Liza Man
Shanghai
Summary
Internal Audit leader with 18 years of experience forged in both public accounting and global corporate environments. My core passion is moving beyond traditional compliance to position internal audit as a value-added strategic partner, essential for achieving the organization's most critical business goals.
Solid track record in internal audit management, streamlining processes to enhance operational efficiency. Led successful audits that identified key areas for improvement and compliance adherence. My vision is to lead functions that are predictive, not just reactive.
Overview
2026
2026
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Head of Internal Control and Profit Protection GCA
Adidas
Shanghai
2023 - Current
- Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.
- Skilled at working independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
- Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Strengthened communication skills through regular interactions with others.
Career Break
01.2018 - 01.2020
- Stay at home Mom for 2 children under 5 years old, with main focus on negotiation, conflict management, multitasking and perfecting communication skills. Completed the 200-hours Yoga Teacher Training and became a certified yoga instructor. Professionally, continue to provide mentoring sessions to alumni network, providing professional advice on risk assessments and internal controls, and career paths for new moms.
Head of Internal Audit - Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD)
01.2012 - 10.2017
- Part of the Global Internal Audit Leadership Team reported to VP of Internal Audit & Controls. Led a team of seven seasoned internal auditors, and managed external consultants (PwC & KPMG). Key stakeholders were global function heads, market MDs and CFOs.
- Key responsibilities
- Formulation and ownership of annual audit plan, which entailed alignment with global function heads, markets’ MDs and all other relevant stakeholders.
- Responsible for the entire audit process -risk assessment, planning, execution, completion and remediation. Led closing meetings to ensure all issues were aligned with key stakeholders. Responsible for the issuance of audit reports to stakeholders and executive summary to Corporate Controller and Corporate CFO.
- Drove Internal Audit strategies and initiatives – e.g., global risk assessment at Board level, development of new audit report formats, refinement of remediation process, preparation of presentations to Corporate Controller and Corporate CFO, etc.
- Recruitment of team members, people management, people development (including training, short-term secondment to global functions to enrich their understanding of the functions’ processes, regional exchange for cultural exposure, etc), and salary review of all team members.
- Management of annual budget of US$2.5M, which covered the negotiations and building of external consultants (PwC, KPMG), salaries of the team, overheads of running the Hong Kong location, IT costs, travel costs for audit projects and leadership meetings.
- Provision of advisory services to functional teams and markets for process optimization.
- Speaker at the Annual Middle East & Africa Finance Conference, responsible for providing Compliance and Fiduciary training to market CFOs and MDs.
- Achievements
- Developed a two-year global franchisee audit strategy, in response to evolving Corporate risk profile, to ensure franchisee’ compliance with McDonald’s standards and use of intellectual properties. Successfully piloted the audit program in Middle East and subsequently rolled out to Europe and Asia.
- Maximized efficiency and connectivity, orchestrated across business functions to consolidate five markets’ accounting units into one Shared Service Center.
- Partnered with cross-functional leadership to perform holistic risk assessment across all major functions of McDonald’s.
- Developed and piloted the global FCPA audit program by partnering with Corporate Compliance leads and external consultant (KPMG).
- Led fiduciary and internal controls training of cross-market leadership, optimizing expertise across the organization.
Regional Internal Audit Manager
WPP Asia Pacific (LSE: WPP, NASDAQ: WPPGY)
01.2011
- Reported to Director of Internal Audit and Regional Risk Officer – Asia Pacific. Key responsibilities include leading internal controls reviews, operational reviews and fraud investigations; formulation of annual audit plan employing a risk-based approach based on unique country and sector risks, SOX rating, and other case-specific factors; and communications of results to market CFO, regional CFO and VP of Internal Audit.
- Achievements
- Led fraud investigations across Asia-Pacific, uncovering fraud in India, China and Philippines, prompting the termination of CFOs, MDs and GMs.
- Formulated and executed audit plans employing a risk-based approach based on unique country and sector risks, SOX rating, and other case-specific factors.
- Oversaw contract compliance across the group’s companies and managed vendor relationships: media, production, creative agencies and data investment companies.
Audit Manager
Meloni Hribal Tratner LLP – Los Angeles
Los Angeles
01.2007 - 01.2010
- Key responsibilities include managing annual financial audits, financial reviews and financial compilations; consultations on internal controls and process improvement; formulation of cash flow forecast, pro-forma financials for financing negotiations with banks.
- Achievements
- Became the go-to-manager to provide internal controls consultations to clients with the goal to improve the quality and efficiency of their financial reporting process.
- Successful negotiations of new bank financing through cash flow analysis.
Senior Associates
PricewaterhouseCoopers - Los Angeles and Hong Kong
Los Angeles
01.2001 - 01.2007
- Key responsibilities include leading annual integrated and financial statement audits of public and private companies; assessment on Sarbanes-Oxley compliance; review of Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports; and drafting of professional correspondence.
- Achievements
- Appointed as the acting manager for a major listed client as a senior associate and worked directly with the lead engagement partner.
- Secondment to PwC Los Angeles based on consistent high performance.
Education
BBA -
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WISkills
- Audit planning
- Internal controls Framework
- Risk Management
- Compliance
- Business Partnering/Alignment
- People Management
- Team building and leadership
- Project Management
- Process Governance and Enhancement
Certification
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Member of CalCPA
LANGUAGE
English – Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese) – Fluent
German - Beginner
Timeline
Career Break
01.2018 - 01.2020
Head of Internal Audit - Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD)
01.2012 - 10.2017
Regional Internal Audit Manager
WPP Asia Pacific (LSE: WPP, NASDAQ: WPPGY)
01.2011
Audit Manager
Meloni Hribal Tratner LLP – Los Angeles
01.2007 - 01.2010
Senior Associates
PricewaterhouseCoopers - Los Angeles and Hong Kong
01.2001 - 01.2007
Head of Internal Control and Profit Protection GCA
Adidas
2023 - Current
BBA -
University of Wisconsin-Madison
adidas SUPERSTARS AWARD - Integrity 2024
"During a period of intense negative media coverage stemming from a major compliance case in Greater China, I proactively led initiatives to raise awareness of internal controls and reinforce compliance culture across the organization. I developed clear, engaging communication campaigns, facilitated targeted training sessions, and partnered with leadership to address employee concerns transparently. These efforts not only restored confidence internally but also strengthened our control environment, positioning the company for long-term resilience and regulatory trust."