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CIMA honours South West finance students’ exam success

Four finance students in the South West have been honoured for their success by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the world’s largest professional body of management accountants, at a celebratory lunch at Brasserie Blanc in Bristol.

The students in the South West performed exceptionally well, over the past year, in their CIMA exams and the lunch was an opportunity for students who were Prizewinners or Commendees, and their employers, to celebrate their success.

The quartet, who all came in the top five in the UK in their CIMA professional exams last year were invited, along with their employers, to a lunch hosted by CIMA South West Area Chair, David Johnson, ACMA, CGMA.

Not only did the four, Simon Wilshire, Daniel Merifield, Zoe Burgess and Friederike Frizen, feature in the top five in the UK in their CIMA exams they were also in the top 10 globally and Simon (a Prizewinner), came up trumps taking first place globally in one of his CIMA exams beating nearly 5,000 other students.

David Johnson was joined by Sue Parsons, CIMA Council Member, along with other CIMA dignitaries and praised the hard work that the students had put into their exams.

David Johnson, ACMA, CGMA, CIMA South West Area Chair said: “It was fantastic to be able to join the recent CIMA Prizewinners and Commendees from the South West, and their employers, a chance to celebrate their success at a special lunch. We are very proud that this part of the UK has been home to so many who have excelled in their professional exams. CIMA qualifications can provide so many opportunities to young people in their careers and enable them to provide an outstanding array of skills to any employer.”

On their success some of the students said:

Simon Wilshire, who is now Commercial Finance Manager at Connect Education & Care (The Consortium) in Trowbridge, Wiltshire: “The CIMA qualification was a lot of work but definitely worth it. It really helped that I could see the day to day use and application of what I was learning as I was learning it, which made it instantly rewarding. After winning the prize for my final exam I secured my ideal job – a Commercial Finance Manager position at Connect Education & Care (The Consortium). “

Daniel Merifield who is now Business Services Performance Analyst, B2B Finance, Customers Division, EDF Energy, Barnwood, Gloucester: “I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of studying for the CIMA qualification and it’s given me the knowledge and confidence to broaden my horizons in my job with EDF Energy. I chose CIMA because of its focus on applying accountancy skills in the modern business environment.”

Zoe Burgess who is now HFMA South West Finance Management Trainee, Devon Partnership NHS Trust: “It is a challenging yet highly rewarding qualification. The exams are set to really test students, which makes a pass so very valuable. Studying CIMA has boosted my confidence in the work place and taught me new ways to manage both technical and operational issues and I strongly believe it will be invaluable for my career progression.”

Friederike Frizen who is now a Business Development Manager at Rolls Royce Plc in Filton, Bristol: “ The Commendation of being top 3 in the world is an outstanding result and it was gratifying to receive this distinction on my final assessment. CIMA has been a great accelerator to my career as it is highly regarded across the industry.“

To become a Chartered Management Accountant, students need to complete 10 professional qualification exams across four years requiring personal study and dedication. This is complemented by three year’s experience which can be gained whilst studying.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chartered Institute of Management Accountants .