APAC Controller & Vertical Finance Lead

Responsibilities

Financial Controllership & Day-to-Day Finance Management

Own end-to-end finance operations for several APAC legal entities across multiple jurisdictions, including month-end and year-end closing processes.

Oversee bank, asset, intercompany, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and balance sheet reconciliations.

Review and approve journal entries, accruals, provisions, invoices, payment requests, and other accounting records.

Prepare and review financial statements and management reports in accordance with applicable accounting standards and group policies.

Ensure timely completion of regulatory, statutory, tax, and compliance-related filings in partnership with internal teams and external advisors.

Manage day-to-day relationships with banks, vendors, accounting service providers, tax advisors, auditors, and other external stakeholders.

Partner closely with Treasury, Tax, Global Accounting, Legal, Compliance, and business teams to ensure smooth financial operations.

Accounting Quality & Financial Reporting

Ensure complete, accurate, and timely accounting for all responsible entities, including oversight of local accounting and tax vendors where applicable.

Review and define accounting treatments and methodologies for new business activities, products, and operational flows.

Maintain strong financial discipline by validating journal entries, reviewing reconciliations, and ensuring proper documentation of accounting judgments.

Identify and resolve accounting issues, reporting gaps, and process inconsistencies across entities and jurisdictions.

Support the continuous improvement of accounting systems, financial reporting processes, and closing procedures.

Internal Controls & Governance

Develop, document, and maintain business processes, accounting policies, and internal control procedures to support a strong control environment.

Ensure compliance with group accounting policies, delegated authority frameworks, and internal control requirements.

Maintain accurate, complete, and well-documented financial records to support internal reviews, audits, and regulatory inquiries.

Identify control gaps, operational risks, and process weaknesses, and drive timely remediation.

Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and financial discipline across the region.

Audit Coordination

Lead and coordinate external audits for responsible APAC entities, ensuring timely completion and high-quality audit deliverables.

Act as the key point of contact for auditors, local finance teams, external accounting partners, and internal stakeholders.

Prepare and review audit schedules, supporting documentation, financial statements, and management representation materials.

Address audit findings, resolve open issues, and implement corrective actions where needed.

Support statutory audits, group audits, tax audits, and other regulatory reviews as required.

Annual Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting

Lead the annual budgeting and rolling forecast processes for the APAC vertical, including revenue, marketing, operating expenses, headcount, and local spend.

Partner with business leaders and management to align financial targets with strategic priorities.

Monitor actual performance against budget and forecast, identify variances, and provide clear explanations and actionable recommendations.

Drive high P&L forecast accuracy throughout the fiscal year to support timely business decisions and resource allocation.

Provide financial input into investment decisions, cost optimization initiatives, and regional growth plans.

Business Partnership & Strategic Analysis

Act as a trusted finance partner to regional and vertical management teams, providing clear, data-driven, and commercially relevant insights.

Build financial models, scenario analyses, and business cases to support strategic decision-making.

Translate financial results and trends into practical recommendations for senior stakeholders.

Support new market, product, and operational initiatives by assessing financial implications, risks, controls, and reporting requirements.

Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure Finance is embedded early in business planning and execution.

Process Improvement & Automation

Drive continuous improvement in accounting, reporting, forecasting, and finance operations processes.

Identify opportunities to automate manual work, streamline workflows, improve data quality, and enhance reporting efficiency.

Implement best practices in financial reporting, closing processes, reconciliations, and controls.

Partner with systems, data, and finance transformation teams to enhance enterprise-level finance tools and reporting capabilities.

Support scalable finance infrastructure as the business grows across the region.

Team Leadership & Development

Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of finance professionals across the region.

Foster a collaborative, accountable, and results-oriented team culture.

Set clear priorities, performance expectations, and development plans for team members.

Partner with Central Finance to deliver training on accounting standards, financial policies, reporting requirements, and internal controls.

Build finance capabilities to support business complexity, regulatory expectations, and organizational growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related discipline. CPA, CMA, ACCA, CA, MBA, or Master’s degree preferred.

10+ years of relevant finance experience, including controllership, financial accounting, financial planning and analysis, audit, or finance business partnering.

Prior experience as a Finance Manager, Financial Controller, Regional Controller, or Finance Business Partner within a multinational, listed company, technology, fintech, financial services, or high-growth environment preferred.

Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial reporting, statutory reporting, tax filings, general ledger operations, and month-end/year-end closing processes.

Experience managing financial operations across multiple APAC jurisdictions is strongly preferred.

Strong understanding of internal controls, audit processes, accounting policies, and financial governance frameworks.

Hands-on experience with enterprise-level ERP, accounting, consolidation, and financial planning systems.

Excellent financial modelling, analytical, problem-solving, and business partnering skills.

Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate clearly and influence senior stakeholders.

Highly proactive, detail-oriented, and able to operate independently with limited supervision.

Comfortable working in a fast-paced, ambiguous, and evolving environment.

Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet tight deadlines, and bring structure to complex situations.

Excellent interpersonal, communication, and people leadership skills.

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Mandarin language capability is a plus for collaboration with cross-regional stakeholders.

Demonstrated interest in digital assets, crypto, blockchain technology, fintech, or Web3 is an advantage.

Preferred Attributes

Strong ownership mindset with the ability to operate both strategically and hands-on.

Commercially minded finance leader who can balance control, compliance, and business enablement.

Experience working with distributed, cross-functional, and multicultural teams.

Ability to simplify complex financial topics for non-finance stakeholders.

High integrity, strong judgment, and commitment to maintaining robust financial governance.