This blog series celebrates the remarkable women leaders who play a pivotal role in shaping Securitas into the company it is today. As part of this series, we're shining a light on the women who are breaking barriers and leading the way across our organization. Through their stories and professional journeys, you can gain valuable insights into life at Securitas, learn from their experiences, and uncover the tips and lessons they've gained along the way.
In this edition, meet Audrey Deng, vice president of treasury. She was born and raised in China and is an Australian citizen. Now living in Dublin, Ireland, she has spent nearly two decades in treasury, gaining vast experience in the field from capital markets and other funding transactions, cash management, and corporate restructurings. Her ultimate goal is to transform treasury into a best-in-class function through innovation, digitalization, and collaboration.
Learn more about Audrey’s goals and insights by reading the full interview.
Q&A with Audrey Deng
What are your current professional goals and how do you hope to achieve them?
My entire career has been spent in corporate treasury. This is something I’m good at and I enjoy doing. Working in treasury is all about taking good care of money and managing the risk associated with that. We play an important role in the business, but treasury is typically behind the scenes.
We are heard but not seen – unless things go wrong. In this context, we are more than happy to be invisible. But I want to begin changing this perception. So, my long-term goal is to make ourselves, a niche function, more relevant to the business community. And the answer is definitely not to let things go wrong!
For me, being relevant means finding more areas that we can add value and contribute. How? My vision is to shape the treasury center into a full-fledged internal bank. In the basic treasury areas – including taking deposits, lending money, exchanging currencies – we are aiming to implement cutting-edge solutions to replace external banks as much as possible.
Evolving to become an internal bank is a big leap, but we are excited and confident to embark on this new journey. Through innovation, digitalization and collaboration, we will make this vision come to life.
How do you help others to lead? What advice do you have for aspiring leaders?
Inspiring others to perform is an essential skill for leaders. My tip is to encourage team success rather than focus on individual accomplishment. If you, as a leader, keep your eyes on team success, trust me, you won’t miss the other areas. Empowerment, coaching, motivation, recognition – all will come out naturally.
How have others encouraged you throughout your career?
The people closest to me have had a big influence on my career path. My family, friends, colleagues, and industry peers all play a role. Working with ambitious people who always aim for self-transcendence encourages me to keep pushing the boundaries. Along the curves and bumps in my journey, I have been fortunate to have mentors to steer me in the right direction, to get me back on track, and to cheer me on at the finish line – I’m grateful!
What inspires you most about the security industry?
Living in such a modern world is a lot of fun. The rapid development of science and technology adds luster to our lives – we see or hear new products and new solutions virtually every day. But despite all of these wonderful technological advancements, the world is far from perfect. Fortunately, we have people dedicated to protecting us. With the expertise, sense of mission, and passion for security, they’re working hard to make the places we live, work, study, and travel safer. Isn’t that cool? I’m proud to be one of them.
What are your personal goals?
My life goal is to find happiness and derive the most satisfaction from my work. There are times when life demands more attention, and other times when work takes precedence. The key is to remain focused on the task at hand and to find joy in the process. Celebrate achievements and navigate through challenges with resilience. Life is a journey, and work is an integral part of it. Strive to make your life meaningful and unique to you and embrace it fully!
