Columbia Business School

National Taiwan University

Brian & Associates is a boutique accounting consulting firm that partners with early stage startups, with a focus on e-commerce and venture-backed consumer product goods. Our mission is to help our clients navigate their financial challenges and support their broader operations throughout their startup journey.

Brian & Associates

Principal

Vacation Inc.

Senior Hot Tub Romance Coordinator

•	Performed monthly financial reporting and ad-hoc analyses for startups in ecommerce, fintech and healthcare
•	Managed operational businesses: bookkeeping, vendor management, cash-flow management and payroll processing
•	Advised founders with strategic financial decisions including fundraising, budgeting, cash projections and operational processes improvement
•	Improved accounting processes, operational infrastructure and internal controls 
•	Spearheaded Startup Practice: initiated partnership with VC, Accelerator and Columbia Entrepreneurship Organization

Company

Senior Accountant

Associate

•	Drafted and edited industry and portfolio updates for quarterly reports sent to fund limited partners
•	Conducted due diligence interviews for investment recommendation; analyzed portfolio financial statements and forecasts 
•	Implemented finance structure for a joint venture with US-based portfolio company and Chinese partner; coordinated directly with company CFO, outside legal counsel and financial institutions in Hong Kong

GVT Venture Capital

MBA Associate

•	Tracked seven product financial plans, reported to senior managers and increased segment shipping volume by 39% YoY
•	Analyzed worldwide consumer notebook cost discrepancies, developed a refined monthly product P&L tracking and analysis model with NA, EMEA and Asia teams, and presented findings directly to management to improve three-year P&L forecast
•	Led a cross-functional team with six GBU finance and supply chain managers to consolidate tooling budgets; published forecast updates that resulted in 54% budget savings
•	Launched cross-BU project to develop a financial tracking module to streamline checkpoint standards and guidelines across a newly created company, HP Inc., resulting from Hewlett-Packard split into two entities 
•	Identified internal control issues to improve R&D billing/invoicing efficiency and accuracy; designed training manual and delivered sessions to R&D team to better educate standardized processes

Business Planning Senior Analyst

•	Supervised three auditors who compiled and converted audited financial reports to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption for a Taiwanese banking institution, three American/European/Japanese securities firms and a Thai PVC manufacturer
•	Performed credit review for financial examination report and issued asset appraisal report for the merger of another bank; managed a team of four auditors overseeing a Taiwanese banking group on a quarterly basis
•	Accomplished due diligence across six functional areas of a Thai wooden manufacturing company in advance of proposed IPO; audited financial quarterly reports under challenging conditions of language barriers and time constraints, that resulted in the company’s listing on Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE)

Cathy Cheng