Chris Pedley , partner, Grant Thornton
At 32, Pedley is the youngest partner in mid-tier firm Grant Thornton. After joining Bentley Jennison at 18, he subsequently qualified with Robson Rhodes before joining Ernst & Young. Pedley cites an excellent mentor, a realisation that practice was for him, and his willingness to take risks as critical to his meteoric rise. He spent a confidence-building year in Munich on secondment with E&Y and says he is ambitious to help grow the Midlands Grant Thornton tax practice.

Mark Allan, CEO, UNITE
Mark Allan has had an impressive rise at UNITE, after joining the student accommodation giant in 1999 as corporate FD. In seven years, he has attained what many see as the ultimate end-game for a finance boss – to make the step up to the chief executive's spot. The 34-year-old was appointed as CEO of the FTSE 250 business in September 2006, but his relative youth also puts him in a great position: he is able to put his finger on the social pulse of a youthful client base. Allan’s primary focus at the moment is to help achieve UNITE’s aim – to be the first choice provider of student hospitality.

Tom Pearce, FD, Nintendo
Tom Pearce will be celebrating his 33rd birthday next month. And as UK finance director of gaming giant Nintendo, his career seems to be well ahead of schedule. Pearce handles a budget worth hundreds of millions at the computer giant, helping to prepare the crucial statistics for major launches.

Oleg Novachuk, FD, Kazakhmys
Not a lot is known about Novachuk beyond what appears on his CV: he joined the group in 2001 and swiftly rose to the role of finance director in 2005.
Novachuk graduated with honours from Kazakh State University with a masters’ degree in applied mathematics, and is the former chairman of the board of directors of JSC Kazprombank. Following Kazakhmys’ debut on the London Stock Exchange, Novachuck landed on The Sunday Times Rich List at number 173, worth a cool £355m. A very savvy young gun indeed.

Charis Walsh, FD, Black Sun
Young and ambitious, patient and level-headed are all adjectives that sum up why 28-year-old Charis Walsh is a young FD destined for the financial big time. Walsh is currently finance director of Black Sun plc, a consultancy advising some of the UK’s leading FTSE 100 companies on corporate reporting. According to Walsh, she specifically chose Black Sun because she knew it would offer a route to a seat on the board far more quickly than if she had joined a massive corporation. ‘There was a huge incentive: if I did what was expected of me, I would get that position on the board. The plan obviously worked – only I didn’t expect to become finance director that quickly,’ Walsh says.

Tracy Wood, partner, Ernst & Young
Tracey Wood turned down a place at Cambridge University to study accounting. Her wisdom proved beneficial. She admits that she has an older temperament which belies her tender years. At just 28,Wood became Ernst & Young’s youngest partner ever. Wood joined E&Y after a spell at Lathams, and her relentless work ethic soon resulted in her promotion. She continues to shine at the firm.

Jennifer Low, assistant director, Deloitte
Jennifer Low is one of Deloitte’s bright young stars – not surprising for someone who expressed an interest in the corporate world at age 12. Currently an assistant director of the Big Four firm’s corporate finance insurance arm, she finds solutions for the diverse cross-section of cases and companies in her in-tray.

Paulo Pieri, FD, Lastminute.com
At only 34, Paulo Pieri leads the finance team at Lastminute.com. The ICAS member bagged the role of group finance manager at the Virgin Entertainment Group in 1998. Three years later, he was promoted to FD at Virgin Retail. Three-year stints seem to be Pieri’s signature time spent on any one position: he moved into the FD role at Lastminute.com in 2004.Watch this space.

Gilly Lord, partner, PwC
At 32, Gilly Lord is the youngest female partner at PwC. She leads audit and assurance assignments for the firm’s FTSE 100 manufacturing clients, having begun her career in the financial services practice. Lord is keen to debunk the popular myths about audit and continues to find her role in the assurance practice varied and challenging.