Fast Five with Vicky Lee

Sydney School of Entrepreneurship has recently welcomed Vicky Lee to the position of Director, Finance – Vicky comes to SSE with a wealth of experience in the financial world and education sector.

We sat down with Vicky to talk about what drew her to SSE, her best pieces of advice, and how she stays motivated.

How did you hear about SSE?  What attracted you to the Director, Finance role?

I came across SSE on LinkedIn through my connection with the CEO, Dr Sarah Jones. In the past, I’ve mostly worked in established organisations in the education industry, so with SSE being relatively young in its journey, it’s something different and new but still in the education space so familiar at the same time. I love the collaborative nature of the organisation and how positively it engages with everyone in the ecosystem.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received, personally or professionally?

My grandmother was a Buddhist and taught me from a young age to always be grateful for what I have - to give back when I can and most of all to live a purposeful life.

How do you stay motivated?

That next purchase! No, I am highly motivated most of the time. I will rest if I ever feel unmotivated and think about why I might feel that way and get myself back on track. 

What do you think are the most needed skills and capabilities at the moment?

AI and automation have and will increasingly alter the job market. A lot of the jobs as we know it today will be replaced or become obsolete. There is an urgency to transform curriculum and experiential learning to enable seamless transition between school, tertiary and work, to keep up with what future jobs are. Enterprising mindsets, deep-thinking skills, resilience, to be adaptive as well as interpersonal and communication skills are critical.  

What are your hot tips/resources for developing financial literacy?

There are lots of different topics under the broad term financial literacy. If someone wants to develop their financial literacy, most banks like any of the big 4 have lots of practical resources about managing your money. These resources are free, and the content is short and sharp to make it easy for anyone to understand!

Bonus round – let’s play a quick game of either/or: 

• Beach or Mountain escape?–  🏖️ Definitely a beach escape.
• Music or podcasts?– Music 🎵 depends on my mood, I like a bit of Keith Urban, J-Lo, Khalid or Edith Piaf.
• Early mornings or late nights? – Early mornings but only after a coffee ☕
• Cats or dogs? - Dogs – I adopted a rescue dog from Monika’s Doggie Rescue. His name is Zorro and he is 13 years old. He enjoys long walks and his favourite toy is a hedgehog.

Thanks for your time Vicky!