Johnson Li

Discover SIM GE Johnson and his wife Helen with their five-year-old daughter at the zoo. Having had a knack for numbers since he was young, Johnson Li was keen to pursue an accounting related degree at university. He chose to embark on the SIM-University Of London (UOL) BSc (Hons) in Accounting and Finance programme after searching for information online and gathering positive feedback about the institution from his friends. The journey at SIM proved to be a pivotal one for him in more ways than one. Johnson was able to sharpen his knowledge of the financial world which set him on the path to a career as an auditor. “I was inspired to join the audit line because of my principles of account and auditing lecturer Ms Chu Mui Kim. Her stories in class of her real-life experiences as an auditor before switching to a teaching career attracted me a lot. Hence, I went on to apply for an audit associate position after graduation,” he shares. Johnson went on to spend six years as an external auditor where he was able to put into practice what he had learned. “The degree programme at SIM helped a lot in my career. The knowledge and experience that I gained, enabled me to thrive in my first job as an auditor after graduation. “After entering the workforce, I built on the strong foundation that I had by taking up a part-time ACCA professional qualification. The modules that I studied at SIM-UOL were very useful while taking up the programme, he adds. Beyond attaining a successful career, Johnson also developed strong bonds of friendship at the Chinese National Network student club at SIM. The club was also where he would eventually meet the love of his life. “My wife and I were both committee members of the Chinese National Network. Our first meeting was at the open space outside the library with all the rest of the committee members. After spending a lot of time with her and getting to know more about her through few events and gathering, I realised that she was the right one for me, so I asked her out and we started dating after that.” When it came to choosing a place for their solemnisation, the couple chose the one that was closest to their hearts. “SIM was like a second home to us, we had a lot of great memories during our three years of study. Therefore, when we were planning our solemnisation event, the first place that came to our mind was the open space outside the library at SIM where we first met. “We thought that getting permission would be tough, but to our surprise, the management of SIM replied very quickly and granted us the permission to use the space for free!” Pictures of the couple at their solemnisation. After spending sometime as an auditor, Johnson decided to challenge himself by taking up job positions such as accountant and financial controller where he could learn new things such as investor communication, business planning, financial planning and initial public offerings. To deepen his knowledge and further progress in his career, Johnson left his job earlier this year to further his studies by acquiring a masters in Professional Accountancy at SIM-UOL. He hopes to constantly to push himself to greater heights in his career. “My goal for the next five to ten years would be to go back to the finance sector after my masters and to constantly work hard and upgrade myself to eventually take up the position of a Chief Financial Officer in a multinational corporation someday,” he says. Posted online, 10 October 2018