Interview Highlights & Takeaways:
- 🎯 How Favor Lee went from auditor to Director of Tax Growth
- 🌎 Her journey as an international student and how she broke into public accounting
- 👩👧👦 Navigating work-life integration as a first-time mom
- 📈 Making a fearless career pivot into business development — without sales experience!
I had the pleasure of speaking with Favor Lee on Episode #87 of the CPA Career Paths podcast. Favor is currently the Director of Tax Growth at Lido Advisors, and her story is one of resilience, reinvention, and remarkable career shifts — from Korea to the Big Four, from auditor to business development leader, and from stay-at-home mom back into public accounting.
Discovering Accounting as an International Student
Favor originally studied engineering in Korea, but her entrepreneurial spirit pulled her in another direction. After receiving a scholarship to study in the U.S., she pivoted to business and almost chose marketing — until a friend suggested accounting.
“If you want a really good job, you should do accounting,” her friend told her. “And I thought, oh really? You can get a job?”
As an international student, stability mattered. She chose accounting and never looked back.
Breaking Into Public Accounting During a Recession
Favor landed a job at Deloitte despite the 2007 financial crisis — and the challenge of visa sponsorship.
“Some firms stopped sponsoring altogether,” she explained. “But thankfully, Deloitte still did.”
At Deloitte, she rose to audit manager and faced her first big leadership challenge: managing a difficult team member while learning how to lead with empathy.
“It wasn’t just about the workpapers. It was about the human connection. I grew so much from that.”
Leaving Public for Motherhood — and Finding Her Way Back
After having her first child, Favor left Deloitte to be a stay-at-home mom — but soon realized that balance looked different for her.
“I’m a better mom when I’m working,” she said. “Being a 100% mom at home and a 100% professional at work — that integration worked better for me.”
She re-entered the workforce through private industry but quickly missed the fast-paced, people-centered energy of public accounting.
A Courageous Career Pivot Into Business Development
While recovering from surgery, Favor had a moment of clarity: audit wasn’t her long-term path. She wanted more human connection, more strategy — and more impact.
With no sales background, she asked her managing partner for a shot at business development.
“He almost fell out of his chair,” she laughed. “I was the audit manager just weeks before.”
But he gave her a chance — and Favor soared.
Final Thoughts & Advice
Favor’s journey is a powerful reminder that career paths don’t have to be linear — they just have to be yours.
“You can have it all — just not all at once,” she shared. “In each season, ask yourself: where am I called to be right now?”
📩 Join the Journey
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