A first-person dispatch from a Global Indian Network member shaping their industry.
In 1994, Ashif Kassam began his career as an audit associate at Samvir & Co., moving to audit manager in 17 months. His passion for the profession drove him to take on different challenges, from understanding the manufacturing, banking, insurance, and construction sectors to taking a dip in financial consulting and tax. Three decades on, he is co-founder and executive chairman of RSM Eastern Africa LLP and a recipient of the Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya. This is the story of how he got from one to the other.
A nudge at a fuel station
Accounting was not the plan. Ashif was waiting for a university place and helping his uncle Nizar run a fuel station in Kileleshwa when Nizar told him not to waste time. He suggested learning some basic accounting, since it would help whatever Ashif did next.
Ashif enrolled at the Kenya School of Professional Studies. Within a few weeks, he was enjoying it so much that he withdrew his university application and committed to accounting full-time.
“When I reflect, I am deeply thankful to my uncle for nudging me in that direction.”
Failing first
The start was not smooth. Ashif failed his O-level English, A-level Maths and the entrance exams at Strathmore University. He talks about it openly because it taught him that a setback, even in something as central as your education, does not close the door.
“…failure, even in the core aspects of life, is not the end.”
He completed his accountancy exams in 1993, and, by his own account, his career moved fast from there.
The early years
Within 17 months of joining HLB Samvir & Co, Ashif was promoted to manager, overseeing audits in manufacturing, construction, and financial services. When presented with a challenge, Ashif agreed to manage an audit of an insurance company, even though the firm had no experience in this area. He discovered a significant control issue in the entity’s reinsurance accounting, and the client refused to believe that he or the team had never handled insurance.
In January 2000, after two firms merged, Ashif became Managing Director, Consulting and Partner, Audit, at PKF East Africa. He led the firm’s financial consulting arm and audited clients in the financial services sector. In 2003, he spent a year at ApexAfrica Capital as a director, where he led its financial consultancy and corporate finance functions.
Building the credentials
The qualifications followed the ambition. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and a practising member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (FCPAK) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (CPAU). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb).
His contribution to the profession has been recognised with the ACCA Achievement Award and an award from the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya. The Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya recognised his advice to the Treasury on the privatisation of state corporations and his work for the accountancy profession.
Co-founding RSM Eastern Africa
In February 2004, he co-founded RSM Eastern Africa LLP (then Ashvir & Co) with Azim Virjee. The founder’s vision of the founder is to create a mid-tier firm that would provide personalized and quality service to its clients, which was a gap in the market then. This vision has never changed, and uncompromising integrity and excellence in everything we do remain the firm’s core values.
The aha moment
After early setbacks, Ashif rose quickly and built an outward personality that wasn’t who he was at his core. As he approached 50, a facilitator at an RSM strategy session told him on the sidelines that he was a brilliant accountant but not an authentic leader. He brushed it off at first. Then he reflected on it and began looking at himself.
In 2018, he started what he calls “Introspection – The Journey Within”, using several tools to get back to that core. It has given him inner peace and clarity in difficult times, and he now shares it on various platforms. He has found that telling your story brings validation and honest feedback from others.
He has also set three boundaries for himself. He will not make material things the sole purpose of his life. He will deliver what he promises. And he will not take a role just for the title.
What would he tell young partners at RSM?
The balance between self, work and community, and how to be an authentic leader. He says he would have avoided a number of mistakes if he’d known earlier.
Home
His wife, Zainuba, is a pillar of the family and takes care of its key parts. Weekends are for time together, and the whole family follows Manchester United. Their cat, Ali, adds to their bond.
FCPA Ashif Kassam is the Founder and Executive Chairman of RSM Eastern Africa LLP. With over two decades of leadership, he has developed extensive expertise in audit and assurance, transaction advisory, strategy, corporate restructuring, risk advisory, family business consulting, and tax advisory services and has steered the firm to multiple industry accolades. A recognised leader, Ashif brings diverse perspectives and experience spanning mergers and acquisitions, valuations, mediation and legal dispute resolution.
Ashif is an EO Certified Speaker, speaking on Introspection – Inner Journey to Self-Realisation, where he shares tools and experiences that help entrepreneurs and professionals achieve greater personal clarity.
Ashif is a Fellow Member of ICPAK, a Fellow Member of ACCA, a Member of ICPAU, and a Fellow of FCIArb, UK.
His honours include the Order of the Grand Warrior (O.G.W.) of Kenya, in recognition of his advice to the Treasury on the privatization of state corporations, as well as recognition from ICPAK and ACCA for his contributions and service to the accounting profession.
Membership
A Private Circle for Global Indians
Join a trusted community of founders, investors, policymakers, and cultural leaders shaping the global Indian story across 46+ countries.
