th anniversary. The organiser, the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA), aims to help undergraduates from local universities interested in joining the profession keep abreast of the latest developments in the sector. Many students attended workshops on diverse topics and learned about opportunities from the dozens of companies exhibiting at the forum. Some seized the opportunity to participate in interviews for internship placements offered by several CPA firms and got advice on their CVs by the on-site “CV Doctors”.
A luncheon was organised to allow participating students get a fuller picture of the profession in a relaxed atmosphere by mingling with seasoned CPAs. The students enjoyed animated discussions with the professionals who generously shared insights and advice.
One of the event’s highlights was the “Leading with Strategy” forum. The moderator, Patrick Law, vice-president of HKICPA, led a lively discussion with three panel speakers: Mabel Chan, president of HKICPA; Billy Lau, chief financial officer of foodpanda Hong Kong; and William Lo, executive director, finance, Airport Authority Hong Kong. Law, who was also the convenor of the 2017 career forum advisory panel, kicked off the discussion by asking the speakers what employers expected to see in the candidates at job interviews.
Chan said she believes many employers try to identify candidates’ genuine passion for a career in the field. “We hope they will discuss their attributes and why they are interested in the positions rather than reciting scripts. We also want to learn about their aspirations and long-term career goals.”
Employers would like to have candidates’ analysis of their strengths and weaknesses in relation to the applied positions so that they know the candidates gave the applied positions some serious thought, said Lo. “Confidence is also essential. Well-groomed candidates with proper etiquette always make a good first impression at the interview. It’s important that candidates maintain eye contact throughout the interview.”
Regarding the vital attributes of modern-day business leaders, Lau said that, while many CPAs build a solid foundation by completing the QP, they should engage in lifelong learning and be open-minded about new ideas throughout their careers. “Take my career for example, I started out as an auditor and then ran my restaurant business. Now I am the CFO of foodpanda. Throughout my career, I have never ceased to learn about the operations of the trade.”
Chan said continuous learning encompassed inquisitiveness. “We always need to be eager to keep abreast of things around us and be curious about innovations.”
Ensuring that directors of a rapidly growing business understand the importance of corporate governance can sometimes be a challenge, Lau said. “As I work for a start-up, I help enhance the young entrepreneurs’ grasp of internal control and corporate governance through vivid storytelling and the use of slang and concepts resonant with them.”
Wrapping up the inspiring discussion, Law said enthusiasm for the profession and determination for lifelong learning would help sustain a long-term career for aspiring accountants in the field.
Tech centre-stage at workshops
An interesting line-up of workshops on diverse topics featuring experienced specialists was arranged by HKICPA aiming to enrich aspiring accountants’ knowledge of specialisations.
At the workshop on forensic accounting, Irene Siu said she focused on fraud investigation and also worked as expert witness and on computer forensics. “Another critical part of my work is prevention,” added Siu, who is the executive director, fraud investigation and dispute services at Ernst & Young Advisory Services. “Many multinational corporations need to comply with regulations in different jurisdictions. Our work cycle includes assessment of companies’ current systems and developing corrective measures if problems arise and help with implementation.”
Managing director of BDO, Johnson Kong, said that the skills for forensic accounting covered auditing, accounting legal knowledge and investigation. “The specialists need to be analytical as they process and analyse huge amount of data to compile reports. They should be inquisitive and detail-oriented.”
Concluding the discussion, managing director of HLB Hodgson Impey Cheng, Raymond Cheng, believed time management was among the essential skills because forensic accountants always need to think and act fast. He encouraged students to participate in the activities organised by HKICPA’s forensic interest group to learn more about the specialisation.
Speakers at the workshop on digitalisation in accounting used video clips to underscore the impact of rapid technological developments on the profession. Corporate vice-president and group financial controller of Tencent Holdings, Matthew Cheng, said new technological applications, such as artificial intelligence and big data, help spare workforces repetitive manual tasks and concentrate more on analytical and managerial focus. “Digitalised systems would help reduce mistakes, enhance the efficiency in service cycle and identify risks…technologies let more finance professionals focus on higher value-added work, such as analytics.”
Echoing Cheng’s view was Benson Ng, partner at Ernst & Young Advisory Services. “A rising number of companies have adopted advanced technologies in their operations. For instance, AI for forensic accounting helps detect forged invoices and companies use big data for auditing.”
Workshop moderator Eric Tong, vice president of HKICPA and partner, audit & assurance, Deloitte China, encouraged the aspiring accountants to embrace technologies. “AI will not replace accountants and auditors. Adoption of technologies will help us focus more on getting insights, ask the correct and pertinent questions, work on more insightful analysis of businesses and formulate better solutions.”
This article appeared in the Classified Post print edition as Guiding lights.
