Alison Yam, 29
Adelaide ➜ Hong Kong ➜ New York ➜ Hong Kong
“A career in finance is never just about the numbers. The CPA Program gave me the big picture of business.”
Alison Yam always knew her passion for numbers would open up the world to her. Fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, she moved back to South Australia (she lived there between ages two and seven) from her native Hong Kong to complete high school and her commerce degree at the University of Adelaide. Returning to Hong Kong for a first job at Deloitte, she undertook study for her designation through CPA Australia’s Greater China division and became a deputy chairperson of the CPA Australia Young Achievers committee (YAC). Yam was then hand-picked in 2015 to go to Deloitte’s New York City headquarters. Back in Hong Kong again, she’s translating the skills she gained working within an international community into confident leadership and a wider perspective.
I’ve always wanted to work globally and be an accountant like my father. I was always excited by the idea of working in finance hubs other than Hong Kong. When I got the job at Deloitte, although there are other professional bodies for accountants, I decided on becoming a CPA with CPA Australia because it can give me support internationally. It’s very well recognised.
My first job was in a division of Deloitte called financial advisory. I was working on corporate restructuring for listed companies. I had to not just read financial statements but interpret them and suggest action: why invest in a company, what the financial focus should be. I needed to clearly explain how this action would have financial impacts and benefits.
A career in finance is never just about the numbers. The CPA Program gave me the big picture of business and principles of good leadership that have been essential from that first job through to my current role, a manager in a team focusing on the risks and regulations that shape strategy, mostly inside banks.
I got the job in New York by looking for an international secondment. I would have gone to London or even Sydney but luck was that one of the partners here at Deloitte was arranging a knowledge-sharing initiative between Hong Kong and New York. I was sent over for a year as a first trial. I’m happy to say it was a success. I worked across regulatory remediation and response for a global banking corporation. It was really beneficial to see how things happen in New York but my insight on the regulations in Hong Kong was highly valued. Global viewpoints help you see how things can operate better in any one place. New York taught me about not being afraid to express an opinion. In the United States, people are really upfront and confident in saying what they think. That’s very dissimilar from Asia. It highlighted the effectiveness of different communication styles. It helped me find a middle ground so I can speak up assertively but be considerate. Empathy is vital now I’m leading a team.
My greatest achievement so far is my reputation. People know I have integrity; I can be trusted to get things done diligently. I’m proud of that because it’s not a one-off – it’s an accumulation of experiences that people have with you. It’s important personally, too.
Life in Hong Kong is different to New York but it’s still a social city with a lot to do even if you’re new to it. The YAC here runs sports competitions and activities for all sorts of interest groups and we do community work. We also have a career forum to link people up with employers. Mentoring is really important to me.