INTHEBLACK May 2025 - Magazine - Page 33
Josephine Phan FCPA has
pursued a number of board
roles since retiring from
PwC Malaysia after a
30-year career.
The rise of generative AI
notwithstanding, she believes
there is still a need for the
human touch in diligent
and “questioning” auditors.
Phan says learning from
others and sharing
experiences are crucial
to long-term success for both
businesses and professionals.
LEADERS AND INNOVATORS
She’s on
board
Respected risk assurance professional Josephine Phan FCPA may
have retired from her day job, but she still makes a difference by
bringing her skills to the table through board roles.
Words Cameron Cooper
Photography Wilson TWL
PARENTS OFTEN KNOW BEST.
Just ask Josephine Phan FCPA.
A former partner at PwC Malaysia,
Phan enjoyed a 30-year stint in auditing
and IT risk assurance. However, she concedes
that an accounting career had not been
on her mind when she first weighed up
her job options.
“I had initially wanted to be an aeronautical
engineer, as I was fascinated by planes when
I was young,” says Kuala Lumpur-based
Phan. “My dad, who was an engineer,
advised against it and encouraged me to
take up accounting instead. He had friends
who were in the auditing profession and
I’m grateful that he knew me better — as
I have no regrets now.”
Three years into retirement, Phan
is still professionally active. When she is
not visiting her adult children in her second
home in Melbourne, Australia, Phan serves
on the board of two publicly listed
corporations, and late in 2024 she joined
the board of the International Federation
of Accountants (IFAC).
This arrangement gives her balance,
as well as an ongoing opportunity to deploy
her considerable skills. At PwC Malaysia,
Phan forged a reputation for providing risk
assurance and advisory services to companies
relating to their IT systems, internal controls
and financial processes. Her considerable
work experience also extends to statutory
financial statement audits, internal and
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