It’s tax return season and Richard Raju is loving life at Sinnotts Accountants, where his days are busy helping clients with their compliance requirements.
“That’s what I love about my work the most – meeting people face to face, getting to really know them and delivering the personal touch that our team prides itself on,†he said.
Life today is a long way from the world Richard knew when he emigrated from India just seven years ago.
Richard’s family immigrated to the UK when he was 17, but he stayed in India to complete his accounting qualifications at university in Kerala where he met his wife-to-be Emy.
Fast forward to 2017 and Richard and Emy are married, Australian citizens and living in their home in Terang with three children – Aiden, 3, Angeline, 2, and Ava, 6 months.
He’s playing cricket for Terang, is a regular at the town’s gym and is training to be a volunteer with the SES.
“Here feels like our home now and that’s what we wanted for our family. My mum’s sister was living in Terang, so that’s why I headed this way when I left India in 2010,†he said.
“I was a qualified accountant and picked up a job as a night manager in Warrnambool for a few years, while I was completing my CPA.
“Then in 2015, I responded to an ad in the paper for a graduate accountant here at Sinnotts Accountants.â€
The 33 year-old said he had spent a few years learning and developing in the ‘back office’ and was thrilled to now have built up the confidence to work face-to-face with clients.
“Ours is a family-oriented business which is good and the people I work with have the same attitude to their work as I do and that’s all about building relationships and maintaining the personal touch that our clients value,†he said.
Company director Aaron Sinnott said Richard had become a fantastic asset to the firm.
“He’s a very positive person to have in the workplace. He’s great with people and we get fantastic feedback all the time from clients that Richard works with,†Aaron said.
