4. The difference makers
Image: from left, Elizabeth Stratford FCPA, Kyle Pham FCPA and Yao Loong Ng FCPA.
Elizabeth Stratford FCPA
CFO, University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia
When Elizabeth Stratford FCPA was working as CFO for NSW Department of Communities and Justice, she saw how many people’s lives don’t follow the perfect trajectory — and not through their own doing.
“If they’re lucky, they self-correct,” she says.
“If not, sometimes through circumstances outside of their control, they experience parts of the social services system. There are fundamental things that can help to shift someone’s trajectory markedly, and education is absolutely one of them.”
Stratford had spent much of her career working in the public sector when she was approached for the CFO role at UNSW.
She sees education as a pathway to improving social outcomes and says this was a key attraction to the role.
“I know firsthand what access to quality education can do,” she says. “I was the first in my family to go to university, and when I hear people talking about the difference it can make in life, I often think, well, they could be talking about me.”
At UNSW, Stratford is seeking to drive what she describes as “braver investment decisions” for the future.
“There are a lot of things in our world that are changing rapidly,” she says. “If we’re not focused on the best bang for our buck, we could be left behind.
“In our sector, we have a lot of headwinds, such as AI, the rising cost of research and significant shifts in government policy, so investing in tools for the future is paramount.”
One of these tools is the university’s enterprise resource planning software, which is on Stratford’s agenda for an upgrade.
“We have an opportunity to rethink the way we do things, while keeping our stakeholders in mind,” she says. “But we have to be brave in what we need to do to be a university of the future.”
Kyle Pham FCPA
CFO, The Grand Ho Tram Resort & Casino
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Taking on a leadership role in the hospitality industry during a global pandemic may sound risky, but Kyle Pham FCPA had a clear vision for change when he joined The Grand Ho Tram Resort & Casino in 2020.
“The business wasn’t doing great,” he says. “But, over the past four years, we’ve turned it around and quadrupled our profitability.”
Pham moved to Australia from Vietnam as a refugee when he was 12. While working as a senior manager at Deloitte in Adelaide, he returned to Vietnam for business trips and relocated in 2006. Since then, he has held diverse roles across ecommerce, the textile industry and financial consulting.
Pham has been instrumental in transforming the integrated resort into a global destination for events.
“We host combat sports, beauty pageants, fashion and musical shows. That has helped us attract a significant volume of customers over the past four years.”
Pham has also improved the company’s operational and financial analytics capacity.
“When I stepped into the role, that capacity wasn’t there, and it took a lot of time and effort to work with the team to develop these capabilities,” he says. “I’m happy to report that we now have the capacity to provide timely and relevant analytics on operational and financial aspects, which helps us to make decisions very quickly.”
Pham is also committed to the development of his team.
“Senior people like me need to be significantly involved in system development, analytics and understanding how those numbers translate into business strategies,” he says. “I have been able to bring our people along with that, to develop them, nurture them and motivate them.
“I can see a marked improvement in how people contribute to the business, and that continues to be very satisfying for me.”
Yao Loong Ng FCPA
Head of Equities, Singapore Exchange (SGX)
Singapore
Many of Singapore’s young retail investors look beyond their local market for investment opportunities, due to the convenience of online brokerages and the lure of Wall Street players. Yao Loong Ng FCPA, a Singapore Divisional Council member for CPA Australia, is working to strengthen young investor engagement with the Singapore Exchange and enhance their trading experience.
“Younger investors are more exposed to global markets and a range of asset classes, including cryptocurrencies,” he says. “They’re digitally native and comfortable using online platforms to trade across borders. So, it’s important for SGX to engage with this younger demographic.
“We need to work with our brokers to provide investors with a comparable trading experience, as trades are ultimately executed through intermediaries connected to SGX,” Ng says.
“Investor education is important. We know that people love the Magnificent Seven Wall Street tech stocks, but it’s also important to understand diversification and local stocks.”
Ng’s career spans public policy and investment banking. He joined the Monetary Authority of Singapore in 2011 and held senior positions including assistant managing director of the development and international group. Ng joined SGX in 2020 as deputy CFO, became CFO later that year and was appointed to his current role in December 2024.
Ng sees potential for capital market growth throughout the region.
“I am lucky to be based in a region that is growing,” he says. “Often, we think of the financial sector in terms of just ‘movement of capital’, but our role is to facilitate the efficient allocation of capital to companies that need it and support broader economic growth.
“As an exchange, there are things we need to do to drive the liquidity of our stock market, to attract listings and to broaden the investor outreach, but it’s important to remember that we’re working toward a larger purpose — serving the broader economy.”
