Already a subscriber?Accounting students are being asked to solve the industry’s image problem – and given only 60 seconds to do so.
“This competition is really trying to get students to explain to their peers how accounting helps you understand and run a successful business,” said Paul Andon, a professor and head of accounting, auditing and taxation at the UNSW Business School. “Studying accounting doesn’t really limit you just being an accountant,” Ms Lim said. “People need to understand that accounting gives you a base ... of knowing how business works if you want to be a business owner one day.”Ms Lim studied accounting at Macquarie University and has worked at two boutique firms and KPMG. She opened her own firm, Above Advisory, in July and was awarded small business adviser of the year at the 2024 Women in Finance Awards.
The professional body has tried to address the image problem with an advertising campaign that promoted accountants as superhero-like figures that “make epic things happen”. The campaign – understood to have cost less than $1 million – has reached almost 3 million cinemagoers and led to almost 8000 people visiting a website promoting accounting as a career path.