HILLTOWN chartered accountant Michael Walls is 'going Dutch' after winning the profession's Young Chartered Star (YCS) award and earning the right to represent Ireland at the One Young World conference in the Netherlands in October.
YCS recognises exceptional achievement among accountancy trainees and members aged 35 years or under, and is awarded annually to someone who will lead, motivate and inspire the next generation of the profession in Ireland.
Michael (34) qualified as a chartered accountant in 2011, trained with KPMG in Belfast and worked in industry for a number of years. His most recent role has seen him become a finance director with UrbanVolt, though he has since stepped down from this full-time role to pursue his own business venture.
He wrote an article on his career and particularly impressed the judges with his activity as an advocate for the chartered accountancy qualification, and his honest portrayal of his path to qualification. The panel also noted his involvement with the Young Professionals Committee as chair in 2014.
Michael said: “I'm thrilled the judges have chosen me as the Young Chartered Star 2018, given the high quality of entries, and I'm looking forward to representing Chartered Accountants Ireland at the One Young World summit.
"I'm looking forward to meeting young leaders from all around the world, and showing them that Irish Chartered Accountants are a very diverse group, intent on making a positive impact on the economy, the environment and people’s lives.”
Chartered Accountants Ireland president Feargal McCormack said: “It’s truly impressive to meet young members like Michael, with such inspiring and fascinating stories of how the chartered accountant qualification has helped them to succeed.
"While the judges were impressed by all the final applicants, Michael stood out as an outstanding candidate for the Young Chartered Star accolade. With business leaders of his calibre, our profession can look to the future with optimism."
