INTHEBLACK November 2023 - Magazine - Page 42
MEMBER PROFILE
MUHAMMAD FIRAS HAMZAH CPA
RHB BANKING GROUP
ONE PIECE OF ADVICE
“Be curious and don’t settle. When we stop
learning, we stop growing. It doesn’t matter how
long you have been in your career, the world
is changing around you every day, and there is
always something to learn and to keep engaged
at being the best.”
MUHAMMAD FIRAS HAMZAH CPA, RHB BANK
42 INTHEBLACK November 2023
At home in Kuala Lumpur, Firas executes
equity trades for local and foreign clients
at RHB, but says that his accounting
background has been invaluable.
“The financial planning aspect of my
accounting education is very relevant to
what I do with the share trading,” Firas
says. “I manage client portfolios and provide
them with market updates, so the financial
planning is helpful in being clear about a
client’s financial position and their goals.”
Applying his accounting skills to potential
investments is one of the first steps for
Firas in providing advice to clients, he says.
“Accounting is also very useful in assessing
risk, in terms of applying a client’s risk
tolerance to trades and understanding the
level of risk they are prepared to take to meet
their goals.”
The basic accounting skills Firas learned
early in his studies are among those he
finds most applicable to his daily work. A
bedrock of accounting, Firas says, is an ability
to understand financial statements and a
company’s cash flow and profit and loss.
Like his brother, Firas has experience as
an auditor. “Auditing for me is the most
important thing in every accounting degree,”
he says. “It encourages a really detailed
analysis of numbers – even a love of numbers
and company financials.”
After his time in the investment industry,
Firas believes he will return to accounting to
resume his auditing career. Like his younger
brother, he is open to working overseas.
In the long term, Firas hopes to become
the CFO of a publicly listed company, where
he can leverage his skill set, education and
experience.
“This is the goal I’m working towards,
where I can bring it all together,” says Firas.
