Move over, number crunchers. Tomorrow’s CAs(SA) are more concerned with adding value than balancing the books, says Tramayne Monaghan. And he should know – as chief innovation officer of Tencent, he’s a living example of this new breed
‘My mother isn’t actually sure what I do,’ Monaghan laughs. That’s not surprising, given that he describes his job as ‘having fun, experimenting, playing and scaling” – an explanation that’s as far off from the traditional perception of a CA’s activities as possible. But then again, as Monaghan points out, he’s never fit the typical mould. That’s a trait that has proved to be his greatest asset, and something he now looks for amongst his own team members. After all, a sense of humour, curiosity and irreverence can be useful when your day’s tasks usually revolve around exploring unique marketing methods, testing product/market fit and finding out exactly what Tencent’s customers in the fields of gaming, video streaming, chat and music are looking for.