ABOUT
Finance & operations leadership for organisations navigating growth, complexity, and constraint.
Li Ling is a New Zealand-based senior finance and operations executive with an entrepreneurial background, working at the intersection of finance, operations, and leadership to translate strategy and intent into financially sound, sustainable decisions.
For founders, CEOs, leadership teams and Boards
I work alongside founders and leaders who want a trusted, senior partner to help them:
– clarify strategy and direction,
– translate vision into operating and financial reality,
– design operating models that are viable, sustainable and scalable,
– and make difficult prioritisation decisions with confidence.
This may be in an advisory, fractional, or time-bound leadership capacity, depending on the organisation’s stage and needs.
For large commercial organisations and their Boards
I operate in senior finance and operations roles within established organisations. There is genuine accountability for organisational performance. Financial sustainability and operational effectiveness are also prioritized.
In these contexts, I contribute to:
– enterprise-level decision-making,
– funding and resourcing trade-offs,
– governance and performance discipline,
– and strengthening how the organisation works as a system.
Let’s chat!
I value clear thinking, good judgement, and financial rigour, alongside care for people and context. I’m interested in building organisations that perform well without losing sight of the humans within them.
If you’re a founder or leader navigating growth, change, or complexity and want a thoughtful, senior conversation, you’re welcome to get in touch.
If you’re exploring finance-anchored leadership capability within a commercial or purpose-driven organisation, I’m open to conversations where there is clarity of scope, accountability, and intent.
LATEST BLOG POSTS
MY WAY OF WORKING
Operational, financial, business & systems thinking that cares for people, with a strong sense of empathy, compassion, social responsibility. Using numbers & data to make better decisions, inform strategy and actions. Presenting data in a digestible way, that tells a story.
Open to improvement, pivots, change. Adjustment and flexibility, looking to do things better. Being realistic & pragmatic, valuing time. Good planning, less unnecessary fire fighting, increasing time & space for value add.
Connecting the dots, connecting people to others. Collaborating & communicating. Understanding the bigger picture and how different parts of business and community interact. Respecting and valuing diversity & multiculturalism.
I AM A
Commercial Generalist. I have a variety of skills over broad areas of finance*, business, systems, operations. I am quick to learn and invest time in understanding what the needs are.
Fan of business. Business energises me and I geek out on it. I see business and money as a way to address issues or needs in society. They provide a vehicle to change the world, to provide opportunities and to care for others.
Creative at heart, visual thinker, dreamer-doer. I love to dream, will dream with you, and make things happen. I value art, design, aesthetics & creative processes. Visual, website, information, system, process, user experience design bring joy.
Curious, inquisitive learner. I like to explore, question, learn new things, discover how the world works, learn by trying. I collaborate with you & the team, and value learning from others.
*I’m a finance generalist with interests in strategy, performance & management accounting, planning, and forecasting. I am not a technical financial accountant or tax specialist.
EDUCATION
My aspirations were Veterinary Science or Design. But I was drawn to how business & tech enables things to happen. They cross borders & sectors, allow for versatility & creativity, and are still necessary in economic ups or downs.
Bachelor of Commerce & Administration in Accounting, Information Systems, Commercial Law. Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Associate Chartered Accountant member of Institute of Chartered Accountants New Zealand & Australia.
I’VE WORKED WITH
BUSINESSES & SOCIAL IMPACT START UPS
Chief Financial Officer (fixed term), Abel Odor
Abel is a forward thinking fragrance house that was born in Amsterdam and now calls Wellington home. It inspires positive change by creating the world’s best 100% natural perfume, without compromising on ethics or aesthetics, pushing at the boundaries of art, ethics and natural science. You can find Abel in a thoughtful edit of the world’s top stores, across 33 countries.
Chief Financial Officer (fixed term), Nisa
New Zealand made underwear and clothing social enterprise, providing employment to former refugees and migrants.
Founder & Programme Director
A foreign language school that offered programmes and a curriculum that covered 8-years of childhood, with multiple proficiency levels. It became a community for babies, children of all ages and their families. I created a school from scratch as it simply had not been done in this way before, in New Zealand or Australia. I greatly value education, providing opportunities to children, and learning through play & doing, and whilst not a teacher, had a strong vision of what enjoyable, accessible & socially interactive language learning would look like.
Operations / General Manager & first staff member, Kaibosh
Kaibosh is New Zealand’s first food rescue organisation, operating in Wellington, the Hutt Valley, Kāpiti and Horowhenua. I was employed by the founders to set up its operations.
Founder / Director
Social enterprise producing limited design t-shirt ranges that partnered with national & regional non-profit organisations to provide a fundraising channel through a consumer market: Mental Health Foundation, World Vision, Plunket, Wellington City Mission.
NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS
Board member, English Language Partners
National non-profit organisation and education provider in New Zealand that teaches English to people from former refugee and migrant backgrounds, providing excellent English language education in context for everyday life and work.
Performance, Planning & Systems Analyst, Workbridge
Workbridge is the largest New Zealand-owned employment service for people with a disability or health condition. Performance reporting, planning, contract management, business process set up and improvement, customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
Finance & Business Development Manager, Wesley Community Action
A Wellington region agency pioneering innovative approaches to social justice and helping to create just and caring communities. Services range from community housing, eldercare, youth work to fruit & vegetable cooperatives, community empowerment, anti-P initiatives and more!
CORPORATE & GOVERNMENT
Finance & Performance Business Partner, Crown Law
Customer-facing role based in the Finance team at Crown Law, the legal advisors to the New Zealand Government. Working with people from across the organisation on business as usual work and projects.
Business Analyst, BNZ
Performance & Planning team of BNZ Investments & Insurances. Management, performance and Board reporting, improving the insurance database system.
Systems Accountant, Fonterra
Global performance reporting, including the development of a global strategic planning system at New Zealand Milk, the consumer-side of Fonterra’s business.
Lì Líng Ho 