Liaison of Kechara Soup Kitchen
As a working mother of two, I used to spend my free-time gardening, reading, listening to music and traveling. One of the subjects that interested me was Buddhism and spirituality. I would buy Chinese and English Dharma books and read and re-read until I was even more confused than when I started.
In my heart, I always longed for a centre or an institute which provided structured courses on Buddhism. On January 4 2009, upon the recommendation of my business partner, I joined Kechara Soup Kitchen’s (KSK) Sunday food distribution rounds. This became one of the most important turning points in my life.
Through the food distribution activities, I met fellow volunteers, team leaders and people in Kechara. I learned Dharma from people whom I hardly knew, and walked into my first ever prayer session conducted in English! I had found what I had been looking for – a well-organized Dharma center run by young and vibrant people whose purpose in life was to benefit others.
After about a year of regular volunteering in KSK, I was invited to join the committee as Treasurer. Each day of my life became filled with spirituality and Dharma activities and looking back, I realized that all my corporate training was to prepare me to add value in Kechara!
In August 2010, I made my most daring decision EVER, to become a full-time Dharma staff in KSK. Seeing our work continuously benefiting thousands of our less fortunate fellow human beings reassures me that my decision was correct, and all those corporate games were nothing but jokes!
Portfolio
- Project Director, Kechara Soup Kitchen
Background
I graduated from The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and obtained Fellowship status (FCCA) in 1996.
Upon completing on-the-job training as a certified accountant in London, I returned to Malaysia to join Motorola Semiconductor as a Management Accountant. That was my first job in a multinational company and I was in awe at the complexity and diversity of people and culture within the group. Since then, management reporting and budgetary control has always been my forte.
I then joined Guinness Anchor Berhad seeking work experience in the local environment. Previously manufacturing computer chips, I had to learn up the tricks of beer brewing trade! One of my first tasks was to prepare feasibility studies for capital investment and I was later promoted to Financial Planning Manager responsible for annual budget preparation and quarterly reviews.
After five years in Guinness and many hectoliters of beer, I was head-hunted to Nokia as a Business Controller, responsible for financial reporting, business planning, credit control, logistics and analysis of sales and marketing initiatives for the mobile phone industry in Malaysia and Brunei. I was later promoted to Senior Business Controller.
In 2006, I left Nokia to start a retail chain selling aromatherapy products and spa treatment services together with a business partner. With four retail outlets and two spas in major shopping malls and hotels, we realized the business model was not workable due to high fixed costs. We decided then, that we would reenter the job market and the person who found a job first would remain as the dormant partner and the other would continue to manage the spas.
I decided to join AIG as the Assistant Vice President of Finance for Travel Guard Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, establishing cross-borders billings, payments, receipts, management reporting and budgeting. Now I am happily holding a career in Dharma and spirituality, and my varied career is serving me well.
