Here, there, and everywhere
Nida Fatma shares how her global work experience has shaped her life
For many of us, travelling to different countries and experiencing different cultures is something we dream of doing, especially these days. For Nida Fatma CPA, CGA, it’s been a part of her work over the last nine years, and it’s helped her grow as a person.
From early on, Nida dreamed of gaining international experience. When it came time to research her post-secondary education options, she chose a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland, that had recently opened a campus in Dubai, where she’d lived for most of her life. “I wanted something that had an international touch to it,” she recalls. Her professors would fly to Dubai to lecture and share their international experiences, which Nida found valuable.
It was only a matter of time before Nida would embark on her own international adventures. In 2016, she was selected as one of two staff members—out of more than 200 applicants—at Deloitte to take a secondment to South Africa. The experience opened Nida’s eyes to the differences that exist between cultures. “Every country and every place has their own style of working,” she says.
When Nida moved to Canada in 2019, she already had a wealth of knowledge that prepared her for the cultural differences she’d face. She knew how to communicate with different people and had an open mind, and she found herself confident in a variety of situations, like attending trivia nights and even getting her Alberta driver’s licence.
The value added from these soft skills, her experience with controls testing and auditing at Deloitte, and especially her designation made it possible for Nida to succeed in Canada. “The CPA designation is really valued here, especially if you’re in the accounting and finance fields,” she says.
Not only did her experience and designation help Nida get her foot in the door at Steelhaus Technologies Inc. right before the pandemic hit in 2020, but they also helped her quickly move up in the company to become a divisional controller.
Having international experience gave Nida clarity on where she sees herself in the future. “Seeing different people in global leadership roles with various management styles helped me to envision being in a senior leadership role in the near future and making strategic financial decisions for [a] company,” she says. For Nida, the most important skill she learned from her global experiences was to take the time to listen to others. “Everyone has a story; everyone has something to share,” she says. “Hearing their experience and hearing their side of the story can make you grow as a person.”