As a Senior Financial Analyst, Internal Controls at Molson Coors, Wendy Yue has a role with a lot of responsibility.
“I ensure that there are controls in place to support our Canadian business operations and help prevent errors in the financial statements,” she says.
Her role also involves a lot of liaison work, as she’s responsible for checking and fine-tuning details while maintaining a sense of the big picture. “I work closely with individuals all over the business,” Wendy explains, “as well as external auditors and the Global Internal Controls team.”
According to Wendy, this balance of formal analytic work and interpersonal engagement is what makes Molson Coors a great fit for her skills and personality.
“And of course, the free beer,” she adds.
A career passion
“I have always been interested in finance as it gives you a lot of insight into a business’ operations and financial health,” Wendy says.
Eager to develop formal skills, Wendy completed a Bachelor of Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University and obtained her CA designation with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. “Obtaining my BBA and CA designation helped me understand the fundamentals of business and accounting, which prepared me immensely for my current role,” she says.
With these credentials in hand, Wendy’s new knowledge of her chosen field coincided with setting her sights on a specific career path.
“I was interested in working at Molson Coors as it is a very well-known brand which has international presence,” she says. “I wanted to join a company that was consistently growing, which would allow me to constantly learn and be challenged.”
A career at Molson Coors
Wendy quickly adjusted to her new role, supported by the Manager of the Internal Controls department.
“I did not focus specifically in Internal Controls while attending university, although it was a frequent topic while obtaining my CA designation,” she explains.
“I received a lot of training in my first couple of weeks to get an understanding of the business and learning how to use our software. One-on-one meetings with my manager helped me learn the software quickly.”
After more than six months with Molson Coors, Wendy is certain that the company was the right place for her to start a career. While her work lets her draw on her education and learn from experience, she’s also thrilled to be in constant contact with her coworkers.
“My favourite thing about working at Molson Coors is the people you get to interact with on a daily basis. Everyone is very friendly and easy-going,” she says. “Workplace culture revolves around beer and being a top-tier brewer. People work hard for the company and get together after work to relax and drink beer.”
Looking ahead
Wendy says that working in finance at Molson Coors is the right fit for someone looking to develop the well-rounded skillset necessary for a successful career.
“Students and recent grads should explore a finance career with Molson Coors as it gives you a great understanding of the business and its operations,” says Wendy. “Molson Coors is open to employees moving within the business to allow you to develop your skills. When you start in a role, you can choose to explore other areas of the business and move laterally.”
She plans to take advantage of these opportunities in the future. “I would like to explore other finance roles in the business, possibly in Commercial or Supply Chain to get a more in-depth understanding of those areas of the business,” she says, adding that she’ll be able to build on her existing experience in the company.
“I can take the high-level understanding I’ve received in this role and apply it to a specific area within Molson Coors and become an expert in that area.”
Thrilled with her career start, Wendy has some insider insight to offer aspiring finance professionals.
“Be open to the many opportunities in finance,” she says. “There are so many areas where you can start and learn a lot about the business. Your first role in finance opens the doors to a lot of functional areas where you can continue to explore.”