Becoming an accountant was never part of my plan when I left high school; my dream was to study medicine. But it wasn’t to be, and as it turns out I am very happy, content and proud to be an accountant.
When I joined SKANS School of Accountancy, the concepts of accounting were totally new to me. The first few months were tough, but then it all started making sense and I was able to pass ACCA at my first attempt.
My career journey has been amazing and full of opportunities. I spent four years in practice at ShineWing Hameed Chaudhri & Co, then three years at Ultra Pack as lead, accounts and finance.
Internal audit should play a pivotal role in improvement of the processes and controls involved
I then joined Khaleef Technologies in 2020 as head of accounts and finance. There I led the digital transformation of the department, making all processes paperless, implementing ERP and enabling 100% online payments. I then stepped into my current role at Sapphire Fibres, as head of internal audit.
I’ve always been motivated to learn new skills and after a few years in practice, I was ready for a change. I wanted to see the other side of the table and get hands-on experience of the corporate world. Having worked on assurance assignments in various sectors including textiles, sugar, packaging and automobile, it was time to move on.
I feel the main difference between accounting practice and the corporate world is the focus on compliance and reporting as opposed to the emphasis on value addition and improvements to processes. Both are important for stakeholders, with accounting providing assurance and corporate finance implementing processes, thus generating value.
I have worked at a strategic level in many different finance roles. However, while I designed and implemented processes and controls in earlier roles, I had never worked formally in internal audit until I joined Sapphire Fibres, so it was a step out of my comfort zone.
Pakistan is an emerging economy with smart, young and energetic talent, and digital transformation is now presenting a huge opportunity
Internal audit should not only be about assessing risks, governance and internal controls; it should also play a pivotal role in improving the processes and controls involved. This is where the true value addition lies; organisations can benefit by assigning business process improvement tasks to the internal audit function. The identification of risks and control weaknesses is important, but not as much as improving the processes and controls.
Pakistan is an emerging economy with smart, young and energetic talent, and digital transformation is now presenting a huge opportunity. For many years, the main challenge for businesses was complex legislation and bureaucracy, which inevitably led to delays. There have also been energy issues and a shortage of IT-enabled talent.
Governments working to resolve these issues over the past decade struggled to make the legislation straightforward. However, the current administration has improved the environment for businesses – between 2017 and 2019, Pakistan moved up 39 positions in the World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings.
What do I like best about my job? Apart from being in love with MS Excel, I really enjoy recommending and implementing business process improvements, especially automation.
If I had law-making powers, I would create equal education and a single syllabus for all, whether poor or rich. A key part of the syllabus would be courses and exams for skills development.
My biggest achievement has been to acquire the skillset required for top positions. This wasn’t possible without pushing my limits, developing ideas and challenging myself to always do better.
If I weren’t a finance professional, I would like to own a sandwich shop or a restaurant.
When I’m not at work, I like spending time with friends and family, eating, playing games and watching movies.
