One thing that has defined Ying’s career to date is the ability to deliver commercial outcomes at pace without compromising on the core value of ‘doing it right’.
Ying Lam may have fallen into accounting, but since finding her feet at PwC and then EY, she has been intentional about developing skillsets to keep doors open.
Now a highly respected interim executive leader, she says her experiences as an auditor, a mother, and an executive have all shaped her approach to leading business transformation in interim roles today.
Reflecting on her early years both in practice firms and in industry, Ying said, “The first 10 years were a great boot camp. It set the fundamentals of my life and career – I came to understand work ethic, discipline, structure, and what best practice really looks like”.
It was hard work, and at that stage of life, Ying admits that she did not embark on a career in Finance aiming towards partnership nor executive roles, rather she was curious as to what was ahead and could be learnt along the way. With that in mind, each role she took on needed to offer opportunities for learning that allowed her to deliberately develop key skill sets.
This chapter was defined by working at iconic companies like PwC, EY, and JBWere (later became Goldman Sachs JBWere). But a time came when family took priority, and Ying decided to take a career sabbatical. This turned into a 7-year journey where she learnt about ‘what really mattered’.
When it came time to return to work, Ying initially hesitated about going back into finance, “but sometimes you can’t run away from what you’re good at,” she explained. However, Ying eventually realised that her skills could be applied with purpose, “I wasn’t building a career for its own sake anymore, or necessarily for financial return. I wanted to work with purpose because one of my drivers was to be a role model for my girls”.
Ying was also motivated by her strong interest in people, recognising the potential of those around her and helping them realise it.
This chapter was defined by starting small, rebuilding confidence in herself, and being ‘ok’ with not always knowing the answer in the first instance, while working hard to find that pathway forward.
Having come from a technical and corporate background, the first few companies were not-for-profits and foreign territory. Rather than shy away, Ying embraced the feedback to ‘take people on the journey’.
Baptcare became a pivotal time for her, “It wasn’t easy – I was pushed out of my comfort zone to lead the organisation on a journey of mergers and acquisitions. I learnt to back myself and my gut instincts again; I regained the frame of mind I’d had in my corporate days,” she said.
This period culminated with her last permanent role as the regional CFO at Ryman Healthcare. Ryman had already been in Australia for about 7 years when Ying started, and her remit was clear: “make Australia the growth engine, and solutions had to be for the benefit of the Group, not just regionally focused”. With that in mind, Ying went about doing business and at the end of her almost 2 and a half-year tenure, the Australian market knew who Ryman was, what it stood for, and that it was achieving commercial success.
Having made a key contribution to the success of building the Australian head office for Ryman, Ying looked around for her next opportunity, but being someone who thrives on “working at pace”, she said, “nothing in the permanent space excited me”.
The alternative was consulting or interim executive work, and so, without really knowing what to expect, she began exploring opportunities. When pitching for interim roles, she quickly realised the need for a different approach.
“I had to frame myself differently. I had to scope out engagements with intention, rather than just accepting roles based on what was ‘asked’”.
Unlike permanent roles, where there is the luxury of time, Ying said she had to be specific on “what could realistically be achieved within a short space of time that would have lasting impact”.
Ying landed a role as Interim CFO with Oncall Group – a privately backed national disability services provider – tasked with transforming the financial operation and providing commercial insights on return. Over nine months, she embedded a structured approach with a cross-functional team focus and introduced robust reporting and forecasting models that have positioned the organisation for growth. But more importantly, she said, she didn’t do it on her own.
“I’m cognisant – particularly as an interim – that knowledge has to be built within the team on the ground who will be left behind. And that’s exactly what I’ve done.”
To operate successfully as an interim executive leading transformation, Ying said, people skills are as important as functional expertise because you have to bring the team along on what can be a challenging journey of change.
“Despite the discipline I operate in, I’m very much a people person,” she explained.
“I invest upfront in understanding people, their drivers, and the history of the organisation. That gives me context and helps me bring people along on the journey.” She also said it’s vital that interim executives “lose their ego” - though not entirely.
“You can’t have zero ego – it’s important for self-confidence. But my advice to others looking to move into the interim space is to take it out of the engagement; find the necessary validation elsewhere.”
For Ying, interim roles are the future. However, when it comes to the industry or company she works with, she’s leaving her options open – just as she has throughout her career.
“Any role I take on has to be grounded in three core pillars: integrity, kindness, and respect. So, when I’m next pitching myself, I’ll also be asking: Are you approaching this engagement wanting me to do not just a good job, but to do it with integrity? Do you want me to do this with kindness and respect? Because if you do, then I’m all in.”