Petrina Tam, China Tax Lead Partner of Hong Kong and Southern China Practices for PricewaterhouseCoopers, has been in the accounting profession for 31 years, and yet she still looks forward to going to work everyday.

Besides her enduring interest in the field of accounting, Ms Tam’s philosophy of life has shaped her perspective and way of living.

“My philosophy is to enjoy every moment of life and work. I think if you really get to know something in depth, feel it, taste it, and take an interest in it, you will find something good in it and you will start to love it. Very often, we tend to take things for granted or think negatively, making ourselves unable to truly appreciate the pleasure in our life and work,” Ms Tam said.

She gives a colorful allusion: Eating sweet potatoes. It might not look attractive at first, but only after you smell it, peel it carefully, and taste it slowly, will you fully appreciate its attractions.

“It is about finding the good things in every moment or every piece of assignment we do and putting the positive spin on them,” Ms Tam said.

Born and bred in Hong Kong, Ms Tam graduated from Diocesan Girls’ School, and completed a Social Sciences degree, majoring in accounting, at The University of Hong Kong in 1976. She joined the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department shortly thereafter. Although she was not certain if she liked accounting, Ms Tam joined the profession with the belief that it would provide a stable job and a clear career path.

“During the seventies and eighties in Hong Kong, being doctors, lawyers, and accountants, were the three most prestigious professions in the eyes of Hong Kong people, and that was the reason I joined the profession,” Ms Tam explained.

Ms Tam joined PricewaterhouseCoopers upon her return to Hong Kong from Australia in 1986 where she specializes in China tax and found new horizons, and her work became even more fascinating.

China started to open up and develop economically during the early nineties, she explained. Foreign representative offices and joint ventures were allowed to be set up in China. This has created a big demand for advice on China tax issues and Ms Tam changed her practice from Hong Kong tax to China tax during that time.

“It was another new stage for me. Everyday, I learned new things, met new clients and new friends. I met people from different levels. Not only did I meet clients and colleagues, I also met people from tax authorities, customs department, or the Ministry of Commerce in China. With those exposures, I am able to gain a broader spectrum and appreciate more how different positions, duties and perspectives will lead to different ways of thinking and behaviour and to succeed in any endeavour, one need to know others as well as ourselves,” Ms Tam said.

Happily married with two grown-up children, Ms Tam’s family has given her enormous support and she leads a fulfilling personal life. As for her professional life, Ms Tam said that managing and motivating people to give their best at all times is her biggest challenge.

More than half of the people working in the accounting profession are 30 or younger. As a result, there can be a generation gap between senior management and staff, she explained.

Ms Tam said that partners need to communicate with their staff and understand them. They need to understand their values, their way of thinking, and what motivates them.

“We need to help young accountants to identify their strengths and help them to develop accordingly. Some people might be good at number-crunching, while others might be good at writing or public speaking. My goal is to groom these young accountants to help them to succeed in this profession,” she said.

For young accountants who want to excel, Ms Tam has three key words: Passion, persistency, and professionalism.

“You have to love what you are doing, especially when it comes to a job that you do every day. If you don’t like it, but you think it is a profession you want to be in, then you need to do your best to find an area of your interest in order to like the work and live your days happily,” she explained.

“Also, we have to persist and have the patience to develop ourselves in the profession. I saw young people changing their jobs very often, but they had not dug deep enough to fully understand their job, and they won’t excel that way,” she said.

“And lastly, we have to be professional in our thinking and behaviour at all times. We need to keep a professional image. One slip can cost your entire career.”

Source: ACCA Hong Kong