Cher Chen

My Road So Far

I'm Cher Chen. My current role is the financial controller for Tykans Group. 

So, starting hell when I was a kid. Anyway, the first notable degree is, It's a BA, which is English literature and linguistics, course back, back home in Taiwan. That is the, you know, career choice, it would be teaching English. so that career has treated me well and,after that, I just saw, okay.

There must be so much more in this world beyond the island of Taiwan. And I got so curious about what's outside. So then me, my choice came to Canada. Realizing that really helped my potential employers to have a Canadian experience that I can show up for. So I went back to school, I have a master and, you know, found the accountant finance framework really works for my brain.

So I pursuited to accounting designations. and from there I, the first, I would say the full first professional job I had was, a general accountant in a technology company in Calgary. From there. I leaked to the financial controller role for a local small manufacturer hours, tons of fun. And from there I leaped into, finance and analytical functions, in one of the biggest oil and gas producers in town.

and then supports a commodities trading business with my team. and then very recently, through the help of, chic geek I was connected to was at this amazing company named Tykan Groups. And,I was so lucky that they like me. They offered me a job and I landed this dream job with this just admirable company in Calgary. I am now tasked, to be their financial controller. first priority is to build the accounting and finance infrastructure. And where we can support the morals of a Tykans future.

CG: Do you prefer small or large companies to work at?

From a personal experience perspective, looking back, I think those different sizes offers very, very different experience and learning opportunities.

So I don't necessarily think one is good or bad or what I like one or the other, but what I found less, like I am feel that up and I feel very rewarded being able to do a thing, but to do a lot of things and to end, yeah. some people have control issues, but, I just think that is such a privilege in terms of having the opportunity to see how things work end to end and understand how everything went together.

that's more my speed as opposed to, you know, really focus on the one small segment. So the niche. so I guess that really speaks to the characteristics of small company that requires, uh, you know, people just rolling out of sleep and do whatever that comes their way. and also a person is expected to have that kind of agility and that kind of embark well while the bigger the organization just more organized and there are more structures, so things kind of have to fall into it’s space.

I think, if you have an open mind and you are packed with curiosity, we know either world work. So, yeah, and for so long, let’s just a measure, it's 15 years, I would say ever since I left my first tech company job in Calgary, I think the nagging voice in my head, and they don't know where it's coming from, but the nagging pours through my head was I am drawn to that possibility.

So in tech, based on what I personally experienced, it's always about doing something new. It's always about embarking into the unknown territory. So the unknown, the new, always, just get me so excited. Yeah. So when I get into a structural world where everything is more predictable, you have your routine.

And not, this is very ironic because I'm an accountant, but when you have a predictability, now, what I observe is, is tend to become, okay, so now it's narrowing the scope. It is, it is, you know, start thinking about how we create efficiency. Uh, so there comes cost cutting, comes to eliminations of the options and, and that to me, Eh, you know, I can get by, but it's, it's a field that passionate.

Okay. What's new and what's possible. We may fail and that's okay. But we got to try to prove to ourselves that, you know, oh, that wasn't possible for now, but later maybe it would be possible. And that's what I've found the environment and the culture of tech is that it is about being encouraging you to tap into the unknown.

It's about encouraging you to pursue. What could be possible, right? So you're really not faced. It was so much restrictions that you put in front of yourself. and failure sometimes are, well, at least my personal experience, celebrated. And that to me is so fundamental in terms of, nurturing growth in the company, as well as like the personal development perspective.

CG: Tell us about working in tech in a non coding role?

I wanted to get back into tech, but I just always feel bad that I don't know, how to write Codes. I don't have the legal, I'm not even in a tech meet up, but how do I get them?

Right. and it just, and I believe the discipline of an accounting and the finance has a lot of value in really would be able to help ambitious companies stay on track, you know, charge our head. That was risk mitigated. I think that's where, accounting finance professionals can really, really help fuel the vibrancy of the tech industry.

So don't, don't give up, please, please. Just hop in. 

CG: What is the day in your life like?

Usually first thing in the morning I would Start, you know, do my virtual walk around, engaging with people, also learn about peoples challenges and obstacles learn about their passions. So these are just more of an information gathering. so that I know when I need to create something, when I need to provide a solution, when I need to, you know, put in structures. So, you know, we can make our life easier.

It is with those elements in mind. it's a lot about supporting my team.

So help them remove their obstacles. So they, maybe they are equipped with ideas they could do with the resources to implement the solution and structures that we've been designing. And those things really, it just more about, building it around what the business is about, building around the gross objective.

and then, keep the system agile, so you can easily scale up and down because that's, you know, a small sized tech company, you need that flexibility. Usually. It's the things that comes to me across my desk. And then I start asking questions and realize, oh, there was an opportunity to improve. And then, and then also, you know, I think I learned about the discipline. So the problems there, the some needs to be addressed right away. Some are better left until we have a better solution.

in the finance function, it will never have. Because, you always would have new ideas. How do we then look at this data differently? How do like, okay. Our previous assumption, are they still valid today? I, pass our environment change just so we need to revamp or revisit, the previous notion

I live in and breath, that lifestyle. I love to gather all the data source and then look at it. So what is it telling me? And of course, sometimes I share my finding, not validated, but it may not be a hundred percent accurate, but the accuracy is not really the point in the exercise. It's similar about you share, you share highlights or your findings or your interpretation.

So the data, so, you know, people were on your team. You know your stakeholders, they could have new ideas.

CG: How do you go about pivots and changes?

looking back, I thought I'd always have a goal, right?

But I also found my past self, is always hopping on, new ideas and new ventures or new exercise, whether that's personal or professional. so really it's not, I think the key to how I got here is, so it's more about just keep an open mind, accept the challenge that's put in front of you. and be very, very curious about the same task at hand.

Because, whatever we learn today. At least for me, it may not seem immediately applicable. Couple years later, a few months later, or you talk to somebody, then later it becomes so relevant. The skill you'll learn back then become so relevant. And, you know, I like to think about this as whatever I take on to do.

It's just part of the journey. That's not the end point. Right? So all along the way to the journey, I am collecting tools and collecting, you know, badges. And I put it in my drawers. I put it into my pockets and, and then, as time goes on, I accumulate, I will have better understanding of how I can actually put them together.

I would say, don't pass on the challenge. They may seem daunting. They may seem like, oh my God, this is something I've never done before. but you just don't know what you're getting out of it if the times allows and if this is something that's required of you at work. I think the first position is yes. After you experienced it, then decide does this default into my passion, does it add into my arsenals that’s back into my drawers that's how I would approach it. Just life is an open book, it's very hard to say, I want this to happen.

I tried that and I think they really work. I think it's a really all the stars that’s lined up. but the stars wouldn't have lined up, had that had I not had my journey ahead of it.

Because I have this nagging voice of loving to get into tech. so I naturally, want to stay in touch in the association and chic geek is just an amazing, to me, for what I was looking for is a one-stop shop. Right? So it has an amazing network. It has some lots of resources.

Everybody has very demanding time and schedules and, and if you want to just stay in touch with tech, chic geek is a really good spot to stay connected with. So when the Tykan profile even came out, it actually showed up on my g-mail account.

And I was like, yeah, it has half an hour of lunchtime. I can do it. So I sign up and, I saw these three amazing women from Tykans talking about their work and their life. And I was just. I had this goosebump and I had this tingling feeling. I said, oh my God, I think I found the one. I think I found that space that I've been dreaming about and thinking about, I didn't know, it exists, but it did.

Chic geek shows them. Okay. So, I, after I asked a question, I never expected anything but then, the connection made by Chic Geek that’s when I talked to the CEO.

I was so blown away to see, I don't remember to see, y'all asked me the question, like when you write a book, is it a fiction or nonfiction? I wouldn't think that's an interview. But I think it's a fiction it's probably fiction. And that somehow that is, or that question or maybe it's my hair that day. But that led me to the next day I was sitting in front of, six people panel.

Who's so curious about me, what I've done, then what I do. And, and the next thing I know, they offered me a job. I was like, oh, all that was because of a question, I guess. And all that was because I stayed at chic geek and all that is because I kept an open-mind and never allowed myself settled and now I can write codes so I can get into tech.

So, you know, you know, the basic of how to do your job, everything else you've learned, just like everybody else in the company, because everybody's always doing something that's never been done before. So, so I think you just stay open-minded and stay very curious about things that come your way. As passionate as I am about new ventures and tech, I was very frightened.

You know, I'm not spring chicken and I have to start all over and, uh, it's very scary. And you know, as an adult, you have financial responsibility. That's another act of real concern. Right. But I think you, what you can rely on it's your gut, is your heart. You want to know, is that jitter, excitement or fear? Right? 

It took me a long time to learn how to listen to my guts. So it's okay that we don't get it right the first time. But you know, life is about trying new things. So if you try a few times. So you kind of start to learn, okay, this is speaking to my heart now, and this will, this will fuel my passion.

Doesn't matter what they want me to do. You have the ingredients. I need to be happy to be fulfilled. so I think it is it, what I'm trying to say is it's okay to be scared. That doesn't have to be something that stops you. If you meet up this group of people, a company or network like chic geek. That's going to be there and hold a space for you to be frightened together, and then support you to try something new, to hold you when you fail.

You know, you be there like not just tech, but anything your heart desires.

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