June 6, 9 a. m.
Henglong Building Top Floor Conference Room.
The atmosphere in Meeting Room is solemn.
On both sides of the long conference table were senior executives at the level of vice presidents and above from all departments of Henglong Group.
On the left, headed by Zhao Chen, sit Su Wantang, Chen Xi (attendance record), and several department heads who have recently moved closer to Zhao Chen.
On the right are Lin Wanqing and her inner circle - general manager of finance Deputy Director, Investment and Financing Department, and general managers of two regional companies.
Sitting in the middle of the table are the neutrals who have not yet clearly decided on their side.
The most eye-catching one is Chief Operating Officer Song Zhongping.
He wore a dark gray suit today, looked serious, and looked down at the meeting materials in front of him.
Zhao Chen was sitting in the main seat, his eyes calmly sweeping across the audience.
This is the second time he has held an Executive Meeting meeting of this scale since he took over as Acting Chairman.
"Everyone, there are three topics for today's meeting."
Zhao Chen got straight to the point, without any small talk, and got to the point first.
"First, initiate a special audit and compliance review of all Suppliers in the group;
Second, comprehensively assess the quality and contract performance of projects under construction;
Third, conduct a penetrating equity verification on Suppliers and its subcontractors."
As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of Lin Wanqing rang out.
"Chairman Zhao, I don't understand."
She put down the pen in her hand, her voice calm but obviously questioning,
"The group has regular audits every year, why did it suddenly launch a special audit?
Moreover, all three topics are aimed at Cooperator--this will seriously affect the project progress and increase unnecessary costs."
The smell of gunpowder filled the air instantly.
Zhao Chen looked at Lin Wanqing and said calmly:
"Mr. Lin, after the completion of Rights Issue, corporate governance transparency has become the focus of investors.
The special audit is launched to prove to the market that Henglong and Supply Chain are clean and there are no gray areas."
"This is completely unnecessary!" Finance Deputy Director Wang Zhenyu interjected, he is the direct descendant of Lin Wanqing,
"Funds are generally tight in the real estate industry now. We should focus on ensuring delivery and promoting sales instead of conducting these fancy audits!
When an audit team comes in, Suppliers needs to cooperate in providing information, and the project site needs to be inspected, all of which will delay the construction schedule!"
Engineering Department General Manager Li Ming - an old engineer in his fifties - frowned:
"Wang Zong, you can't say that. Project quality is the lifeline of an enterprise, and regular audits are necessary.
However, Chairman Zhao, special audits will indeed increase the burden on the grassroots, can they be carried out in batches? Start with key projects first?"
This is a typical centrist statement - not opposed, but hoping for a compromise.
Chen Xi quickly records everyone's position and attitude in the notebook.
"Processing in batches can be discussed."
Zhao Chen nodded,
"But the audit must be started. We need to give investors an explanation - every cent of Henglong money will be spent in a clear way."
Lin Wanqing sneered, "Chairman Zhao means that the previous Henglong money was not spent openly?"
These words are very tricky, and they first point the finger at the Zhao Jianguo era.
Meeting Room was quiet for a moment.
At this moment, a voice that no one expected sounded.
"Mr. Lin, you can't say that."
Song Zhongping raised his head and looked at Lin Wanqing calmly,
"Special audit is a routine operation of Listed Company. Hengda and Vanke do it every year. Why can't we Henglong do it? Is there something wrong with us?"
These words are like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.
All eyes are focused on Song Zhongping - this veteran of the Zhao Jianguo era, Chief Operating Officer, actually supports Zhao Chen in public?
Lin Wanqing's pupils shrank slightly. She stared at Song Zhongping and her voice became colder:
"Mr. Song, what do you mean by this? I was only discussing implementation issues, and you brought up the topic of 'having a ghost in your heart'?"
"That's not what I meant."
Song Zhongping face does not change color,
"What I mean is, if we are compliant, we are not afraid of audits.
The audit is an opportunity to prove our innocence. This is good for the company, the stock price, and all shareholders."
He paused and added:
"Moreover, it is true that recently some Suppliers payment application materials were incomplete and project quality acceptance records were missing. It is not a bad thing to use this audit to standardize them."
These words were spoken with perfect accuracy.
It not only supports Zhao Chen, but also does not have the first access attack Lin Wanqing;
It not only mentioned the company's interests, but also cited practical problems.
Zhao Chen secretly praised in his heart - Chen Xi's judgment was correct, Song Zhongping is indeed a sensible person.
"Mr. Song is right."
Strategic Development Department General Manager Sun Hao - the successor of Wu Hongwei - a young man in his early teens who graduated from Wharton School - immediately followed up,
"Now is the best time to standardize governance. Rights Issue has just been completed and there are sufficient funds. We have the confidence to do these basic tasks."
Lin Wanqing's face was gloomy, but she knew that the first issue could no longer be stopped.
"Okay, the audit can be done."
She compromised, but the conversation changed.
"But the cost must be controlled and the project progress cannot be affected. I suggest that Finance Department and Engineering Department jointly establish Audit Team, with me as the team leader."