MIGRANT’S BOLD MOVE LEADS TO CREDIT AWARD
By Jodeal Cadacio
Auckland Stuff
orth-shore-times/2487764/Migrant-s-bold-move-leads -to-credit-award
June 11 2009
New Zealand
An Iraqi migrant living on the North Shore has been named the 2008
New Zealand Credit Professional of the Year.
Anaheed Abo works as a credit controller for Winstone Wallboards and
has been in New Zealand with her family for 14 years.
The high-achieving Glenfield mum is Armenian by race, Iraqi by birth
and a New Zealand citizen by choice.
The award was given by the New Zealand Credit and Finance Institute
at a recent ceremony.
Mrs Abo, her architect husband and two children arrived in 1995
through the Skilled Migrant Scheme.
"After two wars and the embargo imposed by the West, it was becoming
too difficult to run a business. We left Iraq for a better future
for our children."
After arriving in New Zealand, she enrolled in a business and
communication course through Work and Income and had a basic job as
a warehouse dispatcher.
She then worked in accounts in an engineering company for three
and half years while studying part time for two accounting papers
at Unitech.
In 1999 she took up an accounts payable position at Winstone Wallboards
and in 2004 she was promoted to credit controller.
Her husband is an architect for Westfield NZ and her 20-year-old
daughter and 19-year-old son are studying at Auckland University .
"I thank God and I am a proud mum. It was a big move, to leave all
our relations and all our history behind," she says.
"I tell my children they are lucky to be here, lucky to be safe."