HATIM MASKAWALA Manager – Actuarial Consulting Sidat Hyder Morshed Associates (Pvt) Ltd Chairman of ACCA professional Development sub-committee (south) Member of Members Advisory Committee of ACCA Pakistan

Q: Please Tell Us A Little Bit About Yourself And The Path Your Career Has Followed To Date.

A: As I Was About To Complete A’levels, I Found Out ACCA And Decided To Pursue It. After One Year Of Studies, I Had Started WorkingIn The 
Finance & Admin Departments Of Allianz EFU Health Insurance Limited.
Working in an insurance company and my interest in mathematics and statistics convinced me to start studying actuarial sciences. After completing the year period required for membership of ACCA, I decided 
on pursuing working in an actuarial environment. Then I moved to Sidat Hyder Morshed Associates where I am currently working as manager actuarial consulting department.

Q: What prompted you to explore opportunities and a subsequent career 
in accountancy and finance? 

A: Since early of second schooling I had made up my mind in gaining a qualification in accountancy. The reason was two fold: first was interest in mathematics and numbers and second was that felt that I had a good business and understanding. Both of these are well utilized in the accountancy profession.

Q: What made you choose ACCA when choosing a qualification that 
suited you?

A: Initially, I was planning on doing CA. However, ACCA provided a 
quicker and more flexible an accounting qualification. Apart from a structured and more transparent system, ACCA allows one train in the industry. And in addition to that due to its international recognition, it 
allows one to be mobile between countries. 

Q: How far do you think other (soft) skills are important in the personal and professional development of a young aspiring finance professional in addition to technical knowledge?

A: in the early stages of ones career a person needs to use more of his technical skill and less of his managerial skills.
However, as he progresses the balance shifts and technical skills become less important and the importance of managerial skills grows. So if a person start developing these managerial and soft skills from an early stage it will help him progress quickly in his career.
Gone are the days when the accountant was the person who was sitting in
a locked up room till late hours. Now we are working in a highly integrated environment which requires us to constantly interact with staff from other departments. This requires us to Have polished interpersonal skills, something which is not taught or examined but is acquired through experience.