INTHEBLACK December 2025 / January 2026 - Magazine - Page 19
Three finance leaders outline
their core values and
decision-making approaches.
Modern leaders favour empathy,
openness and care over a
command-and-control style.
Balance between personal
and professional lives is
essential for true success.
MELISA HENDRAWATI CPA
CFO, Superbank
Former head of credit risk and COO,
DBS Bank Indonesia
WAYNE STOKES FCPA
Non-executive director, Port Authority of
New South Wales and City West Housing
Former CFO and senior vice-president of
business development Asia,
Carnival Corporation Australia
CAROLINE SPENCER FCPA
Auditor General for Western Australia and chair
of the State Records Commission
Former founding partner,
Vista Advisory
he road to a C-suite role rarely takes a
predictable path. Behind the balance sheets
and boardroom strategies are tales of talent,
resilience, pivotal career decisions and
leadership wisdom.
These three CPAs have carved out impressive
executive careers. Through candid Q&A-style
reflections, they discuss the mentors who influenced
their outlook, the values that underpin their executive
decision-making, and the defining moments that
tested — and ultimately strengthened — their
leadership styles. They also provide insight into
staying healthy on the job, embracing technology
and hiring the best talent.
What emerges is a blueprint for the modern
accounting leader: firm but fair and empathetic,
disciplined but inventive, and intelligent but willing
to listen and learn.
THE ART OF MODERN LEADERSHIP intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 19
