World beating exam success for Accounting and Finance Graduate Katie

A graduate from the University of Chester has been awarded the highest mark in the world for her final exam in a professional accounting qualification.

Helen Clayfield, Programme Leader for the popular Accounting and Finance Degree at Chester Business School was delighted to read about the success of an alumna of her course in print recently.

Katie Tunstall graduated with a First from the BSc Hons degree in 2018 and has progressed to a career in management accounting. Recently completing her professional exams with CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) to become a qualified accountant, she achieved not only the highest marks in the country, but the highest in the world!

Katie said: "After graduating in 2018 with a First-Class Honours degree in Accounting and Finance, I got a job working for an online retailer. My role is the Finance and Efficiencies Lead and I focus on analysing and communicating financial data to aid strategic decisions, improve profitability and drive success across the business. While working full time, I also studied to complete the exams for my CIMA Professional Qualification, and I was amazed to find out that I had achieved the joint highest mark in the world for my final exam - the Strategic Case Study. I am incredibly proud of this achievement; it just shows that hard work really does pay off.” 

Helen Clayfield. Programme Leader for Accounting and Finance says: “This is an amazing accomplishment for Katie. It takes a lot of hard work, planning and determination to pass professional exams with CIMA and on top of that to get the highest mark worldwide at the final level is a significant achievement. To watch so many graduates from the Accounting programme successfully progress within their careers is a joy and we are proud of every single one of them!”

Katie recommends the degree course at Chester. She said: “I am so grateful for my experience studying for my degree at the Chester Business School. I learnt so much and received exemptions that allowed me to progress through my CIMA Professional Qualification much quicker. The thing I loved most about the Chester Business School was the small group lectures and seminars, they were so interactive and allowed more time with the lecturers to understand the information more effectively. There is also so much support available to the students both from the lecturers, who are always happy to help and assist your learning, and the facilities available such as the library and study areas. 

“Personally, my favourite element of the Accounting and Finance course was the Management Accounting module. I was fascinated by the way financial information can be used to make decisions and that’s what inspired me to continue my career in this area of finance." 

• Accounting and Finance at Chester https://www1.chester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/accounting-and-finance helps graduates on the way to becoming professionally qualified because it offers significant exemptions from professional exams with all the accounting bodies – this means it takes less time for graduates to become fully qualified, especially important once in a full-time job.  Places are available for September 2020 and September 2021 study – see our webpage or contact us for more information: enquiries@chester.ac.uk

Pictured - Katie Tunstall