I always wanted to be an ACCA member. The thing that kept me motivated during training was the desire to be a professional accountant who helps companies prosper. It would allow me to have a better life, a great career and to be myself.
I am currently head of finance for a business of over £50m turnover a year in the real estate sector. We have more than 1,000 properties all over London and in the north of England, and we have rented to government. The sector requires a huge amount of cashflow. I manage a team of accounts assistants, payable associates and receivable associates. I am responsible for all the reporting and overall financial matters of the business.
I was famous in my village as the only person in the whole family who is a professional accountant
One of the key issues for accountants today is skills. With advances in technology, people rely heavily on software, and it can mean that some forget the basic rules of accounting. We need to keep our accounting skills up to date, otherwise we risk our roles being taken over by non-accountants who can use the software.
A personal challenge for me has been my whole journey. I come from a very small village in Pakistan. My father first told me about the ACCA qualification and, when I qualified, I was famous in my village as the only person in the whole family who is a professional accountant. I then came to the UK on my own and worked for Deloitte across different industries and sectors before moving into business to head up a finance team. One day I want to start my own accountancy practice. I feel proud that I have managed to break down the barriers to become what I am today.
