Life works in mysterious ways; you plan for it to go one way and it goes another. I never thought I’d be where I am today, but determination and hard work goes a long way. Work is a big part of my life. I lead the Finance department at JBS Global as a Business Controller, which means I’m given a lot of responsibility and ownership. However, with responsibility and ownership comes accountability. As a leader I put in 110% of my efforts to make sure the company not only runs smoothly but also gets to the vision the CEO has set.
My journey to get to where I am today was not easy. I belong to the town of Mirpur Khas and come from a lower middle-class background. I started working in a medical store when I was 10 years old, and my dad was of the mindset that I’d make a good living if I started running my own medical store given that we didn’t have a lot of money and couldn’t dream big. When you come from a background such as mine, you don’t have the luxury to dream of what you’re passionate about or figure out where your interests lie, your only motivation is your survival.
My mother, like all mothers, wanted me to be an engineer. So, I didn’t really have any plans to go towards finance, I was on my way to becoming an engineer. However, after my Intermediate I saw that the market was saturated with engineers, so I started looking for a different field. I didn’t study because I had a big dream but because I wanted to improve the standard of living for me and my family.
In 2001, IT was a new and happening field and I had heard a lot about it. Therefore, I decided to get a degree in Bachelor of Information Technology. By the time I graduated, I found out that the market was now saturated with IT graduates and thus, the demand had declined. This made me look for another field and during my search, someone told me about the importance of finance and the role it serves in every organization. Meaning that it was a field that would never go obsolete, so I decided this was the career path I wanted to pursue.
I did not have money to become a Chartered Accountant from ICAP, so I looked for the next best thing which was ICMA. I completed my papers in 2012 and I’ve been with JBS ever since because I want to play my part in helping this company grow. However, as fulfilling as my work is, I admit I am known for being a workaholic, but I’m trying not to be. Not only for my family but also for my health. I’ve come to realize that nothing matters if you don’t have your health.
My kids are everything to me. As their father, I want to be their role model and help them succeed in life. Life has taught me that good grades aren’t enough to help you move forward, soft skills are very important too. Therefore, even though they get good grades I’ve never pressured them or given them some sort of target on what grades they need to achieve. Even though my kids are still very young I try to give them practical exposure and build their confidence by letting them lead in certain situations.
