When I was seven years old, my uncle, who worked as an accountant at a famous bakery in Mombasa, would bring home his accounting ledger books, filling in them in manually. I never understood what he was doing, but I was always intrigued seeing him jump from one page to another while writing numbers.
After school I started my ACCA studies, and within two years I had gained my qualification. I was recruited as an audit associate by a mid-sized firm in Nairobi where I relished learning how to apply all my newly acquired knowledge, before joining Baker Tilly Merali’s in its auditing office in Kenya.
UAE is currently a land of opportunity for accountants and finance professionals
A secondment to Baker Tilly’s UAE office changed my perspective towards auditing. Despite all the International Standards on Auditing being the same, everything was at a much larger scale than anything I had seen and experienced back in Nairobi. Slowly, I moved up the firm’s hierarchy until, 13 years later, I was ready to quit my comfort zone and take up a new challenge as a director of audit and assurance at UHY James Chartered Accountants in Dubai, my current role.
Artificial intelligence is often talked about as a threat to the accounting profession and others, but I don’t believe it. Technology has always been evolving and we must learn to evolve along with it. AI is here to stay, so accountants need to learn how to use it to complement their work. When the first accounting system software came along, replacing giant ledger books, I am sure accountants felt similarly threatened. However, we learnt how to assimilate the software and retain our relevance. I feel it will be similar with more advanced technologies like AI.
UAE is currently a land of opportunity for accountants and finance professionals, especially tax specialists since the implementation of VAT and now corporate tax. In what was a previously tax-free jurisdiction, many accountants had rather lost sight of tax developments globally. The introduction of taxes has encouraged them to refresh their knowledge in this area, and to attend courses so they can increase their capability in tax matters.
What I enjoy most about my job is working with my team to achieve a common goal. I also like firefighting, solving problems and being the intermediary with a solution. That may range from advising clients on ways to be in line with industry regulations and local laws, to resolving any potential friction among my colleagues and getting the whole team to face towards one goal. This always gives me great pleasure.
Stay curious, stay humble and keep growing
If I had law-making powers, I would enhance all the laws dealing with social equality and justice. And if I wasn’t in accounting, medicine would have been the natural path for me as I am from a family of doctors.
My favourite saying is this: ‘Never stop learning. Stay curious, stay humble and keep growing.’
When not at work I spend as much time as possible with my wife and two children. I also like exploring new places and am a big fan of Arsenal Football Club.
