Over more than two decades, I have worked in both the practice and corporate worlds across three countries. Along the way, I have had the opportunity to gain experience in several different industry sectors, such as financial services, manufacturing and retailing, as well as in a variety of professional practices, with roles in audit, consulting and advisory.
My ACCA Qualification has been the bedrock of my professional career. It has given me the depth of knowledge and global recognition to go in many different directions and have so many fulfilling experiences.
I have built my career by stepping out of my comfort zone. At the age of 28 I had a good track record working in a leading commercial bank in Islamabad, Pakistan, but I quit my job and emigrated to the UK, where I had no relatives and no support network. There I made good progress, first at EY then at Deloitte, where I developed and grew a niche service line in internal control frameworks and implementations for insurers.
The UK was my home for nine years. But in 2013 I once again moved to another country where I had no network, to take up a new challenge in a different industry. While still working in advisory at Deloitte UK, I was recruited by retail group Alsulaiman in Saudi Arabia to establish an internal audit function. I saw this as an opportunity to put my accumulated knowledge into action and develop something from scratch, so I took the plunge.
Without doubt, the last few years have been challenging for all industries and sectors. However, successful leaders have uncovered opportunities amid these challenges, and I am fortunate to have worked under such leadership. While the initial lockdown period was brutal for all bricks-and-mortar retail operations, including ours, we used this time to fast-track and accelerate digital transformation and e-commerce to continue our growth strategy.
It is satisfying to deepen my business insight and understanding of operations through financials
Multi-dimensional pressures are currently making life hard for businesses. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising global inflation and central banks’ strategies to control inflation through monetary tightening and rate increases have all combined to create a challenging environment. Inflation and supply chain disruption are squeezing margins, while we also see higher risk-free rates, so the weighted average cost of capital and hurdle rates for new investments have increased. In this scenario, with investors becoming more inclined towards safe-haven assets, the right business model with a proven track record of success could still be very helpful in attracting capital to fund growth.
I enjoy my day-to-day role, which involves investment analysis and evaluation of the financial results of our companies. It is satisfying to deepen my business insight and understanding of operations through financials. I also enjoy providing concise and meaningful insights and perspectives to the board.
If I had law-making powers, I would make it my mission to implement uniform education standards. This would include the provision of free and mandatory education across the globe.
Professional recognition is my biggest achievement. I am proud to be a fellow of ACCA, the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments (UK) and the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (UK & Ireland) and recently became a member of the CFA Institute.
If I weren’t an accountant, I would love to have been a programmer as it offers so many opportunities. Outside of work, I enjoy reading and travelling.
