Wen Khong
GM Finance And Technology
Brisbane,QLD
Summary
As the GM Finance at BUMA Australia, I oversee all things Finance and Technology for the business. Reporting directly to the CEO and the Board, I enjoy driving value for the business commercially and building high-performing teams.
I've built a broad foundation in mining, having held both financial and operational leadership roles, including the Production Coal Manager role, Site Improvement Manager, Finance Business Partner and Learning & Development Manager. I have a track record of building effective partnerships and achieving both financial and non-financial business goals.
I am a Chartered Accountant with a background in Audit at Ernst & Young. I have also spent time as the Investor Relations Manager for Wesfarmers, and as the Head of Finance at Coles Express.
I was the finance lead in the successful commercial negotiations with Coles Express’ largest supplier, which achieved an AUD$136M payment and materially reshaped its core business. I’ve completed the Program for Leadership Development (an alternative EMBA) at Harvard Business School in 2023.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
5
5
Certifications
2
2
Languages
Work History
GENERAL MANAGER FINANCE & TECHNOLOGY
BUMA Australia
01.2024 - Current
- Built a high-performing finance team that was focused on business partnering to deliver commercial outcomes through improved engagement, accurate and timely reporting, and stronger financial governance.
- Successfully deployed share services function for accounts payables, procurement, and admin roles, delivering significant cost reductions.
- Drove transformation agenda through Technology team with a transition from a costly outsourced managed service model to cost-effective leaner in-sourced model without reducing service levels.
IMPROVEMENT MANAGER AND LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Whitehaven Coal
01.2024 - 01.2024
- Drove Whitehaven Coal improvement initiatives to deliver production uplift and removed operational bottlenecks.
- Led the formation of the Learning & Development team through the consolidation of four separate teams to deliver a training program that will take the business from competency to proficiency.
ACTING PRODUCTION COAL MANAGER
BHP Group Limited
01.2023 - 01.2024
- In-charge of operation of the Coal Handling and Processing Plant, Coal Mining operations, and Mine Services for eight months.
MANAGER SITE IMPROVEMENT
BHP Group Limited
01.2021 - 01.2023
- Translate strategy into operational plans for Blackwater mine, and in charge of sustaining the BHP Operating System (a model which combines Lean and Agile principles) across the site.
PRINCIPAL FINANCE BUSINESS PARTNER
BHP Group Limited
01.2020 - 01.2021
- Collaborate with operational leadership as a trusted advisor to create and sustain value through commercial insights in both performance and opportunities gaps.
- Partnered with the General Manager of the site to deliver on Blackwater mine’s financial and business objectives.
- Project Lead for several business-wide Transformation initiatives, which accumulated in annualised savings of $30M for BHP.
FINANCE MANAGER - FUEL & OPS, FP&A AND FIN CONTROL
Coles Group Limited
01.2017 - 01.2020
- Remit equivalent to a Financial Controller for a company with a national network of 713 petrol kiosks (~$1B in revenue per annum).
- Partnered with the GM of Fuel and GM of Operations to drive cost reduction, revenue uplift, and efficiency opportunities.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS PARTNER
Coles Group Limited
01.2016 - 01.2017
- Founding member to the first Coles Group Business Development Team, which lead mergers, acquisitions, and disposals projects across the Group, and supported the CEO and CFO in their communications to the investment community.
- Responsible for Investor Relations and the narrative and communication of the Coles Group message to investment community.
INVESTOR RELATIONS & PLANNING ANALYST
WESFARMERS LIMITED
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Acting Investor Relations GM and in-charge of 5 market sensitive ASX releases.
- Responsible for the press release materials and communication of the Wesfarmers Ltd (FY16: $66 Billion revenue) messaging to investment community.
GROUP ACCOUNTANT & SYSTEMS ACCOUNTANT
WESFARMERS LIMITED
01.2012 - 01.2014
- The review of divisional cash flows and preparation of the management and the statutory group cash consolidation to the Board of Directors.
- Project management of ongoing systems development phases and responsible for the maintenance and development of the accounting and reporting system.
ASSISTANT MANAGER – AUDIT
ERNST & YOUNG (EY)
01.2010 - 01.2012
- Audit portfolio focused on Retail, Oil & Gas, and Mining.
- Winner of the EY Quarterly High-Performance Award (April 2011).
Education
Chartered Accountant -
Chartered Secretary -
HBS Alumni - Program for Leadership Development
01.2023
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting & Finance
Skills
Passionate Team Leader
Building Trusted Business Relationships
Change Management Lead
Strategic alignment framework
Continuous Improvement Champion
Financial analysis expertise
Complexity Translation through Performance Insights
Lean Process Improvement
Cost Reduction
Production and Efficiency Improvement
Certification
DISCOVER EXCELLENCE - Shingo Institute
Timeline
GENERAL MANAGER FINANCE & TECHNOLOGY - BUMA Australia
01.2024 - Current
IMPROVEMENT MANAGER AND LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER - Whitehaven Coal
01.2024 - 01.2024
ACTING PRODUCTION COAL MANAGER - BHP Group Limited
01.2023 - 01.2024
MANAGER SITE IMPROVEMENT - BHP Group Limited
01.2021 - 01.2023
PRINCIPAL FINANCE BUSINESS PARTNER - BHP Group Limited
01.2020 - 01.2021
FINANCE MANAGER - FUEL & OPS, FP&A AND FIN CONTROL - Coles Group Limited
01.2017 - 01.2020
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS PARTNER - Coles Group Limited
01.2016 - 01.2017
INVESTOR RELATIONS & PLANNING ANALYST - WESFARMERS LIMITED
01.2014 - 01.2016
GROUP ACCOUNTANT & SYSTEMS ACCOUNTANT - WESFARMERS LIMITED
01.2012 - 01.2014
ASSISTANT MANAGER – AUDIT - ERNST & YOUNG (EY)
01.2010 - 01.2012
Murdoch University - Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting & Finance
Chartered Accountants (ANZ) - Chartered Accountant,
Governance Institute of Australia - Chartered Secretary,
Harvard Business School - HBS Alumni, Program for Leadership Development