The journey of Claudia Koh
Joseph Merz
On the 31st of August 2017 I hired the incredibly talented Claudia Koh as a Financial Assistant to our Financial Controller. She was a graduate accountant who was so very different to everyone else we had interviewed for the role.
After a few weeks we sat down for a catch up and I asked her how she was enjoying it, and if she was happy. I had noticed she had seemed to like random projects that came up, potentially even more than the financial work itself. Not that it mattered too much, she was fantastic at both!
She bravely told me that she wasn’t really enjoying the financial work, but she was a graduate accountant so felt she needed to focus on it. I remember thinking “Ok, a Financial Assistant who doesn’t like finance. How did you manage that, Joseph?”
I had been considering bringing on a Personal Assistant which would involve a lot of ad-hoc tasks, the things I knew she was enjoying. The skills I had seen her demonstrate over the previous weeks were all very complimentary, so I decided to offer her the role. Her eyes lit up and she took it gladly!
It proved to be the right move for both of us. Claudia has been by my side through thick and thin, and has been the most unbelievable support any CEO could dream of. We’ve all grown incredibly fond of her and I am terribly proud of the young woman she has grown into.
Over the years she has gained a deep knowledge of the entire business. Interestingly, this seemed to awaken a curiosity in the financial side, and most recently she asked if she could do more in that area. Well, how could we resist? We created a new role for her, an Assistant Accountant.
It was sad to lose her as a PA, but she really seems to be enjoying the finance side and will now be moving back to Singapore to work for us from there. I don’t know what the future holds for Claudia, but its bright, that’s for sure. She’s a keeper and I hope she’ll remain sufficiently entertained at Sterning for many years to come.
Even though you’ll still be with us, we’ll miss you so much Clauds. Myself in particular. Thank you for everything.