Rethinking Career Growth Beyond Titles and Milestones

By Chen Li Ching, Chief Financial Officer, Coca-Cola Bottling Investments Group, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei

Observed on 25 August, Malaysia’s National Women’s Day provides an opportunity to recognise the contribution of women throughout their working lives. Career progression is often assessed through visible milestones, including promotions, expanded responsibilities and leadership appointments. While these remain important, they represent only one dimension of professional development.

Over my 16 years with Coca-Cola, some of the most valuable periods of growth have taken place between formal milestones. They have involved strengthening professional judgement, applying established expertise to unfamiliar situations and developing a broader understanding of how different parts of the business influence one another.

Finance formed the foundation of my career. Technical accuracy, discipline and sound analysis were fundamental to building credibility. However, as the scope of business decisions expanded, it became increasingly important to consider factors that could not be determined through financial analysis alone. The numbers may establish whether a proposal is financially viable, but they cannot independently determine whether it addresses customer needs, can be implemented effectively or remains appropriate under changing market conditions.

This reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of business decision-making. Commercial priorities have implications for investment, production and supply chains, while regional strategies must account for the operating realities of individual markets. Identifying the most financially attractive option is therefore only part of the assessment. Equal consideration must be given to whether the organisation can execute and sustain that option.

Early in my career, mentors encouraged me to build experience across different areas of finance. Their view was that progression towards senior finance roles required not only depth in a particular specialism, but also a broad understanding of how the function operates as a whole. This encouraged me to remain open to rotations, including lateral moves, that could deepen my knowledge and prepare me for wider responsibilities.

As my responsibilities expanded, this breadth of perspective became increasingly important in understanding how decisions would operate in practice. Input from commercial, operations, manufacturing and supply chain teams provides insight into the constraints, dependencies and consequences that may not be apparent in the initial financial assessment.

Career Growth

Such experiences have influenced how I assess business decisions today. Technical rigour is strengthened when assumptions are examined against operational and commercial realities. Revising a recommendation in response to stronger information does not diminish the original analysis. It demonstrates the judgement required to arrive at a more complete assessment.

This is particularly relevant when working across Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Although the markets share broader business priorities, their operating conditions, customer requirements and commercial considerations may differ. Common frameworks provide valuable consistency, but they must be applied with sufficient judgement to reflect local circumstances.

Regional decision-making consequently involves a series of trade-offs. The most financially efficient solution may not be the most practical for a particular market, while a locally preferred approach may create implications for the wider business. The responsibility is to assess those considerations transparently, establish which priorities should remain consistent and determine where a more responsive approach is justified.

Professional growth is also reflected in how the nature of an individual’s contribution develops. At a senior level, producing high-quality work remains essential, but so does enabling others to interpret financial information with confidence, understand the reasoning behind decisions and contribute informed perspectives. Experience creates greater organisational value when it strengthens collective judgement rather than remaining concentrated within one function or individual.

Organisations can support this development by providing meaningful exposure to responsibilities beyond an employee’s immediate discipline. Formal learning remains important, but cross-functional experience and proximity to execution provide an understanding of business constraints that cannot always be developed through training alone.

This National Women’s Day is an occasion to recognise women across different roles and stages of their working lives. Titles and appointments remain important markers of progress, but they do not fully represent how a career develops. Professional growth is also evident in the quality of decisions made, the breadth of perspective developed and the ability to strengthen the contribution of others. These less visible forms of development have been central to my own experience and continue to shape how I contribute today.

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