Meet the CA: Chloe Dung CA
Chloe Dung CA is a financial controller for tech startup Weel (formerly DiviPay), a virtual corporate card and spend management platform designed to help finance teams manage spending across organisations. She previously worked for EY, Commonwealth Bank and Vodafone.
In Brief
- Technology has become so integrated with our lives and culture and working in a tech company as a CA truly excites me as it makes me feel like I’m part of building something that will directly solve problems every business has.
- My technical accounting skills are obviously used in many facets of my work including financial reporting, tax and budgeting but I think what is equally important – and are used every day – are the soft skills I’ve learned as a CA.
- I am very glad that I did take this path as it has led to so many opportunities and experiences in my career.
What does a day look like for you at Weel?
As a tech startup, Weel has a flexible work environment. This includes what we wear (shorts and Birkenstocks in summer for instance) as well as flexible working hours and location. I’m able to spend some time with my daughter before I start my day, which is crucial for me. We’re currently operating from a private office at WeWork, which also enables us to engage and network with other companies in the building. We only schedule meetings when they’re really necessary. When it comes to my role, I usually have meetings to discuss business and day-to-day operations. I also meet regularly with our product, sales and marketing teams. When I’m in the office, it’s great to have some face-to-face time with the teams, but also engage in social activities with my colleagues.
What do you enjoy about working in tech? Is it a good industry for CAs?
It was great to start my career at EY as it allowed me to build a great foundation that I’m now able to channel in my work at Weel. A consulting firm and a tech company are both very fast paced, but in very different ways. Technology has become so integrated with our lives and culture and working in a tech company as a CA truly excites me as it makes me feel like I’m part of building something that will directly solve problems every business has. We’re constantly looking at improvements to our product and offerings to customers. If there’s something that needs to be done then it’s all hands on deck and we’ll quickly turn it around and make it happen, which is really fulfilling for me.
Pictured: Chloe Dung CA. Image credit: Nic Walker
Why did you become a chartered accountant? Have you always been interested in numbers?
I’ve always had an affinity for numbers. Growing up I probably learnt my times table before my ABCs, and mathematics was one of my stronger subjects throughout the duration of my time at school. I love maths because it just makes sense – once you understand the logic, there’s always a right or wrong answer. When it came time for university I actually enrolled in a double degree in science. While I still have a passion for science and health, I realised it wasn’t the career path I wanted to take. I spoke to many people about what to do next and one of them made me see that accounting was so much more than just numbers and tax. That is what inspired me to join EY in a graduate role and concurrently study the Deakin University bridging course and then my CA. I am very glad that I did take this path as it has led to so many opportunities and experiences in my career including working overseas in the EY San Francisco office.
“I am very glad that I did take this path as it has led to so many opportunities and experiences in my career including working overseas in the EY San Francisco office.”
Do you apply the skills you learned as a CA to the work that you do?
Absolutely! My technical accounting skills are obviously used in many facets of my work including financial reporting, tax and budgeting but I think what is equally important – and are used every day – are the soft skills I’ve learned as a CA. I love being able to collaborate with different teams (not just with the finance team and other CAs) and to influence change in a constructive way.