Team Spotlight – Robby Cangco

Welcome to our Team Spotlight Series, where we showcase the individuals behind CharterNet Rothsay. Today, we are pleased to introduce Robby Cangco, Accountant.

How did you come to join the CharterNet Rothsay family?

During the pandemic I had my own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn’t survive due to people not wanting others in their homes. So I decided to put my resume on Seek and two weeks later I received a call from Tony, the former COO of Rothsay. I was surprised to get a job during the pandemic, but I’m grateful for the opportunity.

If you weren’t an accountant, what would you be doing?

My first career choice was actually to become a teacher. I was particularly interested in majoring in history, specifically Philippines history. Accounting was my second degree, and before that, I had studied IT.

What specifically drew you to the history of the Philippines?

It’s interesting because of the many different influences. The country was predominantly Muslim, but with Spanish colonisation things began to change. At the same time, the southern part of the country still has those origins and connects with Malaysia and Indonesia, among others.

Can you share something about yourself that someone wouldn’t know?

When I watch a movie and someone smokes on the screen, I can actually smell the smoke and feel the dust in my head. It’s been happening since I was in middle school.

What’s your favourite movie?

The first movie I ever saw and went to the cinema to see: Free Willy. Also love Happy Feet. I love the message where all the penguins except the main character can sing, but the main guy can dance. It shows that it doesn’t matter if I can’t sing, I have another ability to show you and I can showcase that.

What about music?

I really enjoy Christian music. The Fray are awesome, and Coldplay are brilliant too. Back when I was in the Philippines, I saw them play in Singapore. It was actually cheaper to travel and stay over there compared to seeing them in the Philippines, which was too VIP!

Does your Christian faith come into how you work and your career goals?

It really does. Everything I do has to be to a certain standard that would please God. I believe that if you do the right thing, everything will fall into place. There’s an important element of accountability as well – if certain things are not really aligned with morality then I tend to not do it. It’s about integrity.

What are your personal goals for this year?

I want to finish the CA program, which will take me two more years. It’s important to me because it broadens my understanding of how businesses work and helps me develop and fully utilise my skills. I think it’s crucial to have a grasp of ethics in business, risk mitigation in technology, and using data to produce reports that tell the client a story. My faith also plays a big role in how I work and my career goals, so I want everything I do to align with my morality and values.

If you had a million dollars to spend in three days – and you had to spend all of it, not just invest it – what would you do?

I would buy a property and support my family first, and then donate half of the money to my church, which doesn’t have a building yet. If there’s anything left over, I would go on a European tour and visit all the castles and old buildings I’ve been dreaming about, especially in Croatia.