Shariz Kasim, audit partner at Reanda Netherlands, has never been one to sit still. He used this to his utmost advantage and after twenty years of experience in various roles, reaps the fruit of this multifaceted career by returning to his roots in audit.
A multifaceted career
Shariz started with a vertical expansion of his role; climbing the ladder at his first firm. He soon experienced that the customer and industry focus in his role became strongly one-sided, while audit firms have much more to offer.
“The narrow focus started to feel like a restriction. There were strict Chinese walls between the different lines of business at my first firm. Because of that, there was no cross-pollination of knowledge, while I would’ve loved to work with a client in a different branch or for other professional practices. In that way you create a larger span of control and knowledge leverage. I think it’s important, especially in the early phases of your career, to enjoy a broader orientation of what audit and other departments have to offer. I wanted to have a little taste of everything, see what’s out there and decide for myself which path of specialization I want to follow.”
“The world of audit is so broad, it has much more to offer,”
Shariz Kasim, Audit Partner at Reanda Netherlands.
Variety is the spice of life
Thus, Shariz started his twenty year long career working for various tier-one, tier-two and small boutique audit firms and also international well branded start-up and scale-up companies within the TMT industry. Wanting a broader perspective, he switched from his first firm to companies where he was employed in a multifaceted field. “I was introduced to new markets from an audit perspective and experienced various disciplines which shaped me into becoming a full and well-rounded auditor.” Shariz got to see perspectives from both sides of the table, working in audit and on the corporate side, and enjoyed exploring the world of audit through various roles and angles and dealing with a blend of complexities, in particular in the area of international operating companies.
Coffee date
Finding Reanda earlier this year was a happy coincidence. Shariz was looking for a new environment, and found Reanda on LinkedIn which drew his attention. “They have a high employee satisfaction, score high on culture, and they are an international firm, which was something I was looking for. I decided to throw out a line and was invited to come over for an informal chat which soon turned into signing a contract to join as an audit partner.”
Three months later, Shariz is still very happy with joining Reanda. “There’s a very pleasant, informal and relaxing atmosphere here. After three months, it still feels like stepping into a warm bath and I go to work with a spring in my step. I’m pumped to contribute to this exemplary audit firm. I need to keep challenging myself, and support Reanda to enter the next era of the company. Right now my aim is to build a client portfolio and build my own team.”
“During my rollercoaster career, I sharpened my expertise and skillset by combining audit and operational knowledge.”
A bag full of experiences
With twenty years of experience under his belt, Shariz now has a blend of audit and operational experiences. “I believe this made me into a fully-realized accountant. Now my tenure is with Reanda, an audit only firm. But I think in firms with multiple departments, it should be the standard for newcomers to experience everything that they have to offer; compilation work, in tax departments, even corporate finance. That way they can make a deliberate choice which path they want to follow. And besides that, it can teach you a lot to become a complete partner and business advisor for clients. Learning the process behind the journal entries you are auditing, writing financial statements within applicable frameworks, dealing with complex tax, accounting and reporting matters, high-up decision making contributes positively to an auditor’s mindset. All these experiences add to your professional equipment and help you become a fully-realised accountant.”
And as that fully-realised accountant, Shariz returned to his core business: audit. “I still see audit as my calling, those are my roots.” Would he call it settling? Absolutely not. “I need to keep challenging myself and helping with the growth of Reanda, their evolution, is my mission.”
Did you enjoy reading Shariz’s interview? Explore other stories from our people.
