My Life in Numbers
Sobhan Afzal CA
Senior Manager, Audit Scotland
Fascinated by the financial crash, and a strong rejection of his original career choice, Sobhan Afzal CA found his future in accounting. He tells us about Audit Scotland, cycling and the work ethic picked up from his shopkeeper parents
2
I was born in Elderslie, a village in Renfrewshire, about 11 miles from Glasgow city centre. My parents ran a shop that was two minutes from the library. I was a bit of a geek at primary school, so whatever topic we were being taught that week I would go to the library and read up on it.
3
I’ve got a younger brother and an older sister. Seeing my parents raise three children and run their own business instilled a strong work ethic.
2008
I went to the University of Strathclyde in 2008, initially to study chemical engineering. I hated it! But I saw how incredibly hard my parents worked to make their shop thrive. It becomes your whole life. So I wanted to go down a professional route. This was around the time of the global crash, when finance and business were in the spotlight, so I switched from chemical engineering to accounting.
1
The first job offer I got was from Audit Scotland and they put me through ICAS as part of their training programme. So it wasn’t that I had a plan to do the CA – but I also knew that ICAS was seen as the gold standard.
2000
Audit Scotland was founded in 2000 and audits the financial statements of public bodies. We also do a performance and best-value audit. Ultimately, it’s about making sure that public money is spent in the most efficient manner possible, so taxpayers and service users are getting the best outcomes with the resources available to those bodies.
2013
I started at Audit Scotland in 2013. One of the customers in my parents’ shop was a lecturer who taught accounting and finance at another university. One day in the shop he mentioned Audit Scotland because we were talking about work in the public sector. I hadn’t heard of them, but it was at a point when they were doing their own graduate recruitment.
3
There is pressure to pass the ICAS exams and become qualified because your job depends on it. But I’ve been fortunate in the sense that I quite enjoy exams. And I liked the mix of studying and training over those three years as a trainee.
10
Around 10 years ago I started becoming a keen cyclist. I used to be one of those people who thought, “Who are these weirdos in lycra?” Now I’m a member of Mearns CC. It’s good for physical and mental health and it’s a way to get away from it all.
£20,000
At Mearns CC, we’ve been shocked and saddened by the loss of life and destruction in Gaza. So we’re cycling 200 miles from Lossiemouth to Glasgow to raise £20,000 aid for Islamic Relief to help alleviate the suffering of people in Gaza. Donations can be made here.
3
I spent three years on ICAS Council, starting in 2019. At that point there weren’t many younger people involved. It was quite daunting because you’re in a room with senior CAs from across the profession. But you can learn so much from them. Being on Council can be incredibly helpful for somebody’s personal development and can help to take a career forward.
2023
I’m currently involved in an audit modernisation project. It started last year and it includes looking at how we futureproof ourselves for changes in technology as well as the bodies we audit. It’s one of those projects that doesn’t come along very often, so I’m excited to be part of it.
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