OPEN DOORS WITH ACCA
Avril Kolbe was awarded the Gold medal for her final ACCA Qualification exams, as she achieved the highest results worldwide for the five Professional level papers. Working now as the Garden World finance analyst with Homebase Trading Finance, Avril is putting this knowledge to good use…
While completing a science degree at the University of Cambridge, Avril discovered that her mathematical abilities were her strength. ‘After graduation I decided to pursue a career in accountancy to enable me to use these strengths, applying them in a totally different context,’ she says. Avril chose to study for the ACCA Qualification, adding ‘it is becoming heavily sought after by employers, meaning there are many potential career opportunities following qualification’.
The global opportunities offered by achieving the ACCA Qualification appealed to Avril immediately. ‘ACCA is a qualification that is very highly regarded both in the UK and globally.’ The breadth and depth of the syllabus means that Avril had the flexibility to follow her own strengths, saying ‘there is a choice of papers at the final stage of the exams, enabling you to specialise in areas relevant to your chosen career path’.
As part of the Homebase Trading Finance team, Avril now enjoys a fast-paced, dynamic working environment. Her job involves weekly and monthly reporting and analysis of garden sales, as well as budgeting and forecasting. ‘The majority of my work is highly reactive, with ad hoc analysis depending on weather conditions, promotions and competitor activity, as well as analysis required to support the Trading team. I work with a wide range of stakeholders, including other Finance functions, the Trading teams, Distribution and Retail.’
Avril is determined to become a ‘well rounded accountant’ and learn as many skills as possible by accessing many different key finance areas, using these experiences to build her future. Avril says ‘this will enable me to gain knowledge and experience in a broad range of areas, and therefore to make an informed decision on the direction that I wish my longer term career to take’.
Balancing your career and study can be challenging, but with hard work and commitment, it can be done. Avril advises anyone starting out to ‘possibly volunteer for a short period of time in order to get
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74