I-M Fem eNewsletter- Member Profiling

NAN-FIN Leader-Sophie Zhou

How you got started in the

automotive industry and more

importantly, Maxion Wheels?

I decided to pursue a career in the

manufacturing industry due to its

diverse range of services, like

accounting, tax, cost, and budgeting.

Additionally, I can acquire a broader

set of financial management skills in

this field. As for joining Maxion, the

company is well-known in the

Nantong Economic and

Technological Development Zone. Its

headquarters, with a history of

nearly a century, has a strong

foundation, an experienced

management structure, and a rich

corporate culture. Therefore, I

believe that Maxion can provide

ample opportunities for my career

growth. I am confident that my

decision to join Maxion was the

correct one.

Can you tell us a little about your

background?

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in

international accounting, and currently

hold some professional certificates,

like Certified Management Accountant

certificates.

.

2023 Strategy Meeting

how did you become a director?

My ability to advance to a functional

leadership position in finance stems

from the company's effective succession

planning. In addition to the leaders'

encouragement and assistance, I have

received a great deal of support and

collaboration from my other colleagues.

Meanwhile, I want to express my

gratitude to my family for providing me

with stress-free childcare and

housekeeping so that I may focus on my

career. Lastly, I want to express my

gratitude to myself for consistently

making tiny progress toward my goals

and evolving into a better version of

myself, as well as for staying up late

reading books to be ready for the test.

2023 Mid-year management review

meeting

What inspired you to pursue a career in

Finance?

To begin with, my grandmother is an

accountant and had a big influence on

me. Secondly, financial staff transform all

of the original data into statements that,

like an automobile's dashboard, reflect

the asset situation and operating

efficiency. This provides a thorough basis

for judgment that is used to support

shareholder and management business

decisions as well as investment decisions,

both of which are essential to the

company's success. It strikes me as very

awesome.

Asia FIN Team In NAN

Can you tell us about your role and

responsibilities as the accounting

supervisor at Maxion Wheels?

Initially, it is evident to me that in my cap

acity as a functional leader, I must posses

s extensive professional skills to ensure th

e timeliness, integrity and accuracy of the

department's work, and facilitate the att

ainment of the organization's objectives.

Second, to be a functional leader, one mu

st precisely comprehend the managemen

t goals of superiors, possess the ability to

recognize the benefits of colleagues and s

ubordinates, organize crossfunctional cooperation and communicati

on, and realize the longterm growth of the entire function.

NAN FIN TEAM

How do you support the company's

commitment to diversity and inclusion?

I took an active part in the companyorganized thematic groups, including th

e Labour union committee, CIP manage

ment group, and team learning. I also

willing to assist in the design and coordi

nation of the company's numerous spe

cial events, including \"International Wo

men's Day,\" \"Breast Cancer

Awareness Festival,\" \"Barbecue Festival

,\" \"Company Annual Celebration,\" and s

o on. Answer the diversity and inclusion

request from the company.

Stage show-Milo River

(CN historical story)

When you think about attracting and

retaining females at Maxion, what is

the one thing you think the company

should focus on to improve female

representation?

From emotional perspective,

encourage women to break free from

the shackles of traditional labels,

through the power of example,

speech, face-to-face communication,

etc. Give a certain sense of ritual, so

that women feel respected.

From rational perspective, to give

women a broader development

platform, career channels, such as

construction machinery work can also

consider recruiting female engineers.

Have you had any mentors or role models

who have inspired or guided you

throughout your career? If so, how have

they influenced your professional growth?

The individual who has had the biggest im

pact on my career is my immediate leader,

Roger Yu. He made the initiative to share

his professional expertise with me during

my finance traineeship, which enabled me

to create my own career strategy. During

his latter career, he pursued graduate stud

ies on his own and inspired us to keep lear

ning and growing through realworld applications to improve our compet

itiveness and professional capacity. \"Think

of danger and prepare for a rainy day\" is a

reminder he will instill in us after work, al

ong with a wealth of up-todate information about industry trends an

d the development direction of financial p

ersonnel. I am really appreciative that I

met such a good leader in my first job.

Roger is doing a financial

sharing meeting.