INTHEBLACK April 2026 - Magazine - Page 52
F E AT U R E
Daren (Tze Yong) Wong ASA
Graduate accountant
KPMG Australia
Jarrad Clark ASA
Manager of finance and brokerage
Synergy Finance
MEANING AND PURPOSE
Jarrad Clark ASA, manager of finance and
brokerage at Synergy Finance in Tasmania, finds
meaning in service. His work supporting sole traders,
small businesses and families gives him the
opportunity to care for the community he is part of.
“Working with smaller customers like mums and dads,
as well as young professionals, has been really nice,”
he says. “When you are part of the community, you
really want to do a good job. People know each other.
You take extra care because you live here, too.”
This perspective aligns with a broader global shift.
Harvard Business research shows that 90 per cent of
respondents said work should bring a sense
of purpose to their lives.
For Melbourne-based graduate accountant
Daren (Tze Yong) Wong ASA, accounting was
not what he had imagined for himself. However,
as he progressed through university, Wong began
to understand how the profession “quietly supports
decision-making behind the scenes” for every
organisation. “It shapes outcomes even when people
don’t always see it,” he says.
Seeing the real-world impact of his work clarified
what Wong wanted from his career. “Work takes
up a significant part of our lives, so it feels important
to choose something that does not conflict with
your core values,” he says. From the Big Four
to a local firm, each of his experiences informed
his ethos. “Purpose, to me, means doing work
without dread,” he says. “Work that feels like
an honest extension of who I am, and work that
encourages me to grow in a direction that
feels authentic.”
SUPPORTIVE TEAMS AND FLEXIBLE WORK
Nova Hutabarat ASA started working at EY Indonesia
straight after university and stayed for over three
years, drawn by “a really strong and supportive work
culture”. That foundation shaped what she now values
“Purpose, to me, means doing work without dread. Work
that feels like an honest extension of who I am, and work that
encourages me to grow in a direction that feels authentic.”
DAREN (TZE YONG) WONG ASA, KPMG AUSTRALIA
52 INTHEBLACK APRIL 2026 SPECIAL EDITION
