An avid reader from a young age, Maisarah Zulkifli who hails from the small valley of Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan finds books as the key to open up one’s world. Reading sparks her imagination which defines her adventurous personality.
Her journey from UiTM, Kaplan Manchester to PwC becomes ever more exciting as she now landed a career in the Royal Bank of Canada, one of the largest banks in the world.
Education
She attended SMK Tunku Kurshiah in Kuala Pilah, and later on studied in UiTM for her Diploma and Bachelor’s in Accounting.
Maisarah spent her years in UiTM being very active in her extra-curricular activities, specifically silat and the facilitators club where she handled events and welcome first-year students.
During her undergraduate studies, Maisarah decided to do her internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). During her six months there, she developed a keen interest in audit. This was a stepping stone to immerse herself in the industry and to pursue her goal of being a chartered accountant.
To embark on this journey, she applied for a programme under MARA which sends students overseas to study ACCA at Kaplan Financial in Manchester, in the United Kingdom.
“I have friends who used Kaplan materials to excel in their ACCA exams. Based on the feedback and experiences of my seniors, Kaplan became my top choice to pursue ACCA.”
Career
After graduating with her ACCA, she returned to PwC and served for the next six years specialising in asset management and private equity, entering as an associate and leaving as a manager.
Initially, she planned to only stay for three years but ended up spending six years at the firm because of the plethora of career growth opportunities presented.
With the wealth of experience and knowledge gained from PwC, she was ready to undertake a new challenge in her career.
She now works at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) division in Malaysia specifically in the investor and treasury services as a manager, dealing with clients in Luxembourg and the UK.
Why Accounting?
Maisarah was encouraged to pursue accountancy by her father who showed her the immense job opportunities available in this field.
“Pursuing accountancy opens the door to various areas of specialisations.”
There are investments, tax, auditing, FOREX and many more opportunities in this line of work.
Hopes for the local industry
Maisarah highlighted the culture of both PwC and RBC where they truly value their people. On top of decent remuneration packages, perks include paternity and maternity leave, allowances for office items to make work more comfortable.
“These two multinational companies are extremely invested in developing talents.”
There are also many opportunities for career development such as increased career mobility and access to their global network.
She mentioned that the training courses sharpen her technical capabilities as well as her personal development, communication skills, emotional intelligence and the appreciation for diversity and inclusivity.
