Touching Base with Kiera, Head of Operations
‘This environment really encourages people to reach their potential’: Meet Kiera Lin, TG0’s head of operations
Hi Kiera! Where are you from?
I come from a small town in China. My parents ran a restaurant together, so it was my grandparents who mostly brought up my little brother and I. He’s two years younger than me and is currently studying in Japan. My childhood was a little bit boring, there’s not much to tell!
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I don’t think I had any idea really, but I knew I was not good at maths and science. Those subjects never really appealed to me. I’m not sporty but I was good at Chinese and I’ve always loved reading. My favourite book, if I had to pick one, is probably Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore. We also learned English at school from a young age and I found I was quite good at it. We started out with simple songs such as ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’.
You studied accounting and finance at Fujian Jiangxia University – did you decide you liked maths after all?
I still don’t think I’m good at maths, but as I got older I found I was ok at playing with numbers. And frankly speaking, I didn’t feel like I had many other options. I didn’t want to go into technology and I didn’t want to do English or Chinese at university. I decided on accounting because every business needs an accountant. And the course was ok, I didn’t find it too difficult. We studied basic bookkeeping and accounts, as well as a little bit about strategy. I didn’t feel there was much in the way of practical application until the final year when we were able to do a short internship with a local company. I did mine with an accounting agency, which made me realise that I definitely didn’t want to do this as a career! I could see what life was going to be like if I continued down that path and I knew I needed to do something different.
When did you come to the UK?
After my internship, when I realised I wasn’t going to become an accountant, I started looking into doing a Master’s degree. In China, it’s a lengthy process and I had missed the deadline. Most people spend six months preparing for the exam that everyone needs to take before they apply for a specific course. If you pass, you can then meet with the professors for a face-to-face interview at your chosen university. If you’re successful, you then apply for a place on a Master’s course.
I had missed all of that. I could have deferred for a year but I really didn’t want to, so I started looking into the option of studying abroad. There were quite a few people from my small town that had already done it so it wasn’t a foreign concept, and I had family in the UK and Australia. In the end, I went with the UK because of the cultural history, and the opportunity to travel around Europe. I’ve been enjoying the experience so far. I haven’t done as much travelling as I expected to but I really like exploring the UK coast and the countryside. I’ve also taken up hiking since moving here.
Tell us more about your master’s degree?
I had two offers but chose to study for an Msc in international management at the University of London. We learned about HR, marketing, cost management, and accounting and finance. I found those latter modules quite easy, given my undergraduate degree! My final dissertation was about the retail evolution in China. There was a lot going on at the time around online commerce, with brands selling and distributing beyond their own websites.
How did you hear about TG0 and what appealed to you about the company?
After finishing my Master’s degree, I set up a consultancy called FinTech Bond with a friend from my course. The idea was to help UK-based fintechs explore opportunities in China, but it never really got off the ground. What it did do though was encouraged me to go to lots of networking events in London, and it was there that I met Ming Kong [the co-founder of TG0].
I didn’t really know anything about the company and couldn’t work out what TG0 did from the website, but I liked Ming and was inspired by the way he talked about the technology. The team was really small – maybe only 10 people – but they needed an office manager. When Ming offered me a part time position, I was happy to say yes.
How has your role evolved over the past eight years?
It’s changed a lot. Initially, I was doing a lot of the admin work, basic bookkeeping, and ordering anything non-technical the team needed. The role quickly became full time, and then I was promoted to general manager. More recently, I’ve become the head of operations as the job has expanded. I have a team member now who handles the more basic administrative work, but I still oversee the tax filing, annual accounts preparation, financial projections, and the cost management for all of our projects. I also handle much of the HR workflow, and I’m part of the management team so am involved at a more strategic level. I’m keen to explore the strategic planning side more going forwards.
What do you enjoy most about working at TG0?
We have a really good team culture, and we all help each other to overcome any challenges we meet. Both of the directors give us a lot of flexibility and trust us to do our jobs, which gives you space to explore what you want to do. This environment really encourages people to reach their potential.
Tell us one thing your colleagues wouldn’t know about you?
Some of them may know this but I’m really into powerlifting. I train four times a week and am aiming to attend a competitive meet this year. My current personal best is 120kg deadlift and 135kg bench press but I’m always pushing to lift more.
