This year’s student conference was held at PF Live at the QEII Centre, London, and it was great to see so many familiar faces as well as new students attending for the first time.
Outgoing CIPFA Student Network (CSN) President Lin Liu kicked off the day with an opening speech reflecting on the last year and introducing key members of the CSN.
The senior managers’ talk then got underway, led by CIPFA CEO Rob Whiteman CBE and attended by senior managers Neil Hunter and Tom Kelly from Cambridgeshire County Council and Helen Woods from CIPFA. They discussed their career paths with a focus on skills – those that have proven indispensable to our panellists and those they look for in new recruits.
CIPFA’s Chief Economist Jeffrey Matsu and ICAEW’s Head of Tech Policy Esther Mallowah looked at the changing landscape and responses to digital innovation, including the skills required of an accountant.
After a break, the attendees had the chance to discuss fraud and anti-corruption within government with CIPFA’s International Director Khalid Hamid.
Student prizegiving
The prizegiving session was the final session at this student year’s conference. Immediate Past President and former CIPFA student Jayne Owen and Head of Exam Panel Suzanne Jones were delighted to hand out prizes to the students to commend best performances in specific modules of CIPFA’s Professional Accountancy Qualification. Congratulations to all our winners.
- Winner of the Arthur Collins Memorial Award and the Richard Emmott Memorial Prize Eric Gilliland Memorial Prize
Jack O’Shea
- Winner of the Eric Gilliland Memorial Prize
Philip Morgan
- Winner(s) of the best overall performance in the Management Accounting exam
Ngoc Phan
- Winner of the best overall performance in the Financial Accounting exam
Carine Ano
- Winner of the best overall performance in the Company Financial Reporting exam
Oliver Moore
- Winner of the best overall performance in the Audit and Assurance exam
Bethany Latham
- Winner of the best overall performance in the Financial Management exam
Louis Collins
- Winner of the best overall performance in the Corporate Governance and Law exam
George Steer
- Winner of the best overall performance in the Public Service Financial Reporting exam
Oliver Moore
- Winner of the best overall performance in the Business and Change Management exam
Lewis Vella
- Winner of the best overall performance in the Developing Strategy and Data Analysis exam
Paarth Agarwal
Closing remarks
To conclude the session, incoming CSN President Harriot Winfield outlined her goals for the next year, including supporting students through the Strategic Case Study exam and supporting the CIPFA regions with their regional student networks. Harriot focused on the crucial and valuable support that the CSN can offer and encouraged students to take part in events and activities.
We want to take this opportunity to thank all those who participated and attended conference this year, and we hope to see you again soon.
Photos © Rafael Bastos Photography