When The Brothers’ Circle for convert Muslims met on Wednesday 14 October at Lakemba Mosque, its guest speakers were two good friends from very different fields: businessman and philanthropist Bachir Zreika and two-times world boxing champion Billy Dib.
Mr Zreika, the founder and director of The Tax Factor, is a strong supporter of new Muslims through the LMA’s The Brothers’ Circle program, which offers welcome and support to men who have embraced Islam in their adult lives.
For him, it is a further expression of a belief that runs through his working life: success carries a responsibility to others.
Bachir Zreika was born in 1976 in El-Minieh, Tripoli, in the middle of the Lebanese civil war. Within a year his parents had left, spending several months in Egypt before settling in Australia.
“I would have been just over one year old when we arrived,” he told Minaret Media.
Like many Lebanese-Australian families of that era, they moved often, from Sydney to Melbourne and back again, before settling in south-west Sydney.
The eldest of four children, he attended Auburn Primary School and Granville Boys High School.
A head for numbers and an ease with people pointed him towards accounting.
After his tertiary studies he worked as a commercial accountant, then moved into tax and financial accounting, building a small base of private clients on the side.
At first there were no more than 40 or 50.
In 2007, he took what he calls a “leap of faith” and opened a single-room practice in Merrylands.
Growth came by word of mouth. Hiring his first staff member, he says, was when he knew he couldn’t do it alone anymore.
That practice is now The Tax Factor, with offices in Merrylands, Parramatta, Liverpool, Bankstown, the Sydney CBD and Wollongong.
It serves more than 4,000 clients under the motto “Think Beyond Tax”, offering advisory, business structures, asset protection, Virtual CFO, business strategy, bookkeeping and payroll services alongside tax.
A recent move to franchising gives younger accountants a structured path into owning a business.
“It wasn’t just about growth,” he says. “It was about creating opportunities for others.”
Islam shapes how Mr Zreika runs his business, and he describes it in practical terms.
“You’re dealing with people’s livelihoods,” he says. “Their money, their families, it’s all connected and you have to be conscious of that.”
He points to Quranic principles of justice and accountability and sees business relationships as a trust that reaches beyond this world.
“Your clients can be witnesses for you or against you,” he points out.
Faith also keeps him steady when things don’t go to plan.
Among the people who have shaped his outlook are Hamza Yusuf and Omar Suleiman on the religious side and Salaam Superannuation founder Talal Yassine AM and industry mentor Peter Adams in business and community life.
Mr Zreika’s support for community causes is well known.
He has backed LMA initiatives including the Muslim Golf Day, Community Grand Iftar and National Mosque Open Day.
He has also cooked for families at Ronald McDonald House in Westmead and supported Eid festivals.
Peruse the websites and social media platforms of other charities and organisations and you will often find the logo of The Tax Factor among the list of supporters.
Bachir has also launched the Tax Factor Scholarship Fund, a non-profit that helps students who might otherwise struggle to access education.
It offers financial assistance as well as mentoring and internship pathways for university students, including those from UTS and UNSW.
“Education has always been important to me,” he says.
Mr Zreika has been married for 25 years and has three children, each pursuing their own field.
A lifelong soccer fan, he played competitively in his youth alongside subsequent NRL icon Hazem El Masri, before turning his attention to career and family.
Asked what legacy he hopes to leave, his answer is short. “Something that helps people.”
In a time when success is often measured by size or visibility, his story points to growth anchored in community, faith and accountability.
His involvement in The Brothers’ Circle is just one example of this.
- Feature image shows Bachir Zreika flanked by The Brothers’ Circle participants at Lakemba Mosque in May.
