The mantra I rely on most is this: ‘Your hopes and expectations should always be positive.’ Some people may consider this to be an overly optimistic attitude, but I believe in it, and if more people also thought like this the world would be a much better place.
My career so far has been nothing short of amazing. When I started at KPMG in 2012, I learnt a lot about collaboration and hard work, and then further polished my technical skills when I moved to Grant Thornton in 2016. My time within the advisory and consulting services allowed me to work with and learn about diverse industries, business models and technologies.
As the founder of Limitless Consulting, which I started in 2018, I have worn many hats over the years. These have included a range of responsibilities – finance, HR, marketing and director – and through it all I have successfully led and grown the firm.
Founding Limitless Consulting was the moment I stepped out of my comfort zone
I can pinpoint founding Limitless Consulting in 2018 as the moment when I really stepped out of my comfort zone. Earlier in my career when I executed projects, I had all the support and infrastructure of a Big Four firm, which gave a level of comfort. That changed when I set up my own practice, with all the risks and challenges that involves – from the very start, I had to take care not just of the finance side but all the business development, marketing, administration and HR-related issues myself. I have certainly worn many hats over the years.
Long hours come with the territory. There have been many late nights and I have often worked over weekends to prepare last-minute presentations. But alongside the hard work, I have had the joy of successfully completing projects. I have met a lot of excellent individuals who have inspired me throughout this journey – people who have mentored me and supported me in my endeavours. My latest plan is to further expand my practice and delve into other specialised consulting areas.
The main challenge for the accounting sector is coping with new technologies and using them to transform day-to-day work. Rather than being averse to change, accountants should embrace the new wave of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and use these developments to transform working practices, whether they are working in consulting firms or any other organisation. I believe these technologies will give rise to new business models, especially in financial services. This is likely to change the regulatory landscape, with the result that businesses will need experts for support and advisory services.
It is gratifying to solve a problem for a client – the satisfaction never dulls
If I had law-making powers, I would make all the world’s financial systems adopt Islamic banking principles. Since Islamic banking is asset backed, free from speculation and unnecessary profit-taking, I believe this would be an improvement.
I get a thrill representing Limitless Consulting at the highest level and meeting with industry leaders – it’s my favourite part of the job. I also find it gratifying to deliver a project successfully, solving a problem for a client and guiding them to success – the satisfaction never dulls.
If I was not an accountant, I probably would have gone into business management. That said, I feel I would still have pursued an area that allowed me to understand commerce and devise business strategies.
I have finally managed to find some balance between my work and life outside the office. These days my interests mostly consist of watching movies and reading books. I have recently read Blue Ocean Strategy, which I very much enjoyed – it is essential reading for anyone interested in formulating unique strategies to expand their business.
