Numbers add up for Naomi

A MacIntyre Hudson accountant from High Wycombe has scored a world record in an international examination for number crunchers.

Naomi, who has worked for the UK accountancy firm since September 2004, beat off stiff competition from 17,000 students across the world – to get the highest mark in a test set by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

The 25-year-old, who lives and was brought up in a small village near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, scored an impressive 87 per cent in the associations’s audit and assurance services paper – winning £200 from ACCA at a special prize giving ceremony in May.

Naomi, a Cardiff University graduate, said: “I worked very hard for this exam, but was still very surprised to gain the highest mark.

Making her mark: Naomi Hunt received her certificate from Christopher Forster, International president of the Association of Chartered Accountants, after setting her world record in their audit and assurance paper.

“What I have learnt is that exam technique is equally as important as technical ability. During the revision period I used my time to work through past papers and answers, as set by the examiner. This gave me a good idea of the questions likely to come up in the exam and the type of answers the examiners would be looking for.

“I am really pleased to have done so well.”

Christopher Forster, the ACCA international president, said: “Naomi’s is a remarkable achievement, which places her among the very best of our students – who are based in 160 countries around the world. The ACCA professional syllabus is very tough – and we make no apologies for that.”

MacIntyre Hudson Partner, Bianca Silva, Naomi’s colleague at the High Wycombe office, added: “We are all really proud of Naomi and can now say, without doubt – that we really do have some of the world’s very best accountants.”