Awards 2003: ACCA New Accountant of the Year
The ACCA New Accountant of the Year Award goes this year to Damian Joseph, a corporate recovery specialist with Smith & Williamson.
Joseph, 36, who is based at Smith & Williamson’s London offices, specialises in the management of corporate recovery cases, working mainly in the area of administrations and administrative receivership.
In addition, he also works on investigative assignments on business and solvency reviews for banks.
Joseph has continued to excel in ACCA’s professional examinations scheme, having scored the highest mark in individual papers in the June 2002 and December 2002 examinations. In ACCA’s latest examinations in June 2003 Joseph scored one of the highest-ever marks in the final three core papers and is to be awarded the ACCA gold medal at a prize giving ceremony later this month for his outstanding achievement.
Joseph, who lives in Kent with his partner and their three-year-old daughter, says the ACCA qualification has improved his understanding of the way in which companies manage their business, report results and exercise internal control.
‘I am grateful to for considerable support and understanding which Smith & Williamson have given me through my studies,’ says Joseph.
ACCA’s president Sam Wong says: ‘Damian’s continuing success in the ACCA professional examinations and his achievement of one of the highest scores in his final papers puts him among the very best of our students. The true measure of his success becomes clear when you consider that over 15,000 students sat each of the final papers.’
Joseph follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner Phillip Beckett, who was forensic accounting manager at BDO Stoy Hayward.
Joseph adds: ‘All disciplines should be committed to continuing improvement in order to maintain their relevance in a rapidly changing global environment and should avoid complacency and potential ineffectiveness.’
The ACCA award for New Accountant of the Year is presented to someone who has passed their final professional examination papers in the past 12 months, the December 2002 or June 2003 exams in this case.
The award is given to the individual who,in ACCA’s opinion, has made an important contribution to their employer in their career to date, or someone who has scored highly in their final examinations.
In this case, not only is Damian Joseph involved in the demanding world of corporate recovery and insolvency work for Smith and Williamson, but has also scored some of the highest marks for the final core papers in the ACCA professional examination scheme.