From advice for other fellow young professionals to the city’s best restaurants, we asked Butalia Raymond & Co. LLP Advisory Partner Al-Karim Moloo a few questions about work, life and the balance in between. Here’s what he had to say…
Where do you work: Butalia Raymond & Co. LLP
What do you do: I am an Advisory Partner at Butalia Raymond & Co. LLP, which is a boutique accounting and tax firm in Calgary. My focus is on advisory services for private companies.
Homegrown in Calgary or Transplant? Edmonton, Bermuda, London (UK), Toronto and now Calgary for about the past eleven years.
One thing we might not know about your profession? It is a little-known fact that Leonardo da Vinci comes from a family of accountants and notaries. His father was Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, a distinguished Florentine legal notary. However, because of his illegitimacy, Leonardo could not be admitted to the guild of his father. Da Vinci could have been the greatest accountant the world has ever known. Instead, he was apprenticed to an artist’s workshop and the rest is history.
Best career tip you’ve learned along the way: Two tips: Always start with the end in mind; this keeps you focused. I have also learned that the only obstacle you face is the one you create for yourself! Don’t set limits for yourself, raise the bar in everything you do.
Most common mistake you see other young professionals make: I see a few mistakes, one of which is that education does not stop at a degree. It’s an ongoing process that gives you an opportunity to be great at what you do. Number two: Develop your soft skills. I can take two equally intelligent people, but will always pick the one who has stronger interpersonal skills. This will make you more marketable in the future!
How do you find a happy balance between striving for success and being happy with where you are? I try not to use someone else’s success as my benchmark. To me success is having a balance in my life. I look forward to starting my day because I love what I do, I enjoy helping my clients, I try and give back to my community, and look forward to spending time with my wife and children. I try and focus on the simple things and try to live by my values. As long as I live by my values, the rest will fall into place.
Favourite restaurant in Calgary: 80th & Ivy and Bonterra Trattoria.