AA Awards 2008: Young Accountant of the Year

The judges called the new Young Accountant of the Year award ‘one of the
hardest categories to judge with lots of good entrants’, but the consensus was
still clear that Clare Webster stood out above her contemporaries.

She has only been with KPMG for five years, but in that time she has
delivered and worked on some complex and difficult assignments, actively
managing engagements for the firm despite being at a relatively junior grade.

This added responsibility includes heading up the group audit of listed
engineering company IMI for the past two years.

Her technical knowledge and eye for detail during that time impressed IMI
controller Iain Moore. ‘However, what differentiates Clare in my mind is that
she applies both of these skills with a complete understanding of our business
to deliver valuable commercial advice to us as a group,’ says Moore.

Clare’s understanding of the wider commercial context has been helped by a
nine-month secondment to the transaction services department, where she worked
on four deals, but she also has tremendous dedication to KPMG, taking on
mentoring duties for junior colleagues and leading breakfast workshops for new
trainees.

KPMG head of audit Richard Bennison said Clare ‘is an exceptionally
well-rounded individual and has impressed everyone with her understanding and
maturity’.

He added that she is ‘operating at a level far beyond her years’ and as such
was being put forward for promotion to manager – an acknowledgement of her
abilities that is unlikely to be the last.