Course Participants: Lecia Ang, Cassandra Kumar
26 October 2020 — As the co-owner of a physiotherapy clinic, Lecia Ang assumes diverse responsibilities – from “running the day-to-day operations and marketing to hiring and ensuring that [her] staff has the opportunity to develop their professional skills.”
While Lecia did not have prior training in finance or accounting, she was eager to equip herself with this knowledge through the 2.5-day Financial Analysis and Business Decisions for Non-Finance Managers course. She expressed that she is “now more comfortable conversing with [her] accountant and is able to determine the biggest factors that contribute to the growth of the business.”
Change is a constant. To succeed, one must keep up with lifelong learning and continually develop the skills to meet new challenges. As an advocate for continuous learning, Lecia actively invests in training for her employees to develop their professional skills.
“We encourage our staff to continuously upskill to stay relevant within the industry [and] also pay attention to the changes happening outside the industry.”
Likewise, Cassandra Kumar, a Business Development Manager at Synergy Financial Advisers Pte Ltd, shares similar sentiments on lifelong learning.
“I went through the normal education route and obtained my degree. I used to think that that was it to my education. After joining the workforce, [making] some bad choices, and learning more about myself along the way, I am realising that learning is for life.”
Finance does not feature in Cassandra’s business development role. She has “never seen a balance sheet, an income statement, or any financial thing.” However, her quest to proactively seek new ways to add value to her company spurred her to take up this course in finance.
To their younger colleagues in the workforce, here is what Lecia and Cassandra have to say:
“Be flexible and courageous, and learn skills outside of [your] regular job scope in order to create more value at work.”
“Be like water. Things are changing constantly and at a faster rate. If we can mimic how water adapts to its environment, we will always be able to thrive no matter what.”