Riz's addiction to coffee is legendary, along with his quirky sense of humour, and irreverent approach to life. He is meticulous, highly organised and systematic in his approach to work, where his experience as a Platoon Sergeant in the Singapore Armed Forces has moulded him into someone who leads by example, values order and ensures his team is well taken care off.

Graduating in 2003 from Curtin University of Technology with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Riz worked as a programmer for three years. However, in this role, his talent for visual design was untapped. So in 2006, he switched to a role as a front-end creative with Platform Interactive. It was then when he learned to incorporate his programming skills with his design background - producing impressive results for clients while honing his web development skills.

In 2012, Riz co-founded Sidra Blue with his business partner Amel Holic, and took on clients who needed custom integrations with their websites and systems. They rebranded to BlueSky Digital Labs in 2018, where focus was pivoted to building custom software and delivering digital solutions to clients in various industries.

With Riz’s leadership in cultivating a strong team culture, BlueSky grew to 40 Perth based developers and designers in a span of 3 years - culminating with BlueSky winning a judges’ nominated award for the category of Business Person of the Year at the 29th Belmont & Western Australian Small Business Awards in 2022.

After successfully divesting ownership in 2023, Riz has been lending his skills, expertise, and experience, to various Perth based companies like Nexion Group and Dezign Digital.

Having a renewed focus in wanting to give back to the community, Riz has also stepped up his volunteering activities - from mentoring for organisations like the WA Data Science and Innovation Hub, the Australian Computing Society, and She Codes Australia - to being involved with Curtin Alumni events like the Graduation Ceremonies and Curtin Open Day.

Riz was also a member of the Engineers Australia Diversity and Inclusion committee, advising on Neurodiverse inclusion in WA; And is currently an ambassador for Curtin University’s Because They Dare campaign - taking advantage of his status as a prominent Curtin Alumni to help spotlight student support initiatives that focus on accessible education and improving the student experience.

In his spare time, Riz loves to read Ms Marvel Kamala Khan comics and sci-fi books, support his favourite sports teams Boston Celtics and Watford Football Club, and enjoys chilling to the music of bands like The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins, and Pale Waves.