Accounting and Finance students awarded at annual ceremony

Twin brothers with a flair for accountancy are among the 18 high flying Accountancy and Finance students from The University of Northampton who have been rewarded for their hard work.

The students were rewarded at a prestigious ceremony organised by Northampton Business School.

The annual ceremony, held at Sunley Management Centre, Park Campus, this week, presented a number of valuable prizes to the award winning students - who only found out about their awards on the day itself.

Among the winners were 21-year-old identical twins Christopher and Stephen Beale, both studying for a BA Honours degree in Accounting and Finance (BAAF).

While Christopher won Best Overall student for his work during Year 2, twin brother Stephen scooped the award for Outstanding Achievement in Year 1 - an award Christopher won in 2010.

I am a year ahead of Stephen because he took a gap year before coming to University, so his award is actually the one I was awarded last year. We really are keeping it in the family!

Christopher Beale

The accountancy prizes were sponsored by BPP Publishing, PQ Magazine, Leicester and Northamptonshire Society of Chartered Accountants (LANSCA), McIntyre Hudson, Hawsons, Nationwide, Grant Thornton, Northampton Business School, the University's Finance Director and the University's Alumni Association.

It is my pleasure to be able to acknowledge and reward so many talented students from not only our region but from all around the world. Previous winners have gone on to enjoy outstanding careers in the world of accounting and finance in the professions, industry, commerce and the public sector. It is wonderful too that we receive so much support from businesses across the region so generously sponsoring these awards.

Christopher Cook

Chris McGlasham, Head of Treasury Finance at Nationwide, based in Northampton, was the keynote speaker for the prestigious event.

Be advocates for yourself and the profession you are going into; integrity is hugely important. Be an advocate for your university and also be an advocate for Northampton and Northamptonshire.

Chris McGlasham, Head of Treasury Finance at Nationwide

The event's winners were unveiled as:

Kevin Taylor - winner of Exceptional Performance in CIMA studies - sponsored by BPP Publishing

James Cochrane - winner of Exceptional Performance in ACCA studies - sponsored by BPP Publishing

Sophie Di Rienzo - winner of Exceptional Performance in ACCA studies - sponsored by PQ Magazine

Danstan Mumba  - winner of Most promising current First Year student - sponsored by PQ Magazine

Stephen Beale - winner of Outstanding achievement in Year 1 of BAAF - sponsored by NBS

Anish Chudal - winner of Overall Best in Year 1 of BAAF - sponsored by LANSCA

Matthew Swift - winner of Outstanding achievement in Year 2 of BAAF - sponsored by McIntyre Hudson, Chartered Accountants -

Christopher Beale - winner of Best Overall in Year 2 of BAAF - sponsored by LANSCA

Simbarashe Gwata - winner of Best in Year 3 Audit - sponsored by Hawsons, Chartered Accountants

Kerry Wood - winner of Best in Year 3 Advanced Accounting - sponsored by Nationwide

Andrew Macklin - winner of Best in Year 3 Corporate Finance - sponsored by Nationwide

Anthonia Martins-Yedenu - winner of Best in Year 3 Financial Strategy - sponsored by Nationwide

Mohammed Uzair - winner of Best in Year 3 Taxation - sponsored by Nationwide

Bijal Mandalia - winner of Best Overall in Year 3 - sponsored by Grant Thornton

Dankehsan Sabhi-Appanna - winner of Final Year Dissertation - sponsored by The Alumni Association

Bavani Giritharan - winner of Final Year Project - sponsored by The Alumni Association

Anna Maria Poole - winner of Distance Learning - Accounting and Finance for Managers - sponsored by PQ Magazine

Syed Allan - winner of Best Overall in MSc Accounting (this year's performance) - presented by Deborah Harry, Finance Director, University of Northampton