Keith Pogson, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, retraces his career path.
What did you want to do when you were at school?
My parents are both scientists; my dad was a biochemist and my mother was a physicist. At school, the teachers said: 'You should do science. You're genetically gifted in this area.' But science didn't actually appeal to me that much. I was interested in the business world. I focused more on social sciences - geography and things like that - but also studied economics and politics at school before I went to university. I wouldn't say this was childhood rebellion against my parents because that really wasn't what it was. It was sort of seeing the world through a different set of eyes - practically rather than theoretically.
What did you study at university?
I decided I wanted to do a business-school style degree. I was in Britain at the time, and I signed up to go to Warwick University to their business school and do a management degree there. This kept my options open, as well. Their degree programme is actually very wide. I did a BSc in management science.
How did you get into accountancy?