WINA is delighted to shine the spotlight on Jessie Wang, Director at Wexted Advisors and the first Registered Liquidator to transition from a Small Business Restructuring Practitioner. Jessie shares her unique journey, career highlights, and insights for the next generation of professionals in restructuring and insolvency.
Jessie’s portfolio extends across a diverse range of industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, construction, hospitality, retail, financial services, real estate, information technology, education, tourism, charity, medical and legal services. Jessie’s bilingual capabilities in English and Mandarin provide her effectiveness in cross-cultural and international contexts, particularly when working with Chinese stakeholders.
Q. How did you choose a career in insolvency/restructuring?
Insolvency was my first job after graduating from Macquarie University. Like many people in insolvency, I did not choose insolvency. Insolvency chose me.
Insolvency is quite niche. When I was studying for my Master of Accounting, there was only one module out of sixteen that mentioned corporate insolvency, for about ten minutes, and the gist was no one liked liquidators (directors, employees, creditors – everyone hates liquidators). I remember I was sitting in the lecture, literally thinking to myself, ‘I am so not going to be a liquidator’. Life is just that funny.
Shortly after I graduated, I received an email from an accounting firm with whom I interviewed in the last semester, asking me whether I was open to a job opportunity in an insolvency firm. I needed a full time job at the time, so I said yes. The rest is history.
Q. How did you get to where you are today?
I spent most of life studying. I moved countries, from China to Australia. I changed careers, from a high school teacher to insolvency practitioner.
Because of the extended study, moving countries and shifting careers, when I started in insolvency, I felt I was behind people of my age by almost ten years. For that reason, I worked particularly hard to progress as soon as possible to catch up, getting CAANZ and ARITA Advanced Insolvency courses done at the first possible opportunities, becoming the first small business restructuring practitioner with insolvency background in early 2023 and obtaining the unlimited liquidator registration two years later.
What’s more, I am fortunate enough to have been working with fantastic practitioners and mentored by great role models in the past decade. This combination of internal and external drives helped me get to where I am today.
Q. What advice would you provide to your younger self?
You’ve done well.
Don’t be so harsh on yourself.
Enjoy life more.
Q. What has been your most memorable moment during your career?
There are a number of memorable moments:
first settlement on a litigation matter;
first successful negotiation for an asset realisation;
first deal closing;
those thank you notes from former staff who I trained up from scratch;
those little understanding and appreciations from the creditors;
the ecstatic feeling when I stepped out of the ASIC panel interview for my registered liquidator application;
just to name a few.
It is too hard to pick the most memorable, and I’m sure there will be many more memorable moments to come.
Q. What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
That Small Business Restructuring would take off from the end of 2023!
Q. What’s an interesting fact about you?
The first time I visited Australia was the day I moved here.
Q. What made you get your Liquidator’s ticket?
The belief that “She is a bad lady who doesn’t dream of becoming a queen”, plus the encouragement and support from the lovely people around me
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WINA is delighted to shine the spotlight on Jessie Wang, Director at Wexted Advisors and the first Registered Liquidator to transition from a Small Business Restructuring Practitioner. Jessie shares her unique journey, career highlights, and insights for the next generation of professionals in restructuring and insolvency.
Jessie’s portfolio extends across a diverse range of industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, construction, hospitality, retail, financial services, real estate, information technology, education, tourism, charity, medical and legal services. Jessie’s bilingual capabilities in English and Mandarin provide her effectiveness in cross-cultural and international contexts, particularly when working with Chinese stakeholders.
Q. How did you choose a career in insolvency/restructuring?
Insolvency was my first job after graduating from Macquarie University. Like many people in insolvency, I did not choose insolvency. Insolvency chose me.
Insolvency is quite niche. When I was studying for my Master of Accounting, there was only one module out of sixteen that mentioned corporate insolvency, for about ten minutes, and the gist was no one liked liquidators (directors, employees, creditors – everyone hates liquidators). I remember I was sitting in the lecture, literally thinking to myself, ‘I am so not going to be a liquidator’. Life is just that funny.
Shortly after I graduated, I received an email from an accounting firm with whom I interviewed in the last semester, asking me whether I was open to a job opportunity in an insolvency firm. I needed a full time job at the time, so I said yes. The rest is history.
Q. How did you get to where you are today?
I spent most of life studying. I moved countries, from China to Australia. I changed careers, from a high school teacher to insolvency practitioner.
Because of the extended study, moving countries and shifting careers, when I started in insolvency, I felt I was behind people of my age by almost ten years. For that reason, I worked particularly hard to progress as soon as possible to catch up, getting CAANZ and ARITA Advanced Insolvency courses done at the first possible opportunities, becoming the first small business restructuring practitioner with insolvency background in early 2023 and obtaining the unlimited liquidator registration two years later.
What’s more, I am fortunate enough to have been working with fantastic practitioners and mentored by great role models in the past decade. This combination of internal and external drives helped me get to where I am today.
Q. What advice would you provide to your younger self?
You’ve done well.
Don’t be so harsh on yourself.
Enjoy life more.
Q. What has been your most memorable moment during your career?
There are a number of memorable moments:
just to name a few.
It is too hard to pick the most memorable, and I’m sure there will be many more memorable moments to come.
Q. What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
That Small Business Restructuring would take off from the end of 2023!
Q. What’s an interesting fact about you?
The first time I visited Australia was the day I moved here.
Q. What made you get your Liquidator’s ticket?
The belief that “She is a bad lady who doesn’t dream of becoming a queen”, plus the encouragement and support from the lovely people around me