Mazars in Singapore appoints Narissa Chen as its first female Head of Audit and Assurance

Rick Chan, Managing Partner and Head of Audit and Assurance APAC said: “I am pleased to announce Narissa as the leader of the audit and assurance practice in Singapore. Her depth of experience and commitment to nurturing high performing audit teams makes her the right person to lead our audit services in the years ahead.

“With Narissa at the helm, I am confident that the audit and assurance practice will continue to deliver exceptional services to our clients. At Mazars, we are committed to creating an environment which supports and empowers female talent, particularly at the partner level. I look forward to her leadership as our first female head of audit and assurance, in line with our goal to shape a more sustainable future.”

Narissa has over 15 years of professional experience. Prior to her appointment, Narissa served as the Deputy Head of Audit and Assurance, a role she has played since 2020.

Narissa joined Mazars in 2012 as a Senior Manager before rising to Partner in 2016. She heads the US desk, the technical and training team and oversees the human resources related matters of the audit team. Narissa was one of the pioneers of Mazars in Singapore and has played a pivotal role in the growth of the firm’s audit practice.

During her career, she has overseen audits of a large and complex entities including issuers listed on Singapore Exchange (SGX) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). A Chartered Accountant of Singapore, Narissa sits on the ISCA’s Auditing and Assurance Standards Committee (AASC). Furthermore, she regularly facilitates external webinars, as well as internal local and regional professional trainings.

As the Head of Audit and Assurance, Narissa will continue to work closely with fellow audit partners to drive the growth and development of our audit and assurance service line, as well as with partners from other service lines to strengthen the firm’s capabilities.

In her new capacity, Narissa will be responsible to drive strategic business decisions for growth, provide direction on the overall business plan, manage the business operations, collaborate and lead the audit partners to manage our talent, technical training, quality assurance and risk management.

Narissa succeeds Rick who will continue leading the audit practice at the regional level and will focus on growing the Singapore office to new heights.  

Narissa said: “It is an honour to assume this role at a time when the auditing profession enters a new era. The expectations around auditing are shifting, and auditors' roles are evolving rapidly. We are also experiencing exciting opportunities as corporate reporting shifts and new technologies emerge. In this ever-changing environment, it remains my conviction that we should never lose sight of what audit stands for and it is pivotal for the organisation to continually strengthen our quality management system to achieve it.”

“Mazars is a melting pot of talented and open individuals with unique perspectives and qualities, and through our collective leadership approach, I'm looking forward to empowering our people. I am passionate about developing future audit leaders to take Mazars to the next level of growth. As the first female head of audit and assurance, this is a meaningful opportunity for me to further build a culture that celebrates diversity and provides exciting opportunities for everyone.”

At Mazars, the diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts to improving gender balance has shown great results. In 2022, women represent 56% of our workforce in Singapore, and 54% globally.

Learn more in our latest Singapore Sustainability Report 2022