Jialing Cheong, CA, MBA

Experience

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  KPMG Singapore

  Jul 2010 - Aug 2013

  Senior Audit Associate

  Audited large clients from the healthcare, logistics and property development sectors.• Reviewed and resolved financial statement audit and reporting issues based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Singapore Standards on Auditing (SSA)• Supervised audit associates and interns on engagements• Demonstrated the ability to work independently and effectively under pressure• Developed strong interpersonal and communication skills through interacting with clients, supervisors and colleagues• Restructured overall team processes by implementing robust project management plans, which effectively contributed to team’s efficiency and improved recoverability.• Reviewed group consolidation and liaised with overseas component auditors. Show less

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  BBDO

  Sept 2013 - Feb 2015

  Regional Business Analyst

  √ Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) audit√ FP&A√ Commercial Finance√ Business Partnering• Reported to the Regional Finance Director• Managed the monthly, quarterly and annual financial performance of APAC offices in Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines against their forecasts and historical periods, as well as to ensure compliance with US GAAP• Conducted internal controls review through quarterly Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) audits and made recommendations to CFOs that improved operations and reduced risks• Worked closely with Business Directors, Account Directors and Finance Directors on global, regional and local fee negotiations. One of the global clients spanned 22 countries across APCEMEA region and accounted for more than USD3million in revenue.• Worked with Account Directors and Finance Directors in the SEA region on ways in which we could allocate work across the region to best achieve client objectives given the allocated budget. Provided oversight on revenue allocation within the region based on regular Work In Progress (WIP) meetings with the teams.• Analysed and consolidate financial and business data, prepare reports and make presentations of findings and recommendations to management and clients• Prepared scenario analyses reports and made presentations of findings to management and clients• Offered a promotion to Regional Business Manager within 1.5 years of joining the firm, but turned it down to pursue my MBA full time Show less

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  McCann Worldgroup

  May 2016 - Feb 2018

  Regional FP&A Manager

  √ Business Partnering√ FP&A, Budgeting/Forecasting and Variance Analysis√ Financial Controllership√ Regional Finance√ Commercial/Client FinanceProvide insights to the business by consolidating regional and business division performance across 13 markets in the Asia Pacific (APAC)• Review monthly actual results and prepare consolidated regional summary with variance analysis and commentary to explain performance vs budget, forecast and prior years• Provide in-depth analysis of APAC performance and variances in the preparation of budget and forecast decks for Senior Management• Ensure accurate, complete and timely submissions from local markets through the review of bi-monthly flash, penultimate, month-end closing and other reports• Support ad hoc reporting and analyses from Global, including client profitability analysesTook on a dual role as Interim Financial Controller, McCann Health Greater China (May – Sep 2017)• In charge of budgeting/forecasting, revenue analysis for Greater China (revenue US$16m), covering Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and HK• Partnered closely with President, General Managers and Managing Directors in the Greater China region on budget/forecast exercise• Optimised revenue opportunities through scenario analysis of pricing and discounting in the development of rate cards for client fee/SOW negotiations• Management reporting – prepared monthly reports with variance commentary to Regional Finance, explaining performance vs budget/forecast and previous years• Developed presentation decks for Senior Management (Global CFO and CEO) on performance of Greater China, highlighting areas of concern and improvement Show less

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  Diageo

  Feb 2018 - Jul 2019

  Commercial Finance Manager, APAC/Global Travel

  √ Business Partnering√ FP&A, Budgeting/Forecasting and Variance Analysis√ Dashboarding (PowerBI)√ Net Revenue Management (NRM)√ Regional Finance• Manage full P&L for commercial team, including ongoing Opportunities and Risks position, and monthly performance reviews across the entire P&L through to cash delivery. • Drive Annual Operating Planning (AOP) process, monthly performance reporting and financial Latest Estimates. • Tracking of monthly depletions and customer stock in trade to ensure adherence to commercial policies.• Ensure adherence to commercial policies and delivery of the pricing agenda. • Perform strong analytical analysis and give recommendations on performance enhancing initiatives• Constructively challenge business decisions, and recommend value creating courses of action. • Ensure Financial Processes are in place to effectively manage all levels of spend• Net Revenue Management – brand profitability and brand/volume/price mix analysis• Develop dashboards for Senior Management using PowerBI for competitive/external analysis• Nominated 2019 Finance Excellence Awards for Excellent Business Partnering Show less

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  Dentsu international

  Jul 2019 - Oct 2021

  Regional FP&A Manager

  √ Business Partnering√ FP&A, Budgeting/Forecasting and Variance Analysis√ Dashboarding (PowerBI)√ Regional Finance√ Process Improvement• FP&A – Deliver in-depth analysis of APAC financial performance and business profitability, with variance analysis and commentary to explain performance vs budget, forecast and prior years• External Client Reporting – Ensure accurate and timely submission to our external clients (FTE reporting, AVBs, unbilled media etc.) Received positive feedback from global client teams in UK and USA on improvements in terms of quality and timeliness of submissions.Implemented new initiatives that allowed for deep insights into business performance. These have been recognised by multiple stakeholders (Finance and non-Finance) to value add.• WILD (Win Increase Loss Decrease Report) – Initiated WILD as part of the monthly reporting process, enabling Management to have a robust understanding of revenue drivers by clients. • Client Satisfaction Dashboard – Developed a dashboard combining client satisfaction data and financial data to allow us to proactively manage client opportunities and risk and thus, revenue performance• Revenue Forecast Dashboard – Developed a dashboard combining Salesforce pipeline data with financial revenue forecast to allow for meaningful revenue forecasting and gap analysis. The dashboard has been so well received across business and finance users across various regions, it has been scheduled for global roll out in 2020. Show less

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  BCW Global

  Jul 2022 - now

  Finance Director, Singapore & Malaysia

  √ Business Partnering√ FP&A, Budgeting/Forecasting and Variance Analysis√ Financial Controllership (SOX, year end audit etc.)√ Commercial/Client Finance√ Finance Operations (manage full spectrum of day to day finance and operations)• Finance Director of Singapore and Malaysia, managing a team of 8 -10, with 6 direct reports across both markets.• Manage all finance pillars including FP&A (budgeting/forecasting), Reporting (month, quarter and year end close), Controllership (audit and compliance) and Commercial Finance (client pricing, legal and negotiations)• Business Partner to the Managing Directors/Market Leaders of Singapore and Malaysia Show less

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  Burson

  Jun 2024 - now

  Finance Director, Singapore & Malaysia