Ark Wu - Financing Manager, Huawei

Name: Ark Wu
Company: Huawei
Industry: ICT
Position: Financing Manager
 
1) What are your main responsibilities?
Financing sales refers to the situation where the customer (telecom operator) has clear or potential network construction needs but lacks funds, Huawei through the use of various financing methods and coordination of various financial resources, designs solutions for the customer so as to facilitate the conclusion of the transaction, achieve sales target, increase profits, and other objectives, as well as effectively avoid or reduce the risk of the whole process.
The financing methods mainly divided into international trade financing and medium and long-term export loans and so on. In order to solve the cash flow problems of Huawei customers, my duty as a financing manager is to work together with customers and financial institutions based on the financing needs and facilitate their landing of financing. Therefore, they can purchase Huawei equipment.
 
2) How did you become interested in this field?

1. I have started to develop a keen interest in finance since I was a child. When I first came into contact with finance, I read a book called "Currency Wars" from my father's collection. The book said that capital is the most important factor in determining the direction of the world. The underlying reasons behind all major events are mostly economic. Thus, I have the preliminary idea of studying finance and exploring the nature of the world.
2. Upon learning finance during my undergraduate study, I have a deeper understanding of corporate finance and a deeper interest in it. I was curious about how such giants like DLG could ruin the capital market; how those industry leaders such as Lenovo, Vanke, Ali and Huawei rose step by step; which companies in China today are in the limelight and which ones will go to the end of the road, etc. These are all interesting and thought-provoking topics to me.
3. After 2 years of stay at Huawei's sales finance department, I know much more about corporate finance and project finance. Yet, I still hope to further equip my professional skills and understanding of the enterprise and excavation, so that my project analysis can be more comprehensive and profound.
   
   

3) What current trends in the field should the youth know about/be aware of?
Amid of the epidemic, graduates face more and more competition in job-seeking as recruiting is down and the companies’ selection requirements become more and more strict. Needless to say, education is the key threshold – whether students hold a bachelor degree from an elite university or whether they have a postgraduate degree.
 
4) What skills or abilities, and personal attributes are suitable or essential in your job/this field?
i) Skills / Abilities
Ability to handle interpersonal relationships because the department I am in is the front-office of the company, and I need to deal with our customers, like banks, as well as the middle and back-office of the company on a daily basis. In addition to having relevant professional knowledge, good interpersonal skills are no doubt important to me. 
ii) Personal Attributes
Not afraid to overcome challenges and come up with solutions. The greater the challenges you are given, the greater your potential opportunities are. At the same time, by overcoming the many challenges, emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills will be greatly improved.
 
5) What kinds of accomplishments tend to be valued and rewarded in this field?
The importance of 5G is self-evident, and it has become the storm center of future geopolitical and national games.
 
6) What advice would you offer to youngsters who are considering this type of job (or field)?
I believe that students majoring in finance have two main choices upon graduation: on one hand, to enter into a financial institution; on the other hand, to enter into an enterprise and take up some financial positions. The biggest obstacle for students entering a company is to be familiar with the industry in which the company is located. Take me as an example: although what I do is financing, because Huawei is an ICT equipment manufacturer, I have to equip myself with other essential knowledge such as 5G, fibre optics, base stations, etc. Otherwise, I would not be able to smoothly carry out business and communicate with all parties. Before I joined the company, I had to polish up my knowledge to go from 0 to 1. After joining the company, I utilize the company's platform to continue acquiring relevant knowledge so that I can have a better picture of the industry I am in. Likewise, it is very important for everyone to gain a deeper understanding of the industry in which they are going to work and this will help them in the future.
 
7) What is your life motto?
Swift as the wind, Quiet as the forest, Conquer like the fire, Steady as the Mountain.