Jess Kumar CA, the 2025 CA ANZ President’s Prize winner, developed an appreciation for calculators at a very young age. Despite coming from a family of teachers, she always knew that becoming an accountant was written in her future.

“My dad still tells this story about my first day of kindergarten,” she says. “He’s a maths teacher, and apparently I walked up to him and asked, ‘Where’s my calculator?’. It’s become a family joke now that I just had to have a calculator on day one of school,” she says.

That early fascination with numbers evolved into a broader academic path. At university, Kumar studied politics and economics, before realising she also needed a practical pathway into the workforce. Adding accounting to the mix proved to be a defining decision.

“That combination turned out to be almost the perfect mix,” she says. “In my day-to-day role, I often rely more on my arts background, particularly communication and critical thinking, than people might expect, which I find really interesting.

“I see my role as that of a financial storyteller: taking a set of numbers and turning them into a narrative that helps people make better decisions. For me, that’s also where the value of a finance background really shows.”

The power of finance

Currently working as the enterprise cost and investment governance lead at The Warehouse Group in Auckland, Kumar sees finance as a powerful vantage point within any organisation.

“Every activity becomes money one way or another,” she says. “Finance gives you visibility across how customers, sales, technology, operations, property and people all connect – and where value is created or lost.”

For Kumar, becoming a chartered accountant has been less about hierarchy and more about credibility.

“As a CA, you walk into meetings as the finance expert,” she says. “But there’s nothing stopping you from asking broader questions about strategy, operations or wellbeing. That’s where real value is created.

“Having that core technical craft gives you credibility. It allows you to play in more strategic spaces, especially because numbers scare a lot of people and finance can feel inaccessible to them.”

Supporting the profession

That belief in accessibility and inclusion underpins her extensive contribution to the profession. Beyond her corporate role, Kumar has served as both chair and vice chair of CA ANZ’s Emerging Leaders Committee.

In those roles, she was instrumental in driving the rebranding and repositioning of the committee to better reflect and serve younger members through targeted events, panels and partnerships. She has also contributed governance insight as a member of the Auckland Local Committee, advocating for member needs, while championing diversity and inclusion within the profession.

Mentoring has been a constant thread throughout Kumar’s career. For more than five years, she has supported students and emerging professionals through CA ANZ and the University of Auckland Business School Women’s Mentoring Programme.

Those experiences led her to write the e-book So, Tell Me About Yourself? – a practical career guide that addresses real-world graduate anxieties, from interview preparation to office etiquette, rather than focusing solely on technical skills.

Asked what drives her to contribute so extensively beyond her day job, Kumar describes volunteering as a “give and take” relationship.

“I genuinely enjoy helping others,” she says, “but these roles have also accelerated my own leadership development.”

She points to experiences such as indirectly managing a committee of 10 people and opportunities she may not have encountered as early in a traditional corporate setting. “It’s work that fills my cup and gives me space to reflect.”

Working in the community

Kumar’s commitment to service extends well beyond the profession. As an Auckland Community Accounting mentor, she has supported community organisations by providing governance and financial literacy mentoring.

She also serves on the advisory board of Te Rōpū Kahikatea Auckland University Students’ Association (AUSA), providing strategic and governance advice to support student leadership.

Kumar’s philosophy around money and mentoring is also shaped by her upbringing. Watching her parents rebuild their lives in New Zealand after moving from Fiji instilled a belief that personal finance should remain personal and intentional.

She encourages mentees to prioritise what matters to them, whether that’s travel, experiences or material goals, while remaining conscious of trade-offs.

“My focus is on helping people understand finance and to make it less intimidating – what matters to you should guide your decisions,” she says.

“At university, I saw friends struggle simply because they hadn’t grown up having conversations about money. With so much financial information available now, it can feel overwhelming and it doesn’t have to be. I want to help people understand that.”