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Alpha Tsang
Senior manager,
assurance and financial
beautiful country,” he says.
The country has been fractured by violent
civil and ethnic conflict since the 1990s.
Hostilities were renewed as recently as July.
“[It] is still rebuilding,” Nip says. “We have
seen United Nations soldiers in the hotel we
stayed at, and mercenaries stationed at the
mine sites.”
Nip hails the range of diverse assignments
he has been given at Mazars as the reason he
improved his skills. “I’m lucky, I have many
opportunities to explore,” he says.
“We are not specialized so I’m never assigned
to a single large assignment or a specific
industry or a specific region’s clients,”
he adds. “I work with different clients from
different locations and in different sizes.”
Take one for the team
After graduating, Alpha Tsang wanted a career
that would propel him to become the
man who could do mostly everything.
“I believed we needed to be all-round
individuals and that includes having com-
“Every one of us is
working towards
the same goal.
That feeling helps
a lot.”
munication, problem solving and analytic
skills, just to be able to handle things in different
situations,” he says.
Now 33, Tsang is an Institute member
and senior manager for assurance and financial
services at Ernst & Young Hong Kong.
“That’s why I chose to join the accounting
profession, and in particular a firm like E&Y,
which offers opportunities and a culture
that cares about growth and its people.”
Like many other successful younger
members, Tsang has managed to move up
the ranks by sticking with one firm. During
his 10 years at E&Y, he has assisted a number
of hedge fund and private equity fund
PHOTO: SAMANTHA SIN
clients. Tsang, who was appointed manager
in 2007 and senior manager two years later,
has also worked in New York as part of the
firm’s global exchange programme.
Like his peers, Tsang firmly sees the long
working hours as a sort of an investment.
“To be a successful professional, whether
you are an accountant, lawyer or doctor, you
need to invest time in order to make the most
out of your experience.”
While many CPAs appreciate the need
to sacrifice personal time to get the work
done, their loved ones might not. Tsang’s
success is partly due to his support group
both at home and at the office. “There are
a few things important throughout my career:
one is understanding from my family.
The second is the support I get from being in
such a large firm and the support from my
supervisors.”
Finally, Tsang also values the cooperation
of his teammates. “Every one of us is
working towards the same goal. That feeling
helps a lot.”
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