From ACA to AI leadership

Q1. You qualified as a chartered accountant through the ACA without going to university. What led you to choose that route, and how did it set you up for what came next?

For me, the ACA ticked two boxes. It was a challenging, well-respected qualification, and it meant I could start working and building experience from day one rather than waiting until after university to get my career going.

I started out in accounting and finance, including four years at a Big Four firm, and that's where the ACA really earned its keep. It sharpened how I make sense of complex processes, how I think about risk and how I work through problems step by step.

Studying while working also taught me how to learn on my own and put it into practice straight away. I didn't realise it at the time, but those skills turned out to be invaluable when I moved into technology.

Today I lead AI and automation within a large organisation in Abu Dhabi, but I'm still very hands-on and do a lot of the design and building myself. Looking back, the ACA gave me the foundation and adaptability to make that leap.

Q2. Your career began in accounting and finance. When did automation and AI first come into the picture for you, and how did you go about teaching yourself those skills?

It started when I was working in finance. I kept seeing really skilled people spend a huge chunk of their time on repetitive processes, and I thought there must be a better way.

So, I started teaching myself programming and automation tools. I'd pick up something new, try it out on a problem we were dealing with at work, and keep refining it through a lot of trial and error.

As AI got more capable, I went further into building AI applications. I studied language models, system architecture, integrations, and how to get things running properly in production. What began as automating individual tasks grew into something much bigger: an AI platform for one of the region's largest organisations that now supports teams right across the business.

I'm still closely involved in architecting, developing, and deploying this technology today. I've led initiatives that have put more than 200 AI agents into production, and the enterprise AI product is now used by many large enterprises.

Q3. How does your ACA training in areas like controls, risk and professional judgement shape the way you approach AI projects today? An example would be great.

The ACA drummed into me that a good decision isn't just about getting the right answer. You need solid evidence, controlled processes, and clear accountability behind it. I bring exactly that mindset to building enterprise AI products, which is why validation, risk assessment and the right level of human oversight are built in from the start.

A good example is a tool I built to help HR teams handle employee requests. When someone submits a request, the AI reviews it, along with any supporting documents, against the organisation's policies. It checks the information, spots anything missing or inconsistent, flags policy exceptions, and gives the HR team a recommendation.

We built access controls, secure document handling and audit trails, so sensitive information stays protected. And crucially, authorised employees are still the ones responsible for critical decisions.

That really sums up how I approach enterprise AI. Yes, automate complex processes with intelligent products, but never at the expense of reliability, security, transparency, and accountability.

Q4. From your experience, what role can finance professionals play in leading AI adoption within their organisations?

I think finance people are in a great position to lead AI. We understand how the business runs, what drives the numbers, where the risks sit, and how to measure commercial value. That means we can spot where AI will make a difference and make sure what gets built solves a real business need.

If finance professionals add some technical skills to that, they can go beyond just using AI tools and start designing and building solutions themselves. And because they can speak both languages, business and technical, a lot of the usual communication gaps disappear. That speeds up adoption.

For me, the biggest opportunity is bringing business expertise and technology together. That combination is what lets you lead AI-driven innovation and deliver transformation you can measure across an organisation.

Q5. What advice would you give to school leavers considering accountancy, and to members looking to build their technology skills?

To school leavers, I'd say the ACA opens far more doors than people expect. It builds critical thinking, professional judgement, and a real understanding of business. That's a strong foundation for a career in all sorts of industries, including emerging technologies.

To existing members, I'd say get stuck in with technology and learn by doing it. Start with low-code and no-code tools and use them to fix real business problems. As your confidence grows, dig deeper into programming, AI, and system development, one step at a time. The trick is to learn by solving practical challenges rather than getting lost in theory. That's exactly how I built my own technical skills, without any formal technology education.

Above all, stay curious and keep learning, and think of your professional background as a springboard into new opportunities, not something that limits what you can achieve.