5. 40s
Hilal Mengi FCPA
Founder and managing director, Dune Studio
Dubai, UAE
Hilal Mengi advises emerging accountants to hone their professional scepticism and seek opportunities for cross-discipline collaboration.
What first drew you to accounting?
At school, my strength was at the intersection of maths and social sciences. I was fascinated by the cause-and-effect relationship between the economic decisions of those in power and the profound impact on the greater society.
I figured out that accounting is the language for understanding and measuring impact, and then communicating it to those in power to help them make more informed decisions.
How has your view of the profession changed over time?
While I was at university, my view was quite romantic — I wanted to create societal impact. During my cadetship, the volume of paperwork and document control required to perform an audit was quite a shock. My inner motivation did not feel aligned with the work, so I was disappointed.
My perspective shifted in my second role, when I was advising a family-run asset management business and I had to use financial data to have tough conversations about value leakage.
That was my first taste of the role of strategic adviser and using data to influence uncomfortable, but necessary, change. Those conversations were my first lessons in professional scepticism, which I believe is the ethical cornerstone of the accounting profession.
What is the biggest challenge facing accountants right now?
Integrating financial and sustainability data is challenging. But, when I look at the new ESG reporting frameworks, I see the opportunity for accountants to lead the collaboration between finance and technology to get the data we need.
How do you see technology shaping the next decade?
In 10 years, I expect we will be using distributed ledgers to provide immutable verification of complex supply chains and to certify carbon credits. The technology will bring the assurance and traceability that we will need.
What advice would you give someone just starting out?
Say “yes” to special projects that no one else may want to do, especially those that require collaboration with other business units, because accountants will need to translate complex data into a narrative that influences non-finance stakeholders.
