From Birmingham to Abu Dhabi: Tahir Rabani shares his career journey

The aim of the sessions, which take place across the UK and are organised by the Muslim Network, is to give colleagues direct access to leaders, to hear about their personal experiences and gain insights on how they have mapped their careers within a professional services environment.

The journey so far

Tahir shared his career journey so far, which has seen him working on some of the biggest transportation and capital projects in the UK and Middle East - from operations assessments for Eurostar, to work on new generation transport in Leeds, to the Riyadh Metro and Abu Dhabi airport.

He joined PwC in the Middle East in 2013, and then moved to PwC in the Midlands in 2016. Tahir’s experience in the Middle East supported the firm’s inbound strategy (a Network Leadership Team priority), by facilitating introductions and meetings between the Department for International Trade and Saudi businesses looking to invest in the UK.

Career advice

Tahir’s advice to those attending was: “Think carefully about the sectors you work in and develop a relationship with your contacts, clients and partners. In short, build your network. By doing this, your network will grow as your career grows and this will help you with future job opportunities.”

Within the session, Tahir was asked whether being a Muslim and from a BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) community had presented him with any barriers to progression.

Tahir said: “Early on, when I started working, colleagues would say to me that if I wanted to get on I needed to drink alcohol, but as a Muslim I didn’t do this. However, times have changed and people generally understand diversity and religious differences. In fact, I find at PwC diversity and inclusion is celebrated.”

Asad Khan, a manager in Assurance who is the Muslim Network’s Midlands Leader and organiser of the event, said: “It was really inspiring to have Tahir share his experiences and to explain how he has navigated his way to becoming a director and to also hear about his time working in the Big Four internationally."

“He shared some great insights on challenges and opportunities with colleagues who attended."

The Muslim Network aims to educate, inspire and collaborate with all faiths and cultures by supporting our people as they progress through the firm, as well as responding to and supporting local and international communities. The network offers services that focus on faith, business, careers and community.