Abdul Gaheir

I won the inaugural ‘Block Management Rising Star’ award at our annual celebration in January. I have been asked to write about my career journey so far, the lessons I have learned and my long term ambitions…

Surprisingly enough, I joined the block management industry unintentionally 10 years ago - I had no background and understanding of accounting or block management.  

As part of a 100-hour mandatory work experience, I worked with all the departments within block management, and it allowed me to grasp the concept and understand what each department does - I loved it so much that I ended up staying for a few more days for free in the hope that they would keep me on and offer me a contract.

At the time, the company didn’t have a permanent role for me, but I pleaded with the finance director for an opportunity. He offered me a temporary role assisting with a system implementation project. The project lasted three months and this coincided with one of the accounts clerks handing in their notice. This created an unexpected opening for me and I stepped in without hesitation. I hit the ground running and earned multiple promotions within my first two years, eventually becoming a senior accountant there.

Nine years later, a recruiter approached me with an exciting opportunity to take the next step in my career and go into management. Having never considered leaving my previous company, I was initially hesitant. However, after learning about KFH’s core values and meeting with the senior management team, I accepted the challenge and joined in April 2024 - and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my career. From day one, I felt at home, implementing fresh ideas and fostering team morale across the block management division.

There’s a funny stereotype that accountants are quite dull, but I’ve helped break that stigma whilst building friendships across the division along the way.  

Early on in my management journey, I faced some challenges but managed to navigate and overcome them. The support I received from both my accounts directors (Anthony Wesley and Wendy South) during that period was invaluable to me and I will always be grateful to them!

Winning the KFH Block Management Rising Star Award 2024 was a highlight moment for me considering, I’d only been at KFH for 9 months. Now fully settled, my short-term goal is to continue growing and succeeding as a team, while my long-term ambition is to develop within KFH and work my way up to become a director. I am looking forward to the challenge!