A Journey of Ambition and Growth

After Graduating from Monash University, Alan Jia encountered various challenges that shaped his professional path. Starting as a Graduate Accountant and eventually becoming a Finance Director, Jia acquired professional expertise and demonstrated success across different disciplines covering all aspects of finance and management, including compliance and reporting, cost management, inventory lean management, and production/operations analysis. With a robust career aspiration and a firm set of values, he is actively pursuing his career goals. Currently, Jia serves as the Finance Director at Amer Sports.

Please share with our readers your career journey and current roles and responsibilities.

After graduating from Monash University, I landed in my first job as a Graduate Accountant at Centro Properties Group, gaining exposure to fundamental financial accounting and reporting, particularly in audit activities, as well as accounts receivables and payables. In November 2011, I got an opportunity to become a financial accountant with Clenergy, a solar energy company that has grown to become a major wholesaler in Australia and is now listed on the Shanghai stock market. During my time at Clenergy, I joined as a financial accountant and was promoted to senior accountant, where I led the finance team and shared service team in China. Over the course of almost five years with Clenergy, I used the time to assess my career direction while accumulating knowledge and skills. The opportunity then arose for me to join AGL Energy, the largest energy company in Australia, as a financial accountant in the custom market and new energy area, in light of my background in the solar energy experiences. At AGL, I not only strengthened my teamwork skills but also gained significant exposure to SAP implementation, including S/4HANA and ECC, which turned out to be a good experience for me in leading a team for an SAP S/4HANA system implementation in my next position. Later I joined  as a financial controller for a pharmaceutical company with operations in the Netherlands, APAC, and Australia. There I led a project team in the successful implementation of S/4HANA for the entire business. During my four years as financial controller, I gained valuable experience managing teams, partnering with various departments, and actively contributing to the organization's strategic direction as an executive committee member. This period allowed me to refine my leadership abilities. Eventually, I got into Amer Sport’s Australian and New Zealand business. It is a global company headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with a diverse portfolio of renowned brands such as Arc’teryx, Salomon, Wilson, Peak Performance, Atomic, and Armada. Here in Amer Sports I work as the equipment finance director for the Australian, and New Zealand business. We collaborate with shared services in Poland, and provide business partnering support to local trade, commercial teams, customer service, and supply chains. We focus on growth and expanding into direct-to-consumer channels, including e-commerce and retail in which I am actively involved in strategic planning and directorship.

What are some of the challenges your organization faces and how do you overcome them?

The most important part of financial planning and business planning is determining the right direction and go-to-market strategy. A product suitable for one market, not necessarily finds the right niche in another market. For example, ski board or snowboard popular in Europe and Japan may not find the same niche in Southeast Asian countries or China. Our open to-buy process includes various go-to-market procedures to assess and approve the seasonal products for different years causing it to be complex and comprehensive process. This is one of the most value-added activities I got engaged into. It involved business partnering, strategic leadership, risk management, and other significant responsibilities. One of my primary contributions is providing financial insights through extensive financial modeling and analysis to commercial leaders, merchandisers, and even global teams and procurement departments, providing a clearer picture of the financial implications of various strategies.  

For example, there is a recent expansion of our retail business. Previously, the focus was largely on B2B channels for brands like Salomon, Arc’teryx, and Wilson and it was found the gross margin for these products were not as high as the retail business even though retail business did more investment into the store. In spite of this, the financial analysis shows that we could get a faster payback period on the investment and CapEx due to our greater cash flow. In next couple of weeks, we collaborated with global teams and worked closely with local commercial leaders and did my due diligence to evaluate proposals and ensure they align with our financial planning objectives. As a result, we have received positive feedback and green lights for developing our retail business over the next three to five years. Gradually transitioning from B2B to B2C, we are actively pursuing opportunities in e-commerce and retail, working towards improving profitability for each brand. 

What is your piece of advice to your fellow peers?

First, set a clear and firm career target. Like at the beginning of my career, I underwent a period of exploration and self discovery to identify the right path for me. Later on, discovering, I decided to pursue a leadership path, aspiring to become a Chief Financial Officer (CFO). To achieve this goal, I have actively engaged in the Future CFO Program training and have plans to pursue an MBA, recognizing the importance of continuous learning and development. Second, be bold and daring to challenge yourself. I swiftly moved from roles such as graduate accountant and financial accountant to finance manager, financial controller, and finance director within a relatively short span of 10 to 12 years. I am very proactive and aggressive in finding the opportunities by myself. This transition was made possible by my proactive approach in seeking opportunities to enhance my abilities in areas like business partnering, strategic management, and risk management. I constantly interacted with top management, inquiring about prospects to broaden my horizons and contribute more effectively to the organization. Third, prepare yourselves to be ready for success or for any challenges. While we dream big and set ambitious goals, we should take necessary measured steps towards achieving them. Each role I undertook allowed me to accumulate knowledge and experience, paving the way for subsequent challenges and growth. It would have been unrealistic to leap from a junior accountant straight to a finance director position, but my progressive journey has provided me with the necessary skills and readiness to take on higher responsibilities. Certainly, there have been moments of challenge and stress when tackling new roles, but these experiences have been transformative, making me mentally and technically stronger.