Sajeev Manoharan – A success story in the making

Aspiring to ‘go big’ and create a niche for himself in the field of finance someday in the future, Sajeev Manoharan did well to choose an education path that set him on the course for an impressive career. Choosing the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to pursue his dreams, Manoharan believes he is half way through to realising his dream.

Currently serving as an Analyst at ICRA Lanka Limited the third Credit Rating Agency in Sri Lanka, Manoharan sees himself reaching the top of the corporate ladder in ten years.  To achieve such a goal the ACCA qualification was a definite boost, said Manoharan.

Speaking of his decision to pursue this line of studies – the business of numbers, Manoharan stated that he had a natural aptitude and interest for finance and business. “I was also aware that a career in finance was a good pathway to the top of one’s career; as most CEO’s and MD’s of large blue chip organisations are from a finance background. Since my own ambition was to someday hold the position of a CEO in a multinational organisation, I was confident that Finance was the right career for me.”

Why ACCA?

“Through my research I found out that ACCA, which happens to be one of the largest and fastest-growing global professional accountancy bodies in the world offers, a flexible qualification in Finance. My lecturers in school at the Royal International School, Kurunegala also recommended ACCA as a good qualification which would give me excellent career prospects both locally and internationally. I also found out that ACCA was one of the few qualifications that offered a globally accepted British degree from the Oxford Brookes University which means you can complete both a Professional and an Academic Qualification without doubling the workload.  ACCA’s offer also meant that I could manage the cost of the studies financially,” Manoharan said

He added, “The qualification is demanding. However it is demanding in the sense the students are made to understand both the management aspects as well as the key areas of finance in depth. The ACCA qualification is one that will contribute to the success of your day to day work as a finance person. It certainly gives the ability to perform in my job in a manner that impresses my employer.”  

Having started his career at the audit firm, Amerasekera and Company at the age of 17, Manoharan had already completed 1 1/2 years’ experience when he started doing the ACCA qualification at the age of 19. He went on to become a Sri Lankan Prize winner in the area of Business Analysis and managed to complete his ACCA qualification in 3 years by the age of 22 and received his ACCA membership making him one of the youngest qualified members of ACCA in Sri Lanka.   

“The ACCA Qualification provided me the opportunity and the confidence to apply for a job at WNS which is one of the largest and successful BPO’s operating in Sri Lanka at the moment,” he affirmed. Working there for three years, he gained experience by working on projects that involved working with one of the giants in the UK insurance sector.”

Here too, ACCA played its role. “The ACCA knowledge was a great assistance to me at this juncture as I was able to extract and apply much of the knowledge gained through the qualification,” he explained. “It also helped me in other aspects such as report writing and in having the ability and maturity in dealing with a top UK client of this nature. After joining as a Senior Accounts Associate in 2008 he moved up the ranks and left WNS as a Team Leader managing a team of five finance professionals reporting to one of the largest UK based insurance Giants. In addition he was also the recipient of the Star Award for Outstanding Performance for the Company, selected from over 300 finance professionals.

“With the experience I gathered throughout my professional career and the strength of the ACCA membership I was offered a pivotal role as the first analyst and involved in the setting up process of ICRA Lanka Limited which is a subsidiary of the Indian credit rating company ICRA and an associate of the Global credit rating giant Moody’s Investors Service.  I believe that the key reason for me to have got this excellent opportunity would be the ACCA membership which has not only given me the required knowledge and expertise to interact with professionals of various ranks in the finance field but also the values which is essential to practice as a professional. “  

Manoharan in conclusion commented, “I have come to understand that employers have a great respect for this qualification due to the extensive areas covered in its syllabus. Therefore a qualification of this nature certainly creates a niche for any student.  In addition, once qualified, and upon obtaining the ACCA membership employers all over the world will want you on their team as many employers are now in need for people who are IFRS-literate for their reporting requirements and as one of the few qualifications that give priority to this aspect, this in turn will also create a demand for ACCA professionals in both local and international firms. I would stress that if finance is your forte, then ACCA is definitely the qualification for you.”