Stepping Stone — Team Block Preview

The Team

The people behind the numbers.

Senior professionals from four continents. Big 4 backgrounds, international experience, and a genuine commitment to your business. Hover to meet the team.

Stefan Focas

Managing Director

Stefan Focas

Europe

Over 20 years in professional services across Europe and Asia Pacific, including as CFO Asia Pacific for a global information industry leader. Co-founder of Stepping Stone, independent director across multiple jurisdictions, and former President of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. Stefan divides his time between Singapore and Dublin, with a particular focus on helping European businesses enter ASEAN markets.

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Vishmi De Silva

Portfolio CTO

Vishmi De Silva

Australia

Vishmi helps businesses turn technology from a cost centre into a competitive edge. An unbiased technology advocate with a track record of award-winning digital transformation, she has advised startups, multinationals, and government agencies across the region. Her focus: empowering teams, streamlining operations, and surfacing the growth opportunities others miss.

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Ivan Woods

Portfolio CFO

Ivan Woods

Europe

A Chartered Accountant who qualified with PwC London, Ivan has spent 20 years across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia — including senior roles with the World Bank, HSBC, and regional financial institutions. He has lived and worked in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Singapore, bringing a genuinely global perspective to every engagement. Ivan also heads Stepping Stone's investment advisory practice.

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Shilpa Karia

Portfolio CFO

Shilpa Karia

Singapore

A UK Qualified Chartered Accountant with experience across some of the world's most recognised firms, Shilpa has been embedded in Singapore's business community since 2009. Her work spans financial control, process design, compliance, and change management across the full business lifecycle. She joined Stepping Stone's Singapore team in 2024 as an outsourced CFO for ambitious SMEs across multiple sectors.

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June ShuTheng Cho

Portfolio CFO

June ShuTheng Cho

Singapore

June brings over 20 years of progressive finance experience across Fortune 500 companies and high-growth businesses. A trusted business partner with deep expertise in strategic planning, financial controls, and performance reporting, she builds efficient, high-performing finance functions wherever she works — leading with clarity, commercial instinct, and calm.

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Madhusudan Das

Team Lead — Accounting Services

Madhusudan Das

India

Part of the Stepping Stone team since 2019, Madhusudan leads accounting services across a diverse portfolio spanning fintech, banking, F&B and beyond. A certified Xero specialist, he holds a double master's in MBA Finance and MSc Financial Risk Management from Trinity College Dublin and is currently pursuing his CMA US — combining academic rigour with sharp, hands-on commercial experience.

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Our Approach

Embedded. Invested. Always On.

01

We embed into your business

When you work with Stepping Stone, you're not handing off a task — you're gaining a team that works inside your business, not around it.

02

You get a dedicated team

A dedicated account manager, backed by specialists, overseen by a senior professional. Every client gets senior attention — always.

03

We scale as you grow

From outsourced bookkeeping to recruiting your internal finance team, Stepping Stone grows with your ambitions — every step of the way.

We've been inside the biggest firms. We built something better.

Our team brings decades of experience from the world's leading accounting firms across five countries. We've seen what great finance support looks like from the inside — and built Stepping Stone to deliver exactly that, without the big-firm price tag or the impersonal service.

We started because we believed there was a better way to support ambitious, growing businesses. Not with cookie-cutter solutions or a junior-staff rotation — but with senior, invested professionals who make it their business to know yours.

5
Countries of experience
Big 4
Backgrounds across the team
1
Dedicated contact who knows your business
Stepping Stone — About Hero Preview

Our Story

Built on Relationships. Powered by Expertise.

We believe businesses deserve a compliance and commercial partner that's truly in their corner — one that understands where you're headed, not just where you've been.

20+
Years experience
5
Countries
Big 4
Backgrounds

What We Stand For

Four values. One standard.

Clarity over complexity.

We cut through the noise and give you straight, actionable information — no jargon, no fluff. Just the numbers that matter and what they mean for your business.

Relationships over transactions.

We invest in the long game. Our best client relationships span years, not engagements. We're still here when the hard questions come up.

Technology as a force multiplier.

We harness the best tools available so your financial operations run leaner, smarter, and faster — without adding complexity to your day.

Senior attention. Always.

Every client benefits from senior oversight. There are no B-team accounts at Stepping Stone. You get the best — every time.

Let's Build Something Together.

Ready to experience what an embedded, invested finance partner actually feels like?

Work With Us Explore Our Services