INTHEBLACK February 2023 - Magazine - Page 16
AT A GLANCE
Andrew Chanmugam FCPA
is executive general
manager – group customer
advocate at Suncorp Group
in Sydney, Australia.
Born in Sri Lanka, Chanmugam
grew up in Sydney. He studied
accountancy and finance at
Macquarie University, coming
from a family of accountants.
THE
PEOPLE’S
CPA
Chanmugam’s experience
is defined not by numbercrunching but by the
development of a strict focus
on the customer experience.
Andrew Chanmugam FCPA, like many CPAs,
studied accounting at university, then started on
his CPA qualification almost immediately after
graduation. What makes Chanmugam distinct
from most CPAs is that, since then, his career
has rarely focused on number-crunching.
Reconciling accounts and analysing
spreadsheets were never going to be his calling.
Chanmugam is better characterised as “the
people’s CPA”, because so much of his career has
revolved around his relationships with people.
Sydney-based Andrew Chanmugam FCPA,
executive general manager – group customer advocate,
Suncorp Group, champions digital transformation and the
customer experience.
THE PATH TO ACCOUNTING
Chanmugam’s family left Sri Lanka just as the
civil war in the 1980s was intensifying. The
family had lived in a compound in Colombo,
but by the end of 1983, when Chanmugam
was aged just three, the family was safely
ensconced in Sydney’s North Shore.
Chanmugam’s father instilled a spirit of hard
work and study in him and his older brother.
Despite accountancy having been a preferred
path for many family members to that point,
Chanmugam’s father believed his younger
son’s future lay in software development.
Yet Chanmugam still felt the call of
accountancy and the CPA designation.
Today, he regards his CPA qualification highly,
recognising the doors it has opened and the
many networking opportunities it has provided.
Story Adam Courtenay
Photography Jarrod Barnes
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Since graduating from Macquarie University
in 2002 with a major in accountancy and
finance, Chanmugam has had a diverse career.
Few of Chanmugam’s roles have purely
focused on accounting, but all have called
for a dedication to building relationships
and improving the customer experience.
“You have to make sure that whatever you do,
you have a great experience with people because,
let’s face it, you’re only as good as the people
who surround you. I’m fortunate because I stand
on the shoulders of giants,” Chanmugam says.
16 INTHEBLACK February 2023