Bronwyn O'Neill, Female Undergraduate of the Year 2014 finalist, sheds some light onto life after the Awards...

I was a top 10 finalist for Rolls Royce's Female Undergraduate of the Year Award 2014. After the award process, I graduated from the University of York in 2015 and a month later moved to Matsuyama City, Japan. I was accepted onto the JET Programme as an Assistant Language Teacher, and since then have been teaching in five rural Elementary and Junior High Schools on the island of Shikoku. The past two years have been a real whirlwind and I've learnt so much - I've now got conversational Japanese language, teaching skills, and a great deal of experience with cross-cultural communication.  I’ve built a good network and I’ve also had some fantastic opportunities to publish some of my travel writing. As well as the professional skills I’ve developed, being in Japan has been a great opportunity for travel, personal development, and making some wonderful friendships. I will finish my time on the programme in August 2017, and although I will be a heartbroken to say goodbye to my wonderful students and life in Japan, I am very much looking forward to starting my career in the UK. I hope to use and continue to develop my language, communication, and creative skills in the new challenges that lie ahead.

Being part of Female Undergraduate of the Year has influenced my career path so far in subtle but noticeable ways. Visits to the Rolls Royce facilities and networking at Canary Wharf definitely opened my eyes to the world of possibilities open to me as a hardworking young professional. Seeing myself on the same level as so many amazingly talented undergraduates also gave me a confidence boost that went a long way towards securing my place on the JET Programme, a competitive and very rewarding graduate scheme. I found the Female Undergraduate award process particularly interesting as I met many high-level women at Rolls Royce and got a unique perspective on a previously male-orientated professional field. It really piqued my interest and heightened my drive towards breaking the glass ceiling.

My advice for prospective applicants is not to underestimate yourself! Make your application personal and give yourself enough time to properly give yourself credit for the great things you’ve already done as an undergraduate. You never know where it might lead you!

Undergraduate of the Year ‘Future CFO’ 2016 winner Molly Ashton visits the capital of the European Union

Shortly about to commence her final year of studies before starting a graduate role in Tax at PwC, Molly was chosen as our winner. Intelligent, with an adaptive thought process having the power to influence others, she showed all of the skills desirable for a future CFO. Molly also proves that you don't have to fit a certain mould to become an accountant: she is an avid fashion and beauty blogger, traveller, and animal lover! She describes her trip to Brussels in her blog here 

With our finalists being asked to debate the threats and opportunities associated with BREXIT for a small to medium business owner, a part of Molly’s prize was the unique opportunity to spend 2 days in the European Headquarter in Brussels, to meet with influential business advisors, EU officials, and even getting an exclusive tour of the European Parliament, organised by ACCA Brussels office.

First on the agenda was a meeting with Clara Lemaire, Head of the Brussels Office of Centrica, Sean McGuiree, Director of the CBI Brussels office and Cian Rice, director of EU Government relations for Barclays. They all stressed that the Brexit vote had increased the necessity for UK businesses to have a presence in Brussels. This allows companies to obtain intelligence on, and influence policies affecting their activities, and also to act as a link between the EU institutions and their UK offices. Meeting with influential people in the financial sector in Brussels helped Molly to understand some of the wider issues taking place following on from the BREXIT vote. Molly also heard a presentation by our Brussels office on ACCA’s EU affairs activities and on how Brussels works. 

On Day 2 of the trip, after a meeting with Peter Ujvari, a member of ACCA Corporate Reporting Global Forum and senior IFRS expert at the KBC bank, Molly received an exclusive invite to the European Commission and to the European Parliament. One of the Commission's main roles is to propose legislation, which is then adopted by the co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.

The ACCA delegation visited the Directorate General in charge for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA), where Valérie Ledure, an ACCA member and the Deputy Head of the Accounting and Financial Reporting Unit, gave an overview of the work of the European Commission in general, and of her unit, more specifically.  

The group then had the opportunity to get a private guided tour around the impressive European Parliament by Rhiannon Price, the Senior Policy Advisor of Welsh MEP Kay Swinburne, predominantly active in the field of financial services.

After lunch at the EP’s canteen, the ACCA group was joined by Andrea Laskava, a special adviser to EPP’s President MEP Manfred Weber, who shared with us precious insights on the functioning of the EP and the internal political games.

In addition to better understanding the role of the European institutions, Molly also got to enjoy the cultural side of Brussels with visits to the Magritte Museum, the Royal Palace, the old town centre and of course eating Belgian waffles and frites.

Reflecting on the trip Molly said:

"I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Brussels, understanding more about the EU parliament and what ACCA's role is in the city was really interesting. It was strange to go from ACCA's huge London HQ to an office of two members in Brussels who work more closely with the parliament and commission to understand policies. The trip has helped me understand how diverse ACCA's role is across the world and has definitely intrigued me to find out more in the future!"

You have to be in it to win it! Words of advice from Management Undergraduate of the Year Shona McCotter

Hi everyone, my name is Shona McCotter and I have been lucky enough to receive the coveted TARGETjobs Management Undergraduate of the year award 2016, sponsored by Enterprise-Rent-a-Car.

I was reading through my university emails one day when I saw this particular opportunity to enter the UK Undergraduate of the Year awards. It immediately took my interest and I chose to enter the Management category.

What I really liked about this category was that Enterprise-Rent-a-Car was the sponsor. Having won graduate employer of the year on various occasions and with a summer internship and a week in the states up for grabs I knew this is would be an amazing opportunity.

Having completed my online application and passing my phone interview, I was then invited to an assessment day at their European Head office in Surrey. To say I was nervous in the days and hours beforehand was an understatement (I travelled from Barcelona – so I had a lot of time to dwell!).

The assessment centre was a lot less daunting than I imagined. The ERAC team were genuinely so friendly and down to earth, and this made me feel much more comfortable in expressing myself throughout the different tasks with other candidates and in my one to one interview. They really wanted each of us to do well! I learned a lot about Enterprise’s working environment and noticed how most of the employees started as management trainees – so they really had a found respect for what interns do.

The awards ceremony itself in Canary Wharf was such an amazing experience and the presentation by Fiona Bruce was really inspiring. I had never been to anything like it. As the winner, I was presented my award by Khaled Shabo, Corporate VP and MD for UK and Ireland who has contributed enormously to the success of Enterprise-Rent-a-Car.

I will undergo my USA trip next summer in the global HQ for Enterprise-Rent-a-Car!  ERAC have also asked me to be their Campus Brand Manager this year, which has been a great experience so far, allowing me to promote their opportunities in careers fairs and to my peers. Since winning the award I have interned in Beijing, China on a scholarship and have had graduate offers based on my achievement, so it has really brought me far and was definitely worth the application!

“You have to be in it to win it” is a phrase we’re all very familiar with but very few of us take it seriously. One piece of advice I would give after this experience is to have some faith in yourself and go for it! It was worth it for me, it might just be for you too. 

Do yourself proud! Martin talks of how there's nothing to lose when applying for the Undergraduate of the Year Awards

I was just finishing some January assignments at University and had a free afternoon where I thought I would apply. I always wanted to apply, and the Department of Economics at Warwick sent around emails encouraging us to do so, but I was not quite sure which category to go for and didn’t have too much time to look into it but once the assignments were out of the way, I concluded that the Future CFO category best-suited my skillset. Not only that, but the prize – a trip around Europe! – looked incredible!

After answering three competency questions, we had four online tests to do. These were quite hard, especially given the time pressures, but ultimately if I wasn’t very good at analysing pie charts or answering the other numerical/logical tests, then I wouldn’t make a very good CFO anyway! So it was a very good test and one which tells you a lot about yourself.

Soon after, I got an email from ACCA inviting me to the next round: record yourself in a one-minute video outlining your views on Brexit! This was something I had done a lot of research in, and understandably had a lot of interest in given I study economics, so I was very happy to do so, but there were still some nerves knowing you have to record yourself on camera!

Amazingly I got through to the next round: a debate with an MP furthering our views on Brexit from what we outlined in the video. This was a superbly well-run event and given the calibre of students I was so pleased to be able to share the room with these people and give my inputs.

Whatever the outcome, I knew I had done myself proud with my research and met some fantastic people who I could learn a lot from, but it was then amazing to get the email telling me I had got through to the final!

I was so excited for this event, as were my University! After a long, but ultimately very fun and interactive, selection process, this was a day for us to mingle and get to know other incredible like-minded people. It was such an incredible opportunity to get here, to meet Fiona Bruce, to meet other ACCA professionals and to build my network with other students from different degree fields. The three-course meal was fantastic, and whilst I did not win, I was super pleased for the eventual winner and I know I walk away from the competition much better placed in terms of the graduate job market with this to my CV, and also with an ever-increasing network built.

My advice is clear: apply! I walked away so proud of myself – I knew I didn’t let myself down and couldn’t have done much better – so there is nothing to lose, be yourself and utilise every opportunity in life to make yourself stand out – and this is one of the best ones to take!

A journey full of experiences and rewards: Luisa's Undergraduate of the Year story

The Final event was in the Winter Gardens in Canary Wharf, filled with 120 of the brightest and most high achieving undergraduates, and every single one was reminded of their excellence by each speaker on stage. I was sitting amongst those 120 undergraduates, having been shortlisted to win the female undergraduate award. Every now and again I would experience a wave of insecurity because I could not understand how I managed to get through to this last stage. I do not think I realised the significance of these awards until I was there, surrounded by so many incredible students and company sponsors.

The entire journey, from sending in my CV and completing the first online psychometric tests to the final event, was the most challenging but also most rewarding journey I have embarked and looking back at it I would recommend anyone with the least bit of ambition to apply for one of the TargetJobs awards. 

I experienced a two-day assessment centre (which is not very common), but it raised my confidence and helped me prepare in the best way possible for any future assessments I will face. We had to do group assessments, presentations, interviews, write individual reports but we were also taken round the incredible sites of Rolls Royce in Derby, whereby we learnt more about the company. I was offered a summer internship with Rolls Royce despite of not having won the award itself, but that was because they spotted potential in me during the application process. I got to spend a day in Canary Wharf and take a selfie with Fiona Bruce. But most importantly, I made more than 119 new valuable contacts from several industry fields, who will certainly in future become some of the most influential leaders of our time. I also got to speak to high level managers and executives from Rolls Royce who all shared about their own career paths and gave me valuable tips. 

About mid way through this journey I started to see it less as a competition and more as a networking opportunity. I experienced the beauty of encouragement and the importance of supporting one another in our successes because there is much more value in celebrating each other than putting each other down.

As you can see, it was all in all a hard process but I got much more out of it than I had asked for.

You never know what might happen or how far you might come. If you never try you will never succeed. 

Give the Undergraduate of the Year Awards a go like Adam did, and you too could gain a lot!

After speaking to one of my friends who reached the final of the competition last year, I thought I would throw my hat in the ring and give it a go myself. Indeed, I too was fortunate enough to make the final ten for Management Undergraduate of the Year. In this short piece I thought it would be useful to share the most pertinent takeaway for me, which relates largely to the benefits of being exposed to an entire recruitment cycle so early on during your time at university.

The first port of call was to submit an online application including two or three short essay answers, as well as online verbal and numerical reasoning tests. This was followed by a 30-minute telephone interview to understand my motivations for applying. My advice to anyone who makes this stage would be to do some research around Enterprise Rent-A-Car and really get to grips with how diverse the business is. More than anything, of course, just be yourself and convey a genuine enthusiasm for reaching the next stage and you’ll do just fine.

Once the telephone interview is complete you’ll be invited to an assessment centre at the European Head Office in Surrey. This is a half-day centre with roughly 6 or 7 other applicants from universities around the country. We started with a group exercise and then moved into one-to-one interviews before finishing up with an individual exercise that definitely tests your ability to manage and lead right from the outset. Although that sounds terrifying, don’t worry about anything – one of the most surprising things for me was how welcoming and friendly everyone was. It’s a target-driven environment with a flexible and hospitable atmosphere, and you’ll feel like you’re already part of the company within the first hour.

Once the assessment centre was complete we were invited to join the finalists and distinguished guests from Enterprise Rent-A-Car at Canary Wharf. There we were treated to lunch with Fiona Bruce before the awards were presented. As I pointed out earlier, the biggest learning curve for me was experiencing the full recruitment process, from online application all the way through to assessment centre and interview. No matter what stage you get to, you’ll have that experience in the bank to draw upon when it comes to applying for placements and/or graduate roles. That has certainly proved valuable for me when attending assessment centres and interviews in recent months.

In short, my advice would be to throw yourself in and get involved as it’s a great, risk-free environment to develop those transferrable skills that you’ll need when it comes to applying for that all important placement and graduate position. Of course, networking with fellow applicants and the guys from Enterprise is also one of the most valuable things that you’ll take from the experience. And even though there’s only one outright winner, whatever stage of the competition you get to is certainly a great asset on your CV, and will give you a great foundation from which to talk about your experiences in interviews.

I’m more than happy to answer any other questions or have a more general chat if you want to get in touch. My email is ajb204@bath.ac.uk or connect with me on LinkedIn.

We catch up with the Future Business Leader Award winner 2016!

Sarahjane studied international business with business law at Glasgow Caledonian University. With a love for travel, Sarahjane completed an Erasmus exchange in France and taught English for one year in Senegal with Project Trust. Several of her experiences helped her develop a passion for sustainability within business, so she saw the Future Business Leader of the Year award as the obvious choice for her.

I was already familiar with the Undergraduate of the Year Awards before I had even considered applying, as I had used Target Jobs throughout my time at university to look for placements and graduate employment. Out of them all, the “Future Business Leader of the Year” was easily the category where I felt myself best placed. I was studying International Business and had previously worked in finance, procurement and CSR. Yet, despite this, I had still spent some time deliberating whether I should apply, especially looking at previous winners and their own backgrounds. However, I was drawn to the FMCG focus of the application, as this was the sector I had wanted to enter, and Mars being the sponsor company was naturally extremely attractive. So, perhaps partly due to dissertation procrastination, I decided to submit an application.

Everyone says it, but I really was genuinely surprised each time I passed a stage of the application. The initial psychometric testing was similar to those I was completing when applying for graduate jobs, so I was really encouraged when I had passed this and motivated me to continue with the application. Having saying that, the next stage involved a telephone interview and was probably the stage I felt I had messed up the most! I had spent so much time preparing generic interview questions that I was completely thrown by the more informal, person-centred approach of the interview. I was probed on my CV and specific experiences as opposed to the generic competency-based scenarios which I was so used to, which made it harder for me to try and work out how well or poorly I’d done. Looking back though, the interview was a good indication of what was to come: an assessment centre designed to really understand candidates further than simply what can be taken from a CV. This was probably my favourite thing about the whole process; I felt like I had really got to understand Mars (and also the other candidates in my category) and that Mars had taken the time to understand us. When I think back to how I was undecided about applying, I’ve learned that embracing having differences as opposed to being intimidated by them really paid off.

Winning the award was the most perfect way to finish off final year and gave me so much more confidence for graduate life. Admittedly, throughout the process, it struck me how well everyone got on, particularly in comparison to other assessments I had been involved with. One of my highlights from the awards was how much fun we all had together – the real source of competitiveness surrounded which category had had the best table (which “Future Business Leader” had 100% won thanks to all the chocolate goodies courtesy of Mars). Even after the ceremony, so many of us have stayed in touch, whether this be via our social media group or by supporting each other’s business ventures. I truly feel like I have met people who I can rely on later in my professional life, and if that’s what the next generation of undergraduates look like, then I look forward to what lies ahead in my career!

What can you get out of the Undergraduate of the Year Awards? And why everyone should apply!

Walking onto the glass domed balcony of the East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf, full of bright smiling faces, I could not have imagined that my application for the Management Undergraduate of the Year would have brought me here just a few months ago.             

A few months prior to the award ceremony, an email from the careers centre at my University had caught my eye. I’ve always loved opportunities and the possibilities to stretch myself, so this seemed like something I would be very interested in, so I applied. I took the online tests and application thinking I had nothing to lose? I was thrilled to find I had been selected as part of the top 40 for a telephone interview, something which I had never experienced before, but I wasn’t going to let that worry me.

When applying for these awards or indeed a job, I believe it’s important to do your research, it shows you have enthusiasm for the company and a desire for success. I got in touch with the area manager from the company hosting the management award, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, she was more than helpful in providing me with advice for my telephone interview and beyond. I kept in contact with her throughout the process and she was a great support.

A few weeks later, knowing I would soon be receiving an email about the outcome of interview I nervously checked my email inbox, and there it was, I was going to London for the assessment centre!

After what was a very long but inspiring day, in which I met fantastic candidates and company representatives from all around the country, I waited for the phone call to know whether I had made it any further. At this point, after meeting the high calibre of candidates, I was proud to have reached this point - especially since my first year at University had not yet finished! I was then elated to learn I had made it through to the final. 10 out of 400 applicants!

The day before the award I received a phone call from the Area manager I had been in communication with, she rang to wish me the best of luck for the award the next day and to offer me an internship with Enterprise, regardless of what happened at the awards, I couldn’t believe it! 

The awards were a fantastic day and gave me the opportunity to meet so many amazing candidates and company representatives as well as catch up with some of the people I had met on my assessment day, naturally as the award announcements came closer I was nervous, however, despite not winning, I still felt, along with many people I spoke to afterwards, that we had all won, we were there at this incredible venue with some of the biggest names in business in the UK!

For the summer? I am spending ten weeks with Enterprise as a management trainee intern and I cannot wait to see what opportunities it brings!

My advice for applicants, it doesn’t matter what year of university you are currently in, or perhaps what qualifications you may think lack, these awards look for the people behind the application submissions, so apply, you never know where you may find yourself!

Hayat tells us how close you are to landing a dream opportunity

Hayat won the 2016 Civil Service Leader of the Year Award 2016. Here's what she has to say about the process...

Application process:

I saw an email about the Awards and was particularly attracted by the opportunity to win a place on the Summer Diversity Internship Programme. I really didn't have the confidence to go for the application but my mum told me I had nothing to lose and to just apply! This was definitely the best decision I made as becoming a finalist and then winning the award really increased my confidence in my own abilities. 

I completed some online tests (after practicing for a good couple of days as I had never done them before) I was told I could progress to the next stage. Answering the employer questions was the most enjoyable part as I was able to convey my passion for diversity and inclusivity in the work place and particularly in the Civil Service! I then progressed onto a telephone interview which was warm and relaxed so I was able to confidently express my interests and my previous experiences in different roles. The whole process was not as daunting as I imagined and I would definitely encourage anyone to go for it as it is worth the effort!

Awards Ceremony:

Once the main application process was over and I was told I was shortlisted in the final 10, it was a huge relief! To get this far was an achievement in itself! The awards ceremony in Canary Wharf was amazing. The venue was unlike any I had been to before and the array of eager and equally excited students in attendance was welcoming. It was lovely to interact with students and professionals from different fields and also to meet and speak with civil servants from the Fast Stream. 

My advice to any undergraduate would be to just go for it, never to doubt yourself and to fulfil your potential! 

Many thanks,
Hayat

Mazhar talks us through his experience with the Undergraduate of the Year Awards 2016

Application process
Initially, I dismissed the emails that advertised the Undergraduate of the Year awards on the basis that such opportunities only apply to extraordinary people. A week before the deadline I received a third email which finally encouraged me to investigate further. This time the criteria seemed more applicable and the possibility of me receiving such an award began to germinate. To address a few concerns regarding my chances, I set out to uncover the traits of previous winners through the 2015 blog entries. Many people held the belief that becoming Undergraduate of the Year was unachievable for them, however, the process still promised much to be attained.

As part of the application I needed to answer three non-trivial questions designed by the sponsor, Expedia. I struggled to conjure up anything relevant, leading me to conclude I wasn’t destined for this journey.

Forty-eight hours before the deadline, I received a call from the Undergraduate of the Year team urging me to complete my application. I appreciated the thoughtfulness behind this gesture and the humanity behind the team. So I readied myself to battle the questions. If not for myself, then for people who place their faith in people like myself.

When it came to answering the questions, it proved beneficial to brainstorm potential thoughts or experiences of mine which were relevant to the questions. After this, I took three psychometric tests- what helped me tremendously with these were the multiple examples and tips available on the internet - definitely take a look at them!

Assessment centre

While imprisoned by illness, I received an email inviting me to the assessment centre and detailing the plan for the day. The assessment day was held at Expedia’s London office and involved icebreakers and a group exercise where we designed an AirBnB app highlighting nearby special offers. In the afternoon, I networked with the assessors and current employees. Being placed in groups with strangers to design and present an app in just forty-five minutes made the group exercise a worthy challenge. In short, the day was very pleasant despite its competitive nature. Moreover, speaking to the current employees at Expedia informed me of the work completed at their offices.

Awards ceremony

The final ceremony was the easiest part of the process. I sat down with all the finalists and the Expedia staff members that I had gotten to know, had a delicious three-course meal and listened to Fiona Bruce’s amusing stories. Although I didn’t win, I increased the prospects of me working for Expedia, featured on my university’s website and had an honorary mention during my summer 2016 university’s graduation ceremony.

If you are eligible then grasp this opportunity and apply. Seriously, throughout this process, nothing changed; I was still ordinary Mazhar. I just happened to do that little extra by applying.

We caught up with Leon from The Male Undergraduate of the Year Award 2015

It has been over a year since the Undergraduate of the Year Awards 2015 and I've learnt a lot in the 10 months that I've been at L'Oréal so far. Both the Award and the placement that followed has given me invaluable experience that I believe would help me in whatever career I decide to pursue. 

I've launched products and managed my own projects and budgets; delivered on leading digital initiatives that my Brand had never done before; coordinated my own team to help organise our annual National Conference; and also exposed myself to very different experiences, from legal, commercial and digital to PR and photoshoots!

This time last year, I would've never thought I could be gaining so much by spending a year in industry and I'm glad I took the decision to defer my postgraduate year for this. I've learnt a lot about my strengths and blind spots and I am clear on what my areas of development are. I now feel well-prepared for whatever I finally decide to do in future!

If you are interested in applying to The Undergraduate of the Year Awards 2017 please pre-register here - http://undergraduateoftheyear.com/register 

We catch up with Yatin Vadhia on what he’s been up to since being a finalist for the Computer Science Undergraduate of Year Award last year.

Yatin now works at Expedia who are sponsoring the Computer Science & Analytics Award this year!

This time last year, I’d just finished my January exams, and while I was in a productive mindset, I decided to spend a little amount of time applying for the TargetJobs Computer Science Undergraduate of the Year Award. This turned out to be quite a good use of my time, because a few months later, I found out I was one of the finalists for the award!

While I didn’t go on to win the award, it was still a great experience and a few months later I went on to join the company that is sponsoring the 2016 award, Expedia.

Expedia is a fundamentally a technology company, but in the travel sector which is great if you like travelling like I do!

Expedia is a very international place to work much like the industry we operate in with a great open, collaborative culture. Now, lots of companies can say this, but few can prove it. We can! We are officially the best place to work in the UK according to Glassdoor ! Our fantastic offices are located right next to Angel tube station here in London.

Expedia is a great place to start your career in tech and data analysis, we’re working with complex and interesting data, and even as an intern you’re given real world responsibility in revealing consumer insights and rolling out the latest technologies

You can read about some the technical challenges we face at Expedia on our new blog!: https://techblog.expedia.com/

Find out what Aataullah has been up to since winning the Future CFO Undergraduate of the year award!

I can truly say that winning an Undergraduate of the Year Award has had a huge impact on me the past few months. I’ve not had much of a break over the summer break but I suppose it is worth it in the long run! Alongside my trip to Shanghai, I also interned at Grant Thornton and TalkTalk, the second being the internship I won with the award. Both internships were brilliant at exposing me to the world of finance. Coming from a mathematics background, it has been an excellent opportunity to discover finance in practice and also in industry.

At Grant Thornton, I spent four weeks in the audit division. I learned about how the process takes place and I was able to look into different stages of the audit for a number of clients. However, I spent most of my four weeks at a larger client, and was able to see the transition from the middle of the audit, nearing to completion. This was a great opportunity as it meant that my work was varied, and I was able to gain more exposure. Also, spending most of my time at a single client gave me a glimpse into the real life of an auditor. I worked with a great team of people who were always willing to help despite my lack of financial knowledge!

I won the internship with TalkTalk through ACCA, and I was very excited to work at such a large company. I did not know much about telecommunications, but working at TalkTalk has shown me that it is an interesting and lively industry. I was looking forward to it from the beginning as it would be an insight into the other side of finance, being in industry. I was lucky enough to gain an insight into different parts of the company through finance, the main two departments being overheads and accounts payable. I enjoyed the internship very much as I was able to find out all the work that goes into producing financial statements. I never had much exposure to financial statements before this summer, but the internships have really helped me discover how not only to understand them but also the information about the company you can gain from them! Also, my internship timed with their half year end, and I was able to take part in several meetings with the managers and finance controllers, which was really interesting as it gave me a flavour of the transition from finance to business, and how financial information can be used to make business decisions.

As I mentioned before, ACCA had kindly presented a trip to Shanghai as part of the award. This was a fabulous opportunity where I met with many financial leaders including CFOs! I was given the opportunity to shadow a CFO at Starwood Hotels Group, one of the largest hotel groups in China, and I learned more about the CFO role itself. I also had the opportunity to meet Grant Thornton in China, which was amazing having already worked at the company in the UK. Speaking to several partners, I learned about business strategies that were being implemented and I was pleased to see that the same values and ambitions in the UK were being resonated in China!

Speaking to the CFOs, I discovered the transition between being an accountant and being able to manage and lead the finance department, and the skills that are required to ensure the success of your career and the organisation. I learned how the ACCA qualification helps one achieve such a transition. Whether it’s here in the UK or in Shanghai, the qualification is looked upon highly, and it is throughout the world. It lets others know you have the technical knowledge needed for a business to operate successfully. The trip really opened my eyes to the recognition for such a qualification, I hope to one day become a qualified accountant myself!

The award has really opened up a lot of doors since I won in April. I’ve been able to expand my network internationally and I discovered more about China, a country I never imagined I would travel to anytime soon! Since ACCA and TargetJobs are so well recognised, winning the award has really boosted my CV. Being able to take part in internships over the summer has also boosted my CV, but it has also helped me discover new skills that I may not have throughout my academic life. Being able to gain an insight into finance in both practice and industry has confirmed my ambitions to work in finance. The award has helped me decide where I would like my career to take me, and I do hope that I can one day become a CFO!

If there is even a small part of you that believes you can become an undergraduate of the year I would insist you apply. Not only is it amazing recognition, but you will get to take part in so many things that could have lasting impacts on your future. I never imagined I would be winning an award when I applied, but I also never imagined the opportunities that would come my way having done so. It has been a fantastic half year since I won, and I only hope the opportunities to learn and develop more keep coming my way!