(Left to Right: Norman Murray CBE CA FRSE FRSA, Hassan Nisar CA, Hazel Smith CA, Sir David Tweedie CVO CA)
Held on 26 March 2022, the 2022 ICAS Admissions Ceremony marked the proud moment the first ICAS Foundation graduates have been admitted to ICAS membership after completing their CA training contracts. This is a fantastic milestone for the ICAS Foundation, which this year will also celebrate its 10th year of awarding funding to support academically talented students to study accounting and finance related degrees at university.
Since its launch, the ICAS Foundation has:
- Supported over 280 academically talented young people at 14 universities.
- Awarded more than £1.9m in bursaries and grants.
- Engaged over 190 CAs as volunteer mentors to support its students.
ICAS President Bruce Pritchard highlighted the ICAS Foundation in his speech at the Ceremony, stating:
“It is vital that our profession is welcoming and fully accessible, and we have a pipeline of diverse talent joining our business network… Being part of a network that allows our profession to be diverse and inclusive is something very important to us.”
Six ICAS Foundation graduates have been admitted to ICAS membership since 2020, and two were able to attend the ceremony and celebrate their achievements along with 293 other new CAs. Hazel Smith and Hassan Nisar met ICAS Foundation outgoing Chairman Sir David Tweedie and incoming Chairman Norman Murray, both ICAS Past Presidents, at the event to chat about their experience as Foundation students and their plans for the future now that they have completed the prestigious CA qualification. Speaking after the Ceremony, Hazel described the experience as ‘emotional’ and said that after four years studying at university and three years of ICAS training, she was very proud to be in attendance as a fully qualified CA.
The ICAS Admissions Ceremony
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 2022 marks the first ICAS Admissions Ceremony since 2019. The Admissions Ceremony is an opportunity to recognise the achievements of newly admitted CAs and meet others who have undertaken the same journey.
In their speeches, both Bruce Cartwright, ICAS Chief Executive, and Bruce Pritchard, ICAS President, described the CA qualification as a ‘passport’, opening doors and offering the opportunity to travel and work in different countries. The ICAS Foundation is proud to support students through their university journey and help them attain roles where they can achieve their own passport to future success.
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The ICAS Foundation is a registered Scottish charity No SC034836.
To find out more about the ICAS Foundation, visit the website at www.icasfoundation.org.uk. You can support its work by donating, volunteering to mentor a student or providing an internship or work placement. You can also contact us to discuss a specific area where you would like to help.