We caught up with four of our former learners to find out where their studies have taken them.
We spoke to Chelsea Andersen (ACCA), Eugene Amo-Dadzie (ACA), Jag Dhaliwal (ACA), and James Wright (ACCA), and we’re proud to say that all are making great strides in their careers. Though each pursued an accountancy and finance qualification, they’ve all taken their own, unique paths in the industry - shaping their success in ways that work best for them.
Chelsea Andersen - defying all odds
Chelsea has defied all odds throughout her life after being diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at seven years old. Before completing her full ACCA qualification with Kaplan in 2022, Chelsea opted not to go to university and started her career in a sales ledger role in 2011 due to her interest in numbers.
She moved to her current workplace in 2014 and progressed from her sales ledger role to the Head of Finance for UK and Ireland PJM at CBRE. However, she openly shared on her social media platforms, and via an interview with tutor, Neil Da Costa, that this qualification did not come easy.
Health is wealth - where is Chelsea now?
No matter what it is that she puts her mind to, Chelsea certainly shows determination. Her juvenile arthritis diagnosis means that there have been times when she’s been in significant pain - losing the ability to walk or perform everyday activities.
Nevertheless, she worked hard to gain her ACCA qualification, despite facing hurdles, and continues to use her social media platforms to promote mental and physical well-being and fitness tips, as well as sharing the progress of other non-finance related challenges she has set herself, such as cycling across the UK and running the London marathon.
Eugene Amo-Dadzie - the World’s Fastest Accountant
Eugene, also known as the ‘world’s fastest accountant,’ originally started his accountancy career as an accounting intern back in 2012 during his university studies. Since then, Eugene achieved his ACA qualification in 2019 with Kaplan and progressed to Senior Management Accountant at Berkeley Group Plc.
From working 9-5 to sprinting 9.9 - where is Eugene now?
While Eugene technically works as an accountant, he’s also focusing on his running career. Eugene had a slightly later start in his athletic career compared to others, as he didn’t compete until after he became a qualified accountant. Nevertheless, it’s clear to see the strength of his determination within and outside of his accounting career.
The year 2023 was a huge turning point for Eugene. He reached 9.93 seconds for the 100 metre sprint while in Austria - breaking the ten second barrier for the first time. He also made it to the semi-finals while representing Great Britain in the World Athletics Championships 2023, and finished third place overall in the British Championships.
Eugene has since signed a professional contract with industry giant, Nike, emphasising his success through the phrase “from working 9-5 to running 9.9.”
In a nutshell - it’s fair to say that Eugene has rightly earned the ‘World’s Fastest Accountant’ title.
Jag Dhaliwal - finding success at one of the Big Four
Similar to many of our current learners, Jag has had plenty of previous work experience before she started her ACA qualification. She originally went to university to study economics and mathematics where her placement year involved working as a business analyst. After this, she taught maths at a secondary school on a graduate scheme before she found the graduate scheme working in audit in 2018.
In the same year, Jag started her ACA qualification with us at Kaplan while working at one of the big four accounting firms - Deloitte. In just a few years, Jag worked her way up from audit associate to audit manager and had passed all of her ACA exams by 2020. So, if there’s anyone you should trust for ACA advice, Jag is the one to go to!
Teaching through blogging - where is Jag now?
Reflecting on Jag’s journey, evidently, teaching and helping others is a passion of hers. While still working at Deloitte, she’s using her existing knowledge and skills to support current learners as the host of the ICAEW Student Insights podcast and through her blog, Jag’s Journey.
Jag’s Journey is a platform for other ACA learners, ICAEW members, and professionals to visit for advice and tips relating to all things ACA, careers, working in audit, and the finance industry in general. Not only this, but Jag shares additional resources that she finds useful, and works to promote a community of ACA learners to come together and help each other achieve success.
James Wright - ACCA advocate
Since passing his ACCA qualification with Kaplan, James has become a keen advocate for all the benefits and opportunities that ACCA can create.
While studying for his ACCA qualification, James also worked towards his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and finance at the University of Lincoln. He started his journey in 2013 and completed his studies in 2018, while becoming a Chartered Certified Accountant with ACCA in 2017, and picked up several awards and accolades along the way.
Accolades, awards, and all things ACCA - where is James now?
It’s fair to say that James is very active within the accounting and finance community. He has work experience both internationally and in the UK, and has used his experience and passion to teach other learners and further promote ACCA as a global speaker.
As of 2024, he has progressed his career to senior lecturer and programme leader for accountancy and finance at the University of Chichester. He also uses his popular social media platforms to provide tips and advice and work with other providers (like us) to help current learners excel.
James’ hard work certainly didn’t stop after his studies. Since 2017, a few of his notable achievements include:
- GENCFO - training provider of the year 2023 - winner
- PQ magazine awards 2020 - Public Sector Lecturer of the Year - winner
- University of Lincoln’s 2018 Teacher of the Year - highly commended
- Over 30,000 subscribers on his educational YouTube channel
- Featured guest on several accounting and finance podcasts.
Achieve success with Kaplan
Chelsea, Eugene, Jag, and James are four examples of the thousands of learners we support each year.
Choosing to study with us at Kaplan will guarantee you support throughout your studies - whether this be through additional learning needs, our expert tutors and Academic Support team, or our excellent learning resources. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be telling us your successful career story in a few years.
If you’re interested in kickstarting your career in accountancy, browse our courses or speak to our Student Services team at studentservices@kaplan.co.uk to find more information.
Are you a former Kaplan learner?
If you studied with us at Kaplan and are looking to share your story, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch via our LinkedIn profile and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.