April 2022 Summaries

A virtual CFO (vCFO) is a remote, part-time or contract financial executive who gives small and medium-sized businesses access to strategic CFO-level expertise without the cost of a full-time hire. vCFOs commonly oversee financial reporting, compliance, strategy, internal controls, cash flow, risk assessment, cost reduction, profitability initiatives, and planning for growth, operational decisions, or an eventual sale. Their expanding role may also include support for digitisation, analytics, automation, and board engagement, so businesses should confirm that candidates offer the specific services required. A business may benefit from hiring a vCFO when financial management becomes difficult, growth accelerates, annual revenue approaches or exceeds $1 million, or it is preparing for a sale. Suitable candidates should have relevant finance or accounting qualifications, proven industry experience, strong data-security practices, client references, and transparent, reliable communication.

Jee Lee describes moving from a Big Four consulting role to Airwallex to gain more direct visibility into the impact of her work, a decision she says has brought significant learning and professional growth over nearly two years. In her financial partnerships role, she develops and maintains relationships with financial institutions while collaborating across internal teams to support the company’s strategic objectives and global expansion. A particularly meaningful achievement was helping support Airwallex’s Singapore debut and its acquisition of a Major Payment Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Lee also highlights the Singapore team’s collaborative culture, rapid growth, open communication, and the autonomy she has received to lead projects. Outside work, she spends time with family and friends, enjoys exploring varied interests, and looks forward to travelling again.

Filta, a provider of global hiring solutions for eCommerce merchants and digital agencies across Australia, the Philippines, Colombia, and Argentina, helps businesses recruit and retain remote specialists including engineers, creatives, marketers, and customer support staff. As its distributed workforce expanded during COVID-19, Filta invested in employees’ remote-work resources and engagement but faced growing costs, delays, and transaction fees when making overseas payments. After discovering Airwallex through the Shopify community, Filta adopted its international transfers, local-currency client payments, and virtual payment cards, which enabled faster staff payments, reduced administrative work, and gave employees controlled purchasing access. Filta says the partnership has lowered fees, reduced payment-related risks and processing time, improved client responsiveness, and freed resources for employee wellbeing and career development.