Eric Chan, CFO @ LA Clippers
Eric Chan currently serves as the CFO for the LA Clippers, where he leads the organization’s financial operations, including establishing and implementing a long-range financial strategy, policies, and goals and leading financial project management for all Clipper’s operations.
Before joining the Clippers, Eric served as CFO for The Bouqs Company and Loot Crate, where he received the Los Angeles Business Journal CFO Rising Star Award. Chan also previously served as the Senior Vice President of Finance at Mattel Inc., where he oversaw financial and operational matters across brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, and American Girl.
In this episode we spoke with Eric about the following:
Why the notion of never showing others your weakness was one of the biggest things he had to unlearn
How a references check from someone he had previously fired helped him land a job as the CFO of the Clippers
Why he transitioned from diminishing his Asian identity to embracing and leaning into it in his professional life
You can listen to him below, on Spotify, or wherever else you get to your podcasts.
On how Eric turned a challenge into one of his strengths
“Growing up, I had a major stuttering problem. Besides not speaking English well, people would make fun of me because of my stutter. I told myself early on in life I wanted to be able to speak exceptionally well, like what I saw with Martin Luther King or JFK in their speeches. I would literally talk to myself to hear my voice and hear how I articulate things. Communication is so important, especially in a world where human connection is so vital. If you cannot communicate your thoughts in a way to draw empathy or some level of connection, you are not going to be effective in life.”
On learning the importance of vulnerability
“My parents taught me never to show my weaknesses. To show that I am strong and that I will not get pushed around or get emotionally swayed. I have definitely needed to take some time to unlearn some of that stuff. One of my mentors told me later on in life that the best way to connect with others is to be as transparent and authentic as you possibly can. The biggest thing I have worked on is to be more open with others with things that are on my mind or things going on in my life. I have tried to become more vulnerable, to share aspects of my life I have failed at. People can then understand you more like a human. This is an aspect of my life I have had to unlearn, which I appreciate.”
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Until next time,
Jay and Angie