Sia Chin Hoe

Why did you choose a career in your field?

Before I qualified as a chartered accountant, I believed that ‘chartered’ meant a successful and lucrative career full of global opportunities. I was right! With globally recognised professional qualifications and relevant working experience, I was given the opportunity to work in oneof the biggest international accounting firms in the UK. The audit profession is a career that will provide you with opportunities to experience different types of businesses and meet different people from different countries.

What do you do in your job?

I specialise in the financial audit of companies that are involved in power and utilities,retail, manufacturing, property development, and automotive.Besides that, I am also involved in special engagements like internal control reviews, acting as a reporting accountant for initial public offering, and reviewing prospective financial information and participating in the due diligence working group.

What do you like most about your job?

I love the working culture in KPMG Malaysia. In audit, I enjoy working with a group of young professionals who love to share their working experience and knowledge. My work doesn’t only revolve around audit. During the non-peak period,I am involved in the firm's in house training programme. I also actively participate in the firm’s and department’s activities and events.We work hard and play hard too!

What skills do you consider to be essential for your job?

I believe that both technical and soft skills are essential to the job because we are in the service industry. Based on my experience in audit, soft skills that are related to audit include the ability to listen well, communicating effectively,being positive, handling conflicts,managing time effectively, working under pressure and demonstrating good manners.

What are your future plans?

My ultimate goals involve growing with the firm, taking on additional responsibilities and contributing as much value as I can. When the time is right, I would like to move on to the senior management level.

Some advice

Think flexibly. I have been working as an audit professional for more than 13 years. With internationally recognised qualification and experience, I worked with many different clients across many different countries and business practices. I started out in Malaysia and then moved to a different practice in Scotland for few years before returning to Malaysia. I was involved in many international engagements. I firmly believe that the right qualifications and a wide range of experience can develop skills and broaden business knowledge.