BEIJING, Aug. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ms. Vivien Wang, Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of iHuman Inc. (NYSE: IH) ("iHuman" or the "Company"), a leading provider of tech-powered, intellectual development products in China, was recognized as "CFO of the Year 2022-2023" in the 2022-2023 Financial Performance Awards (the "Awards") presented by North American Business. This prestigious honor is a clear indication of how the capital markets recognize and value the exceptional leadership capabilities of iHuman's management team.
Ms. Wang was recognized alongside other executives from respected companies including Zach Kirkhorn, CFO of Tesla; Brian Newman, CFO of UPS; and Nick Wang, CFO of Chindata Group.
North American Business is a leading source of business and corporate news offering comprehensive information on industry trends, market updates, and insights across a broad spectrum of industries in North America and worldwide. The Awards is a well-regarded annual global event that honors companies and trailblazing executives who have significantly enhanced their business performance, achieved excellence, and successfully undergone substantial business recovery. Nominees include public and private companies, CEOs, CFOs, and other executives who made exceptional contributions to their organizations. Each nominee undergoes a rigorous assessment by a jury of institutional investors, professional managers, private equity partners, CEOs, CFOs, advisors, certified public accountants, auditors, HR leaders, industry veterans, and North American Business researchers. Nominees are assessed on four key criteria: performance, leadership, innovation, and professionalism. The Awards not only acknowledge exceptional business executives for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve but also foster knowledge-sharing and support professional development to cultivate a more dynamic and flourishing business ecosystem. The Award's seeks to create a brighter future for all by highlighting the shared qualities of exceptional leaders. By showcasing these role models, it aims to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
This award is a well-deserved honor for Ms. Wang, who has championed a number of core principles throughout her tenure as CFO of iHuman, including developing a well-crafted financial strategy to support the Company's overall strategic direction, diligently implementing executive decisions, and leading by example with courage, attentiveness, and adaptability. In her executive capacity, Ms. Wang is responsible for critical functions ranging from finance, investment, capital market operations, investor and public relations to internal control, compliance, and risk management. The award serves as a testament to her profound professional expertise and exceptional leadership in managing talent and teams within the Company. Drawing from her extensive industry experience, Ms. Wang has demonstrated adeptness in navigating diverse roles, resulting in a significant positive impact on the Company. Her accomplishments across all four award criteria have been noteworthy and contribute to her remarkable success.
Performance: iHuman achieved a remarkable financial turnaround in 2022, recording four consecutive quarters of profitability, delivering annual profit for the first time since its IPO in 2020, and posting an all-time high in quarterly revenue and average total monthly active users during the fourth quarter. Ms. Wang played an indispensable role in driving this remarkable performance by helping craft the Company's overall strategy, implementing prudent financial measures and executing strategic initiatives.
Leadership: Ms. Wang's leadership during the highly challenging IPO process in 2020 was nothing short of extraordinary. Over a mere five-month span, she successfully achieved what many thought was impossible in the capital markets during that time. Following the IPO, based on her keen awareness of evolving market dynamics, Ms. Wang initiated iHuman's strategic shift in its business model. She introduced the management principles of conducting trials at low costs and making nimble progress in small increments, enabling the Company to flexibly and efficiently optimize resources while continuing to explore new growth opportunities. Under Ms. Wang's leadership, the finance team closely aligned with business units and provided robust financial models to support the ongoing optimization from a more business-oriented perspective. This effectively facilitated critical executive decision-making when facing strategic opportunities. As a result, iHuman not only achieved a remarkable financial turnaround in 2022, but also drove revenue and other key business metrics to new heights. Additionally, Ms. Wang played a pivotal role in expanding iHuman into multiple new businesses through strategic investments, partnerships, and business development initiatives. Beyond her financial expertise, Ms. Wang demonstrated exceptional leadership by actively contributing to the Company's high-level product development efforts – an unconventional role for a CFO. Engaging in weekly business meetings and key project discussions, she drove innovations that were later incorporated into products and offered valuable insights and recommendations for project development. In terms of high-level strategic decision-making, Ms. Wang's industry perspective and strategic guidance have been instrumental in shaping the Company's direction and product pipeline development.
Innovation: Under Ms. Wang's leadership, innovation has emerged as a core value within the finance department. To better support decision-making and streamline business operations, she spearheaded a refined approach to financial management, empowering the finance team to take a more active role. Embracing a digital transformation vision, Ms. Wang led the team to integrate informatization, automation and intelligent processes into the Company's financial and operational data. High-quality operational data and financial simulation play a pivotal role in decision-making, providing valuable guidance for the Company's overall strategic direction. By closely monitoring projects in real-time and identifying critical factors within the business, the team has developed models that improve optimization and facilitate well-informed decision-making for each project and strategic initiative. Furthermore, Ms. Wang has led the team in harnessing the transformative power of cutting-edge big data and AI technologies to develop robust systems for algorithmic risk control and investment and financing assessment. These initiatives have fostered deeper integration between finance and business, driving the Company's digital transformation. The improvements in timeliness and visibility of data have empowered iHuman to make quick and effective strategic decisions in a dynamic capital markets landscape, leading to enhanced growth and value creation opportunities.
Professionalism: With extensive industry experience spanning more than 20 years in investment, finance, and capital markets, Ms. Wang brings valuable insights with her role. Her keen attention to economic developments and industry trends positions her as a key contributor to the Company's macro strategy, ensuring that no valuable growth opportunities are overlooked. Meanwhile, Ms. Wang's background as an auditor has instilled in her meticulous attention to detail and a strong command of financial figures. This proficiency enables her to identify risks effectively, establish robust compliance mechanisms, and continuously enhance the Company's operational and management efficiency while prudently managing policy and industry risks. During the early stages of her career, she gained valuable experience while working with renowned global companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Autodesk Inc. Ms. Wang's time working and studying in the U.S. further enriched her knowledge and skills, providing her a broader perspective on global business, strategic vision, and professional management—all of which are crucial assets for a rapidly growing company like iHuman. Ms. Wang leverages her unique perspective to serve as the Company's public face across many roles including investor and public relations. Through skilled and effective communication with capital markets, she has significantly strengthened iHuman's equity brand.
Throughout the years, Ms. Wang has earned widespread recognition and numerous prestigious awards for her remarkable achievements and outstanding contributions to the industry. These awards include Top Board Secretary, Outstanding Board Secretary for Capital Operations, Best Board Secretary, Excellent Board Secretary, Industry Influencer and Best Young Role Model from respected organizations and influential media outlets such as New Fortune, Securities Times, Shanghai Securities News, Sina Finance and the China Finance Summit. Her significant impact on mutual funds and other institutional investors in China was honored with New Fortune's Institutional Choice Award, an esteemed accolade given to only ten board secretaries among thousands from companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. In 2022, due to her outstanding performance in corporate financial management and capital operations, Ms. Wang received two more high-profile awards—Female CFO of the Year and Outstanding IPO Case of the Year—each of which was only awarded to five individuals among the top 100 CFOs of U.S.- and Hong Kong-listed companies, granted by the highly regarded financial magazine, Barron's China. Ms. Wang was more recently featured as one of the top nine "Mulan" female entrepreneurs in a special "Mulan in the Business World" issue of China Entrepreneur magazine, a renowned publication under China Economic Daily. Additionally, she was presented with the 2023 Digital Transformation Leadership Award at the 12th China Finance Summit.
About iHuman Inc.
iHuman Inc. is a leading provider of tech-powered, intellectual development products in China that is committed to making the child-upbringing experience easier for parents and transforming cognitive development into a fun journey for children. Benefiting from a deep legacy that combines over two decades of experience in the parenthood industry, superior original content, advanced high-tech innovation DNA and research & development capabilities with cutting-edge technologies, iHuman empowers parents with tools to make the child-upbringing experience more efficient. iHuman's unique, fun and interactive product offerings stimulate children's natural curiosity and exploration. The Company's comprehensive suite of innovative and high-quality products include self-directed apps, interactive content and smart devices that cover a broad variety of areas to develop children's abilities in speaking, critical thinking, independent reading and creativity, and foster their natural interest in traditional Chinese culture. Leveraging advanced technological capabilities, including 3D engines, AI/AR functionality, and big data analysis on children's behavior & psychology, iHuman believes it will continue to provide superior experience that is efficient and relieving for parents, and effective and fun for children, in China and all over the world, through its integrated suite of tech-powered, intellectual development products.
For more information about iHuman, please visit https://ir.ihuman.com/.
SOURCE iHuman Inc.