Rex Chen, a former Audit & Assurance Partner at Deloitte China and current CFO and president of ATRenew (AiHuiShou).
Year of 2023 marks Rex's 21st year in his professional career. Reflecting on his experience of joining Deloitte right after graduation, he still vividly remembers it. Majoring in International Shipping at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Rex was deeply moved by the speech given by the then partner, Hong Ting'an, at a Campus Talk. Hong Ting'an introduced, "Deloitte is an accounting firm with an inclusive culture; we warmly welcome fresh talents from non-accounting and audit & assurance backgrounds to join us." This presentation gave Rex a deeper understanding of Deloitte. Despite the significant difference between his major and audit work, Rex still applied for an audit position at Deloitte, thus embarking on his career as a CPA professional.
During the early stages of Rex's career, Chinese private enterprises were booming, and he seized the opportunity to work on overseas listing projects at a Deloitte member firm abroad. These experiences allowed Rex to be exposed to more advanced audit methods used by other Deloitte member firms and increased his experience in collaborating with teams from different cultural backgrounds and working styles.
Epilogue
Rex left four pieces of advice for the younger generation at Deloitte China:
During his time at Deloitte, Rex enjoyed playing basketball and soccer with colleagues during his spare time. Nowadays. Rex has developed a taste for solitary activities: reading biographies of historical figures and modern history books to enrich his knowledge system and gain inspiration for deep thinking. He persists in running, understanding the allure of marathons for runners. Solitude provides Rex with a different space, allowing his soul to find peace in self-reflection.