What it does: Provides financial services across Sri Lanka, including auditing, tax consulting, corporate finance, business advice and outsourcing.
Best known for: Being recognised Chartered Accountants and members of HLB International, an international network of accountants. It won the Audit Firm of the Year - Medium Category award in 2016 at the South Asia Partnership Summit and Business Awards.
The good: Solid training opportunities. High-profile clientele.
The not so good: Can be stressful.
Hiring grads with degrees in: accounting and finance; software engineering; computer science.
Nihal Hettiarachchi & Co (NHCo) began in 1984, near the beginning of the civil war. Its eponymous founder had a history in the industry, gaining experience at KPMG, Ford Rhodes and Thornton. By the age of 23, he had already become a Chartered Accountant, venturing into other arms of the profession with different companies.
From business consulting for PwC to auditing, taxation and management for Coopers & Lybrand, Hettiarachchi sought to bring his skills back home and develop Sri Lanka. His existing relationships allowed him to land John Keells Holdings as his first client, encouraging others to quickly follow suit.
Today, HNCo is run not only by Nihal but his son Dinuk. They seek to bring opportunities not only to clients, but employees wanting to grow into fine accountants.
NHCo has an accounting trainee program, which involves continuous feedback and performance evaluation. It’s a good way to build the necessary skills for becoming a Chartered Accountant in Sri Lanka and gain client-facing experience. They also have their own student society, the objective being to teach organisational skills and host company events for university students with an interest in accounting. They have a well-thought-out early career trajectory.
Software or computer science graduates may also enter.
The only potential downside would be the company’s size. It’s small compared with other firms operating in the country, which some graduates may not enjoy. This is likely out-weighed by the strength of their traineeship, however, which is worth considering for any aspiring accountant.
NHCo holds several programs to develop the professional and personal capabilities of its team outside the student society. In addition to holding New Year’s parties like any office, it has its own debating competitions and holds a cricket premier league.
In an interview with Nihal and Dinuk, the latter explained how their culture is fast-paced, utilising a ‘human wave’ style of management, allowing them to interview people and have them on the job within 24 hours.
The culture is also fairly tight-knit. “I believe in the Japanese style of management”, explained father Nihal in 2015. “I am fortunate that I have a very good staff, whom I treat like an extended family.” This attitude extends throughout the business is not only social events but everyday interactions.
NHCo’s mission is delivering assurance and accounting services to bolster Sri Lanka’s growing businesses. They see themselves as providers to all segments of the economy. They have six core values:
NHCo do their best to be ambassadors for their field and Sri Lanka, notably hosting the 2018 HLB International Asia-Pacific Regional Conference. The conference hosted international delegates and featured traditional dancing, networking and guest speakers. It has also taken part in providing lunches to school children and launched disaster relief programs.