Raaj Parikh realized from an early age that he had a knack for numbers and the stories they tell. As a Corporate Accounting Manager, he has worked hard his entire life to succeed in corporate America, and he is taking to digital platforms to help others do the same.

Parikh says he wants to help people drive success and growth within their own careers.

The son of immigrant parents, Parikh remembers his dad's career as a database administrator and the long hours his mother worked as a teacher's assistant, a clerk, and more.

Parikh says watching his parents be high performers throughout his childhood had a tremendous impact on him and instilled a relentless work ethic that would last throughout his career.

It was during the Great Recession that Parikh decided to pursue a career in accounting himself.

"Accounting was a popular degree amongst students when I was in undergrad given the job stability and generous income a career in accounting provided," says Parikh

Regularly reading the 'Journal of Accountancy', his business school inspired Parikh to become an accountant. Each issue of the magazine would highlight an accountant and the unique trajectories they had taken to achieve successful and rewarding careers.

At the time, Raaj Parikh recalls realizing that accounting could be a truly lucrative and fun career.

"I liked the fact that I could work as an auditor at a Public Accounting Firm, or dive straight into an industry role, or use my accounting know-how in an entrepreneurial role."

Parikh completed his bachelor's and master's in accounting at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He earned his CPA license in 2012 and upon graduation joined the Risk Assurance practice at PwC.

After eight years in public accounting, Parikh moved into industry; his day-to-day duties include overseeing the accounting of 40 corporate entities and managing a team of five. Multiple senior accountants and two staff accountants report to Parikh, who says he does his best to help provide opportunities for personal growth and career development.

Raaj Parikh is a big advocate for continuous improvement and advocates for quick wins before tackling large change management projects.

"Once you understand the monthly close process, it's a continuous improvement exercise from there on. Monthly or quarterly, Accounting Managers should analyze what is getting done efficiently and what could be performed better."

According to Raaj Parikh, his role is about so much more than accounting. It is about building strong relationships and communicating effectively with the various departments within our organizations; the accounting is simply the end product.