After starting his career in Audit at BDO, Lok Rikhai realised that it was the world of corporate finance that really interested him. He now works for a leading private equity company and enjoys finding investment opportunities.
ICAEW route: ICAEW CFAB, School-leaver programme
Industry: Corporate finance
Location: Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
When I was just 19, I started work as an auditor at BDO, one of the ‘big five’ accounting firms.
After about a year, I realized that I was more interested in mergers and acquisitions, so I decided to make the move to Hong Leong Investment Bank.
There I was, a 20-year-old, entrusted with the responsibility of providing advice to clients who were looking at structuring and executing changes at their organisations.
I qualified during my time at Hong Leong Investment Bank and honestly, those three letters “ACA” after my name have helped me grow my career my leaps and bounds.
The qualification not only provided me with solid grounding and essential skills, it helped me to expand my thought process and approach every situation as a well-rounded business professional.
Today, I am an investment professional at TAEL Partners, a leading Southeast Asian private equity firm with six regional offices in ASEAN.
I wake up and look forward to embracing the challenge ahead – originating investment opportunities, structuring and execution of deals and monitoring of portfolio companies.
I am constantly asked to think differently as I learn the key dynamics of various industries and find attractive, new opportunities to invest in.
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