Christopher McKnight is a Chartered Accountant originally from near Newry and now living in Dubai, still waiting for the call-up to an international squad! He works for Now Health International and we caught up with him recently.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about where you're from?
I'm Christopher McKnight and I'm from a place called Killeavy in South Armagh, just outside of Newry.
Tell us about why you chose to become a Chartered Accountant...
I wanted a profession that would allow me to have access to the greatest number of opportunities across all industry sectors and all types of business. From growing up and seeing my dad's accountant helping his family business, to seeing how a significant portion of the largest companies in Ireland and the rest of the world had Chartered Accountants as their CEOs and key management, really made my decision an easy one.
...and how did you get to where you are today?
I have a degree in Accounting from Queens University Belfast and completed my training contract with BDO in Belfast, becoming a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland in 2016. I really enjoyed my time in BDO Belfast but had a strong desire to move abroad and try something different as that was a big factor in choosing to become a Chartered Accountant in the first place. I moved to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in September 2016 after considering several options. I had some close friends living there already and had been several times on holiday visiting them.
I moved across with a role in KPMG Dubai and worked there for six months before an opportunity in my current company came up that I couldn't turn down - we were a start-up international private medical insurance provider with 14 offices in nine countries, servicing members in almost every country in the world.
The opportunity to work closely in a small and dynamic finance team directly with the most senior management to build something big was really appealing. I have been with the Company for five years now and am the International Group Financial Controller.
What do you value most about your membership of the profession and how do you think those benefits can be used to support the economy and society?
The most valuable part of being a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland is definitely the platform that it gives to gain access to opportunities in industries and markets both at home and across the world. I've seen first-hand how valuable the membership is and how employers hold it in such high-regard. I believe that the path to becoming a member of the Institute sets you up for the real world of business and helps you to build on certain principles and attributes beyond just the technical stuff, that can be applied to almost any industry and any business across the world.
As a member living overseas, can you talk to us about how your membership has been of value to you globally and if there is anything you would like to see your institute do more of to support members overseas?
The memberships value to me has largely been its recognition for producing many business leaders across the world. It's a sought after qualification and something which many employers are keen to recruit into their organisations.
Membership also gives you that link to other members in the same situation as yourself and a professional community that you can lean on when necessary. For example, on several occasions, myself and many other Chartered Accountants Ireland members have helped others making the move to Dubai with information and contacts to help get them on the right track for making the move abroad.
There are also some informal member catch up social events that take place during the year for those who wish to attend, which helps keep the feeling of a professional community from home when abroad. Although not as feasible in the current climate, but perhaps in the future, some formal face to face events with the Institute or in person CPD events would be a good way to further reinforce that sense of global community.
And finally Chris, if you weren’t a Chartered Accountant, what do you think you would you be/have been?
Totally unrealistically - a professional footballer or golfer. More realistically (and a lot more boring) - a commercial real estate agent/broker.
View Christopher's LinkedIn profile here.
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