The retired CEO of a "big four" accounting firm in the People's Republic of China is currently sharing his expertise and Asia experience as a job search advisor for BYU-Hawaii Career Services.
Meet Elder Kent Watson — a volunteer service missionary along with this wife, Sister Connie Watson, in the BYUH Career Center — whose mission in Taiwan from 1963-66 has led him to many years of both professional and Church service in the Far East.
For example, after earning a master's degree in accounting at BYU, he spent approximately 34 years as a CPA with the firm now called Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The last 11 of those years he was based in Beijing as Chairman and CEO of China operations. He also recently served as interim mission president in Kaohsiung Taiwan, and from 1989-92 was president of the Taichung Taiwan Mission.
"I was a partner when I went to Beijing in 1992, and the CPA profession was being resuscitated there after 50 years. We started out with four people and we now have 5,000. Our firm achieved in 10 years what it took 150 to achieve in the United States," said Elder Watson of the tremendous growth potential in China.
"We have transformed a CPA expat firm into a Chinese practice. That is the fun of this, to recruit, train and develop Chinese into highly capable CPAs," Elder Watson said in a newspaper interview he gave before retiring, adding that his firm was trying "to provide an opportunity for our Chinese staff to become equals as partners in a global organization, sharing the same rewards on the same basis."
"China has got the second largest economy in the world right now," he continued. "Taiwan is an economic miracle. It's a little island with the most dense population in the world and no resources. Through their industry, they've been able to develop one of those highest standards of living in the country."
Elder Watson has also seen a lot of growth in the Church since he originally served in the Southern Far East Mission, which "has since been divided into about 20 missions: Taiwan has a second-generation Church now, and substantially all local leadership. When I was first a missionary there we had 13 branches, most of them with missionaries as branch presidents and attendance anywhere from 13-20."
"When I went back as mission president the first time, there were a few stakes. When I went back the second time there are now stake centers and a brand new temple. The Church is very strong in Taiwan and Hong Kong, which also has second-generation leadership and a temple."
Elder Watson said when he assumed his business duties in mainland China in 1992, "the Beijing branch met in the home of a member. We had about 30 people attending. There were also about 20 expatriate members in Shanghai." He explained most of these were former Mandarin-speaking Taiwan missionaries then associated with the U.S. government and, like himself, other business executives.
"We now have branches in Beijing, Tianjin (east of Beijing, ‘where President McKay landed in 1921'), Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan (‘off and on'), Xi'an (‘when there are members there'), Shanghai (‘two branches'), and a few other congregations," said Elder Watson, who served as District President for all the expatriates in China.
He explained that the Chinese government, which has not officially recognized the Church, allows expatriates and even citizens who join the Church while abroad to meet under certain restrictions. "China is governed by regulations," he said, "and they honor the members who are coming there, but they also restrict us in accordance to those regulations."
"In China religion is allowed providing it is self-governed, self-propagating and self-financed. These are called the ‘three self-helps,' that's a direct translation. The Church is not authorized to be there because we're not self-governing: ‘The prophet leads us.' We're not self-financed, because we pay tithing that goes into a central fund that's distributed globally as needed; and we're not self-propagating: We have a mandate to proselyte," he said, stressing that it is Church policy that members in China do not proselyte.
"Chinese [citizens] who join the Church outside the country are allowed to meet in China, providing they follow the three self-help mandates and there's no crossover with the expatriate branches," he continued. "They can also hold the priesthood and go to the temple in Hong Kong."
Elder Watson is very optimistic about the exponential growth of the Church throughout Asia, "limited only by the number of capable priesthood holders and others who can assume leadership roles in their home territories. The need for returned missionary, college-educated Church leaders is the key and even more important than it has been in the past."
"If we can help young members of the Church from those countries get a superior education that will enable them to get a commensurate job back home — and we can facilitate that — we'll also be able to facilitate leadership for the Church in those countries."
"To me, BYU-Hawaii is the ideal place to grow the future leaders of the Church in Asia. If you look at the economies of the world that are booming, it is the Asian generation right now. This is the era of Asia."
"We love it here," Elder Watson said of his current service at BYU-Hawaii. "I enjoy working with the students, and it's a good way, hopefully, to give something back for all of the blessings I've received as a member of the Church."