One Young World 2018
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Chartered Accountants Worldwide sent 11 delegates from our member institutes across the globe to attend One Young World in The Hague.
The annual summit gathers global leaders to discuss some of the most pressing issues of today – and tomorrow. This year’s event covered a wide range of topics ranging from poverty, refugees, inclusion and education to sustainability, diversity, sexual violence, and business as a force for action and good in the world.
One Young World 2018 Highlights
Our own chartered stars documented their visit. Here’s a highlights video of their experiences.
Our Delegates
One Young World 2018 Delegates
Michael J Walls
Chartered Accountants Ireland
Beatrice Aurelia
CA ANZ, Australia
Christopher Aldridge
CA ANZ, New Zealand
Zain Ul Abidin
ICAP, Pakistan
Maria Ejaz
ICAP, Pakistan
Hassan Rafique
ICAP, Pakistan
Ali Qasim
ICAEW, England
Xuejing Vikishao
ICAEW, England
Jaime Ting Chek Min
ISCA, Singapore
James Wilkinson
SAICA, South Africa
Osman Banda
ZICA, Zambia
Tariq Zafar
ICAP, Pakistan
Michael J Walls
Chartered Accountants Ireland
Michael Walls, 34, from Hilltown, County Down, qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011. He trained with KPMG in Belfast and worked in industry for a number of years. His most recent role saw him become Finance Director with UrbanVolt.
Michael has since stepped down from his full-time role at UrbanVolt to pursue his own business venture.
Beatrice Aurelia
CA ANZ, Australia
My name is Beatrice and I am in my final year of my Accounting degree at the University of Adelaide. I am currently a Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand Student Representative and will be representing CA ANZ at the One Young World (OYW) Conference in October. Apart from studies, I love to dance and perform with my dance crew at various social events.
Education is one of the things I am very passionate about. Growing up in a 3rd world country surrounded by poverty and a lack of opportunities, I highly valued going to school and being empowered through learning. I would like to make a difference by finding ways in which Business and Accounting can contribute in not only improving the quality and access to Education but in achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
I’m looking forward in exploring this further at the OYW summit whilst being surrounded by influencers and young leaders around the world.
Christopher Aldridge
CA ANZ, New Zealand
My name is Chris. I am currently in my final year of study at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. I am majoring in Accounting, and next year I will be beginning my career as a Consultant with Deloitte, where I will begin studying towards my Chartered Accountant qualification. In my spare time, I enjoy meeting new people, keeping fit, riding motorcycles, I’m an avid skier and of course I love to spend time with my friends and family.
There was a sign at the front of the martial arts gym I attended as a child, “be the change you want to see in the world”. This is a phrase that has stuck with me throughout my life, and I truly believe that the best way to make a difference is to begin with yourself. Therefore, I aspire to make a difference by becoming a person who has a positive impact in the world, and in the process, inspire others to do the same.
I am excited because I believe that representing Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand at the One Young World summit is an amazing opportunity which will provide me with long-lasting connections and teach me some of the skills I need to help improve the world we live in.
Zain Ul Abidin
ICAP, Pakistan
Zain Ul Abidin is an accounting and finance professional with nearly a decade of experience spanning audit, consulting and M&A advisory for organizations and transactions in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Europe and Africa.
In addition to his professional achievements, Zain is a multi-instrumentalist with proficiency in guitars, keyboards and drums and has performed at various levels in Pakistan, Maldives, Amsterdam and even Ibiza.
Still under the age of 30, he is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan and an MBA candidate for INSEAD’s Class of Dec, 2019.
Maria Ejaz
ICAP, Pakistan
I am 28 years old, married and come from Pakistan. I currently live in Saudi Arabia and work for Integrated Telecom Company. I am a qualified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and have previously worked at IFRS Compliance Manager – Integrated Telecom Company Riyadh KSA (2017- present).
Director Finance – Hashwani Hotels Limited Islamabad, Paksitan (2014-2016) Assistant Manager – A.F.Ferguson & Co ( 2010-2014).
Hassan Rafique
ICAP, Pakistan
I am an associate member (ACA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) and MBA from Institute of Business Administration (IBA) with more than a decade’s professional experience.
Having worked in one of the leading professional services firm (PricewaterhouseCoopers – PwC), an international airline group (The Emirates Group, UAE) and a FMCG company (Reckitt Benckiser Pakistan), I am currently part of a leading local group working as the Finance Manager at ICI Pakistan Limited (ICI).
My interests revolve around economics, psychology, technology trends, public speaking, swimming and soccer. I’m happily married and blessed with a baby girl named “Arwa”.
Ali Qasim
ICAEW, England
Ali was born in Peshawar, Pakistan (5-Aug-96) and raised in Manchester, UK. He attended Kassim Darwish Grammar School for his GCSEs, achieving the best GCSE results in the School and was Head Boy. Ali attended Manchester Grammar School for his A-levels and was Deputy Head Boy.
Ali decided not to pursue the traditional and conventional route of going to university straight after completing his A-levels; fascinated by the world of business and finance, Ali joined PwC in Sept-13 (at the age of 17) on their Higher Apprenticeship programme in Tax Advisory. Upon completion of his tax qualification, he became the youngest member ever of the Association of Taxation Technicians (“ATT”) and obtained the Frank Collingwood award for achieving the best exam mark nationally in the Business Compliance exam in May-15.
Driven by intellectual curiosity and attracted by its global recognition and application, Ali started the ACA in Sept-15 (following his brother’s footsteps) immediately after completing the Higher Apprenticeship programme (in which he obtained PwC’s best Higher Apprentice award). Ali won the Ethel Watts prize for achieving the best exam mark globally in the Audit and Assurance exam, in Mar-16.
At PwC, Ali attended their leadership training programme, Altitude, in Cyprus, in Nov-16. Ali received an award, in Dec-17, from the Overseas Pakistani Foundation recognising his international success at such a young age. He currently works at Rothschild (global investment bank) in their Global Advisory division. Ali is a keen runner, competitive cricketer and is passionate about making a meaningful difference worldwide.
Xuejing Vikishao
ICAEW, England
Xuejing Shao, 25, from Shanghai, China, now lives in Manchester, UK. She received a masters degree in Electronics from the University of Edinburgh in 2017, and started her career as a front end developer in 2018.
With an interest in business and a desire to make an impact, Xuejing participated in the ICAEW 100 competition and was named overall winner, offering her the opportunity to attend this summit.
Jaime Ting Chek Min
ISCA, Singapore
Jaime is currently a Business Planning and Governance Leader at Procter & Gamble. Beginning her career in Ernst & Young Assurance, she has worked with various industries and multi-functional teams, exemplifying the qualities of a business partner – trusted, collaborative and a problem solver.
She also believes strongly in providing mentorship to children. Inspiring her to co-establish STEAM 4 KIDS, an educational startup focusing on equipping children from low-income family with technological skills, while volunteering at befriending programs.
She is someone who values deep meaningful connections and enjoys sharing her knowledge and experiences.
James Wilkinson
SAICA, South Africa
Group General Manager: Business Improvement at Distell Group Limited. James heads up the Business Improvement Department at Distell. This cross-functional team works on some of the most challenging business opportunities such as the design and implementation of Shared Services, the Enterprise/ Supplier business incubator, and provides business partnering support through commercial business case feasibility assessments.
He won the inaugural PwC Innovation Competition, has been a speaker at the Business of Design Conference in Cape Town, and won the SAICA Top 35 Under 35 Competition in 2017.
Osman Banda
ZICA, Zambia
Osman Banda is a Chartered Accountant, currently working for the Road Development Agency as Regional Accountant for Copperbelt Province. Mr. Banda, an Associate Member of the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants, was born on 25th March 1983, married with three (3) children. He attended secondary school at Lundazi Boarding High School in the Eastern Province of Zambia where he completed in 2002 and proceeded to pursue accounting studies at the Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka and successfully obtained a National Accounting Technician certificate (NATech as it was known then) offered by the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZiCA) in 2007.
After ZiCA revised the NATech qualification and introduced the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA) professional qualification, Mr. Banda upgraded his NATech certificate and became one of the graduates in 2012 and proceeded to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree Honours in Finance and Accounting at the University of Lusaka and graduated in 2016. ZiCA again revised its ZICA professional programme and introduced the now Chartered Accountant Zambia (CA Zambia) in 2017.
Wanting to always stand out, Mr. Banda enrolled for it and successfully completed the CA Zambia programme in December 2017, making him one of the only 2 graduates of the programme as at June 2018. Being very passionate about education, Mr. Banda is currently studying for his Master’s Degree in Business Administration at The Copperbelt University of Zambia.After obtaining his first accounting qualification, NATech, in 2007, Mr. Banda worked as an Accountant with Location Challenge Limited, a filming and advertising company with clients at the time such as Aljazeera, BBC, Sky News, etc.
He later joined the Central Bank of Zambia and worked as a Currency Note Examiner from 2008 to 2011 when he left to join the Road Development Agency as an Assistant Accountant until 2016 when he was promoted to the position of Regional Accountant, a position he currently holds. Mr. Banda is scheduled to represent Zambia through the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants in The Hague for the One Young World Summit 2018 in October this year.
Tariq Zafar
ICAP, Pakistan
I’m Tariq Zafar and I’m a Pakistani. I live in Karachi which is the biggest city here. I’m a Chartered Accountant by profession and I work in Finance at Engro Fertilizers Limited. I am 25 years old and am very passionate about playing soccer and cross fitness programs. I enjoy watching movies and travelling.
I am really excited about attending the One Young World Summit 2018 and meeting young enthusiasts from around the globe.