Asia next stop for top business students

Asia next stop for top business students

Tuesday 28 October, 2014

From a pool of almost one million university students in Australia and New Zealand, Angus Dow and William Roxburgh from the University of Adelaide were today announced winners of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand’s student competition Mission Exceptional.

Mr Dow, 24, currently studying law and commerce, and Mr Roxburgh, 23, studying chemical engineering and finance, expressed excitement after being judged the winners of Mission Exceptional - one of the most prestigious competitions offered to university students in Australia and New Zealand.

“We put so much effort into this and it has been a great learning experience which is set to continue,” Mr Dow said.

“I'm thrilled to have won and I particularly enjoyed focusing on the importance of social aspects as well as financial,” Mr Roxburgh said.

In The Apprentice-style boardroom challenge in Sydney, the team of Mr Dow and Mr Roxburgh was judged the winner for presenting the most engaging and innovative strategy on how a company could raise profits while at the same time create societal benefits.

Mr Dow and Mr Roxburgh will now travel to Singapore in December to job shadow a senior executive at American Express and receive a scholarship to the Chartered Accountants Program.

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive Lee White congratulated all finalists, which included teams from Auckland and Otago Universities, for an impressive display.

“All teams presented engaging and innovative arguments.

“The judges were impressed with the social entrepreneurship shown by Mr Dow and Mr Roxburgh and the passion with which they delivered their strategy,” he said.

“Mission Exceptional is part of our ongoing commitment to provide future Chartered Accountants with unique insights into their professional future as global business leaders.

“With the competition open for the first time to university students in New Zealand, it is great to see the high calibre of Trans-Tasman students looking to enter the profession,” Mr White said.

The judging panel consisted of Mr White, American Express Australia and New Zealand Chief Financial Officer Neil Batenburg, non-executive director Jane Harvey, EntreHub Advisory Board Member Olivia Tyler and Partner - Deloitte Private Danny Rezek.

Voting is open till 11.59pm on 4 November for the public to nominate for their favourite finalist and go into the draw to win one of five $100 Westfield gift cards. The winners of the People’s Choice Award will each receive a $500 Westfield gift card. To vote, visit the Chartered Accountants Facebook page.

Mission Exceptional is an annual competition giving students the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired at university to a real life business challenge. It tests the business acumen, analytical and presentation skills of students to equip them with workforce-ready skills.

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