University of Bath student aces ICAEW 100 competition

Almost 5,000 students from 150 universities had entered the competition to discover the most promising student to attend the One Young World Summit 2017 in Colombia

March 20, 2017 : 100 of the top university students from across the UK attended the Grand Final of the ICAEW 100 at Chartered Accountants’ Hall in London on Friday. Carlos Gutierrez Terrer from the University of Bath was announced as the overall winner and is now going on to represent ICAEW at the One Young World Summit 2017, in Bogotá, Columbia.

The summit brings together the best young talent from around the world. Carlos will follow in the footsteps of previous ICAEW delegates at the Summit who have had the chance to meet those who have showcased the true potential of a leader — luminaries such as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Sir Bob Geldof, Kofi Annan and Sir Richard Branson.

The ICAEW 100 competition was open to all UK university students regardless of year or subject studying. The journey to this prestigious award ceremony commenced with a series of online tests closely aligned to the skills demanded of those training for ICAEW’s global qualification, the ACA. With 82% of FTSE100 boards containing an ICAEW Chartered Accountant, students who could show that they matched these key skills not only displayed aptitude in this field, but the clear potential to be a future leader.

Almost 5,000 students from 150 universities entered the competition. Of these, the 100 highest scoring students were invited to the celebratory Grand Final where they were able to network with representatives from ICAEW and supporting employers to make steps and in many cases start their career journey with BDO, Crowe Clark Whitehill, Deloitte, EY, Imperial Tobacco, Kingston Smith, KMPG, Mazars, PwC, RSM and Smith & Williamson.

Further awards on the day included the ICAEW President’s Prize which was awarded to Shanza Chaudhary from the University of Leicester. Shanza’s behavioural profile was most closely aligned to that of ICAEW president, Hilary Lindsay, who also completed the tests.

Winners of these awards were offered prizes, including work experience, insight days and professional mentoring with the supporting organisations – some of the most desirable employers in the UK. These prizes not only mean valuable insights into these top companies, but a chance to impress and make an incredible first stride on their career path.

Hilary Lindsay, ICAEW President said, “This has been a unique opportunity to showcase some of the brightest and most dedicated university students from around the UK. I would like to congratulate all prize winners who have demonstrated such a range of talent. In particular, Carlos Gutierrez Terrer who will be representing ICAEW later this year, I look forward to seeing him join a network of young leaders who are creating positive change around the world. I have no doubt that the UK can expect to see a very strong influx of future business leaders from the next generation of graduates. We have been incredibly impressed by many who have shown the key skills needed to be successful ICAEW Chartered Accountants, and look forward to connecting with them once again after graduation.”

“I’m surprised and thrilled to have won,” said Carlos, currently studying Mechanical Engineering. “It’s something I thought would have never happened to me and I’m very much looking forward to what’s next.”

Prize winners

Overall Winner, sponsored by ICAEW

Carlos Gutierrez Terrer University of Bath, Mechanical Engineering

ICAEW President’s Prize, sponsored by ICAEW

Shanza Chaudhary, University of Leicester, Accounting and Finance

Communication, sponsored by EY

Ricardo Verdeguer Moreno, Cranfield University, Mechanical Engineering

Teamwork, sponsored by KPMG

Darren Cheung, Queen’s University Belfast, Maths

Decision Making, sponsored by BDO

Xiuzhu Shen, University of Leeds, Accounting and Finance

Consideration, sponsored by PwC