INTHEBLACK November 2021 - Magazine - Page 57
ALEX LIPA CPA
FINANCIAL PLANNING AND ANALYSIS MANAGER,
CATCH, AND FINANCE UNIT COORDINATOR
AND ECONOMIC AND STATISTICS E-LEARNING
ADVISER WITH SWINBURNE ONLINE
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“It is internationally recognised, including
in Mainland China, therefore there won’t be
a problem if I decide to relocate in the future.
The well-structured course and more detailed
textbooks enabled me to have a better
understanding than before, and built up my
confidence in job hunting. The program’s
broad content expanded my knowledge
towards this profession and developed my
interest in it,” she says.
After graduating, Yang worked in the
accounting department at a South Australian
meat processing company, before moving to
Sydney in search of further career expansion.
She is not slowing down when it comes to
training, and was among the first to complete
the CPA Australia micro-credential in data
analytics. “If I learn more about data analytics,
it will give me a competitive edge,” she says.
Alex Lipa CPA took a circuitous route to a
finance career. After graduating with a
chemistry degree from Melbourne University,
he intended to join the police force.
When an eye condition derailed his law
enforcement plans, he decided to investigate
a finance career, opting for a master’s degree
in commerce from Deakin University.
“My first lecture was introduction to
microeconomics. I just fell in love with it.
You know you are going to do well when
you start researching and reading in your
own time,” he says.
After graduation, Lipa held roles with
gas company Elgas and convenience chain
7-Eleven. He then spent nearly three years
at Coles Group as a finance business partner.
Lipa completed the CPA program as part of
a work requirement, but he believes he would
have done it anyway. “It’s an assumption now
that if you are applying for a finance role, you
are qualified.”
Since March, Lipa has been with Catch,
Wesfarmers’ online marketplace. “It’s very
different to Coles. It’s like a very big start-up.
Part of the reason I am here is that
Wesfarmers wants a bit of rigour, control
and process around the forward planning.”
The notion comes naturally to Lipa, who
confesses to being a bit of a career planner.
“If you are not planning for your next role,
you won’t be competent at it.”
Lipa’s Swinburne teaching work puts
him in constant contact with the next
generation of accountants. When his
students reach out to him, he advises them
not to chase “a weird, constructed idea of
what a perfect career is”.
“When I was studying, I imagined my
options were accounting firms or banks. Now,
out in the real world for nine years, I haven’t
touched an accounting firm or a bank. I’ve
worked in retail, in convenience, industrial
gases and in property. There’s just so many
places to go, but if I’d closed myself off, I
don’t know where my career would be.”
KALPANA LAL FCPA
HEAD OF UNIT, ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE,
GIZ PACIFIC OPERATIONS
Kalpana Lal FCPA not only has a demanding
role with GIZ Pacific Operations, a Fiji-based
international sustainable development agency,
where she is the only woman and the only local
on the leadership team. She is also chair of
Vodafone Fiji and Amalgamated
Telecommunications Holdings Limited,
and is a director on several other boards.
Lal attributes her achievements to
professional qualifications, targeted training
and careful career planning.
“I think it’s very important to have a clear
vision and focus on developing yourself, alike
to mapping out a trajectory on where you want
to go and how you will get there. I also think it’s
important to upskill yourself at various stages in
your career. You should view professional
development as an investment in yourself.”
Lal also believes that stepping outside
one’s comfort zone is a good way to develop
experiences and skills. She did just this by
leaving an audit career for the not-for-profit
sphere several years ago.
“In today’s disruptive world, we need to
constantly be on the learning curve. Having
the right qualification certainly helps open
up opportunities.
“I feel by elevating myself professionally
I am well-positioned to add tremendous value
in the various roles as an executive. At GIZ,
I am truly passionate about adding value
through my advisory role.”
GIZ has offered Lal numerous training
opportunities throughout Asia and in Europe,
and now she in turn trains others in the Pacific
region. She also turns to professional bodies,
such as CPA Australia, to keep up to date with
the latest in the industry.
“Training from professional bodies exposes
us to current and emerging trends. It creates
an awareness on how our roles could help
organisations adapt and react to the changes
that are happening around them.”
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intheblack.com November 2021 57