Aspire
Leadership Offsite · June 2026

First Day · Hello

Hi, I'm Czekin.

Director, Strategic Finance — joining to partner with this team on the next chapter of growth.

Czekin Lau — excited to be here.

The 30-second version

Finance partner. Builder. AI-native operator.

14 years in finance CA (Singapore) VC · Fintech · MNC Built things from scratch

Strategic finance partner to founders and CEOs — FP&A, fundraising, M&A, and AI-native operations.

Career Journey

Four chapters that got me here.

01Audit
Where finance discipline started
Ernst & YoungAuditor
2012–13
02FMCG / MNC
Scale, brands, regional FP&A
L'Oréal · ClarinsBusiness Controller, APAC
2013–18
03Start-ups
From zero to scale to exit
WeWork · WorkmateHead of FP&A → Group Head of Finance
2019–22
04Asset Management
Funds, capital, governance
January CapitalHead of Finance · US$450M+ AUM
2023–26
05Now
The next chapter
AspireDirector, Strategic Finance
2026 →

Audit discipline · MNC commercial finance · high-growth start-up CFO seat · VC fund leadership — and now, Aspire.

Outside of work

Dad first. Builder always.

Father to a 10-year-old who keeps me curious, grounded, and honest about what actually matters outside spreadsheets.

  • Family 1 wife · 1 son · 1 cat.
  • Joys Love sports. Hate exercising.
  • Off-hours Poker player · Claude Code fan boy.
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With my son

How I like to work

Four principles I lead by.

01
Drive outcomes
A finished task isn't the goal — the outcome it unlocks is. Optimise for impact, not activity.
02
Don't stay still
What works today might not be the best in six months. Keep questioning the playbook — including my own.
03
Partner, don't police
Finance is most useful upstream of the decision — in the room, not refereeing after.
04
Build with AI
Automate the rote. Free the team for judgement work. The leverage is enormous, and it's now.

Looking forward

Excited to learn from — and build with — this team.

First-day promise: I'll listen more than I talk, ask the obvious questions, and get into the work fast.

Ask me about
  • Financial modeling
  • Fund raising
  • Raising kids with AI
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