There is one thing I bring to everything I do in life, and that is enthusiasm.
My enthusiasm to succeed started from a young age.
When I was 10, I moved from Hong Kong to Anglesey. I was determined to beat the language barrier so I came up with innovative ways to improve my English. As a teenager, I balanced school with helping my parents working in their Chinese takeaway. I came up with ways to improve their business which was something I found interesting to do. These experiences have taught me the entrepreneurial determination and hard work required to achieve. After years of hard work, I was proud to be accepted by Cambridge University to study Natural Sciences, the only person in my year from my comprehensive school to achieve this.
I am enthusiastic about helping others. Prior to joining PwC, I worked as the East London Programme Manager for Cancerkin, a charity supporting cancer patients. I worked with the CEO to expand support services into East London and used my empathy and drive to lead on the successful Big Lottery Fund application. This was a great milestone that meant a lot to me, as the grant funded services for 3 years including the salary of the programme manager and therefore have helped many patients in need.
I also bring my enthusiasm to my career. I have been at PwC since 2012 and have enjoyed learning from a diverse range of engagements, to help insurance companies solve complex business and regulatory issues. These engagements helped the insurance companies increase efficiencies, overcome regulatory challenges and plan against various Brexit scenarios. Recently I have advised a large Insurtech and a number of start-ups to help them grow in the complex insurance market by identifying the regulatory implications of their business models and how to interact with the UK regulators. My determination to achieve success, coupled with my passion, creativity and empathy has meant I have a track record of developing great relationships, both internally with PwC and externally with clients. I am proud to be consistently highly rated and was selected in 2018 to take part in PwC’s board-sponsored Emerging Leaders Programme in recognition of my exceptional performance and as a future leader.
Without my enthusiasm and determination, it would have been impossible to get over the biggest challenge in my career to date. I have suffered from autoimmune health issues which has caused significant challenges in my work and my personal life. My approach of being positive and resilient has seen me through these challenges and I am proud that others seek my counsel on how I have overcome them.
I am known for my enthusiasm to develop others and have proactively created a number of initiatives at PwC. I recently focused on building diverse and effective teams by establishing a training programme focused on soft skills for the Regulatory team and launching a pilot to streamline working practices. My enthusiasm extends into employee wellbeing and recently I focussed on making an impact driving the UK firm-wide financial wellbeing initiative. I was instrumental in PwC participating in a UK-wide government event, Talk Money week, for the first time. I am proud that my vision and ability to bring people together engaged many through different events and channels, which successfully encouraged others to talk about money.
My experiences from a very young age have made be believe I could do anything if I put my mind to it, and this gives me the courage to venture out into new areas even though I have not done it before. This gave me the confidence to seek opportunities to develop my skills in technology outside of PwC and recently secured a place on the Women Founders Hack, with a brief to target problems women founders face. During the Hackathon, I led one of the final teams which build a prototype and pitch to a panel. I am excited about all the challenges and opportunities technology can bring to the Insurance industry.
I have developed a leadership style which is passionate, creative and empathetic. Taking this approach, along with my enthusiasm, I am determined to build on what I have overcome and achieved further into the future. Ultimately, I hope to be a role model for others and to inspire them by helping them see that you can be successful in Financial Services with a creative and empathetic personality, even with long term health issues, and no matter your gender, ethnicity or background.