In conversation with Zeeshan Anwar Toor, an IMA member and CMA student with PwC Academy

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Zeeshan is a true inspiration to all CMA students. He cleared the CMA with a whopping distinction of 88% (Part 1) and 84% (Part 2) on his first attempt!

An IMA member and CMA student with PwC Academy, Zeeshan is a true inspiration to all CMA students. As he prepped for the crucial CMA exam, he also commenced his journey to fatherhood. He cleared the CMA with a whopping distinction of 88% (Part 1) and 84% (Part 2) on his first attempt and is now a proud father of a 5 month old son. Here’s his story of how you can balance your professional and personal life, and yet succeed on all fronts.

Why did you decide to pursue the CMA qualification from IMA?

"I was looking to enhance my professional knowledge and skill set. CMA was the most suited for my interests, work requirements and career progression goals."

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your exam prep?

"Well, this is an interesting story. When I started CMA at PwC Academy, my wife and I were expecting a baby. I was also involved in a major audit project for a sister-concern company so late work hours were a norm. Amidst all this chaos, I appeared for my Part 2 exam and thankfully, aced both in the first attempt."

How did you endure… to finally succeed?

"Clichéd as it sounds, it’s all about hard work. Despite all the pressure, I kept myself motivated and focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. The discipline of attending classes with PwC Academy definitely helped. My trainers assisted me with the concepts and gave enough practice questions and tests. More importantly, they were always available for prompt responses on emails and whatsapp which really helped, given my crazy schedules."

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Priyam Mahajan

Senior Manager - Marketing

Priyam is the Head of Marketing for PwC’s Academy Middle East. She is a senior marketing practitioner with over 12+ years of experience in marketing to consumer and corporates.

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Priyam is the Head of Marketing for PwC’s Academy Middle East. She is a senior marketing practitioner with over 12+ years of experience in marketing to consumer and corporates. She is a seasoned trainer for CIM qualification course and has delivered training progammes to clients and to our internal business functions on a range of marketing theories, applications and best practices.
Priyam has been associated with PwC’s Academy for the past 5 years where she has been instrumental in establishing a 360 degree marketing function for the Academy and has led its B2B and B2C marketing strategy, implementation and control. Prior to this, she worked as the Head of Marketing and Sales for an education business in the region and with a media and CXO community engagement firm in India.
She specialises in delivering omni-channel campaigns with a focus on ROI, growth and innovation. Her areas of interest span across social media management, traditional and online advertising, content marketing strategy, event management and execution, affiliate marketing, and public relations. Her professional passion is relationships, be it customer experience, strategic associations or vendor management.
Priyam has a deep understanding of contemporary marketing practices and their application in business, and she brings this insight and experience into the classroom.