Catching up with our Future CFO runner up, Daniel Tascon

I applied for the Future CFO of the Year award because the award sounds very respectable, and it suited my interests in both Accounting and Finance. I was told about this competition through my university's career service, but it was one of many emails I received so when I saw it for the first time I didn’t pay much attention. But as the competition deadline coincided with the end of my applications for summer internships, I felt that being part of a respected competition such as Undergraduate of the Year would really improve my chances next year, and add to my CV regardless of how far I came in the competition. For these reasons I applied for the competition. 

After applying I was invited to take part in the numerical test and was told that I would know if I got through after a month or so. This period was quite nerve wrecking as I of course wanted to make it through to the assessment centre! After a month I was glad to receive confirmation that I passed the tests, and ACCA invited me to an assessment centre in their offices. I approached this assessment centre with little expectations that in a group of 30 people I would be able to stand out, but excited to see what ACCA had in store. When I got there the day was run very professionally, and I had to take part in a wide range of activities that tested skills such as presenting, problem solving and communicating clearly. 

After the assessment centre I had to wait another month or so before knowing whether I had made it into the last 10, and if I would be going to the awards ceremony in Canary Wharf. I was very honoured when I received confirmation that I was a finalist in the competition. I attended the event which involved networking and a speech from Fiona Bruce, which was all very enjoyable. In the end I did not win the award, however the experience was worth it and applying to the award helped me to gain confidence in my abilities as well as learn a lot!

After the competition I completed a 9 week internship at Barclay's within their Finance Department, which I found very interesting. However I have now decided to apply to Investment Banking this coming year, since I have developed a large interest in understanding corporate finance. I hope being a finalist in the Undergraduate of the Year Awards reflects my interest in the finance world and will help me achieve this!

Apply for the 2016 Undergraduate of the Year Awards now.