Looking back at #OYW2016
The One Young World Summit 2016 was held in Ottawa, Canada from 28 September – 1 October.
Find out more about the chosen delegates and their journey below:
Our Delegates
One Young World 2016 Delegates
Olivia MacDonald
Chartered Accountants Ireland
Louw Barnardt
SAICA, South Africa
Rimla Akhtar
ICAS, Scotland
Wesley Lye
ISCA, Singapore
Keisha Taura
CAANZ, New Zealand
Charles Zhang
CAANZ, Australia
Katie Field
ICAEW, London
Olivia MacDonald
Chartered Accountants Ireland
Olivia MacDonald, Senior Associate, PwC
My name is Olivia MacDonald. I am 22 years old and I live in Ireland.
I am passionate about education and youth engagement. Growing up, I was lucky that if I had difficulty in a class, there were sufficient resources and supports available. This is not a luxury afforded to all, something I was oblivious to before attending college. Here, I realised my privilege and wanted to return something to my community. This lead to my involvement in a number of youth organisations. Since graduating from college, I’ve realised the important role professionals can play in society. I hope to use my qualifications in accountancy to highlight the impact Chartered Accountants can have on worldwide issues, reaching further than business. Chartered Accountants have the skills, network and resources to make a real difference in areas that their members are passionate about. This is something I have already seen in action and hope to inspire my fellow Chartered Accountants to engage with.
Throughout my adult life, I have devoted my free time to youth engagement. This began with homework and school completion programmes organised by Waterford IT. In 2014, I was awarded the opportunity to travel to Washington DC with the Washington Ireland Program. Here I worked with Citizens for Tax Justice, volunteered with DC Central Kitchen and Life Pieces to Masterpieces, and received incredible leadership training. On returning home, the most important thing from the program is using your new skills and experience to impact the world around you. This lead to not only volunteering in organisations, but actually leading the sessions.
Before heading to Washington I 100% would not have been able to do this and it is such an important skill. Acknowledging that even with a degree from a great college I was still missing important skills such as public speaking, event coordination and so on inspired me to launch Junior Chambers International in the South East. This is the largest professional network for young people internationally. Almost every major city in the world is represented yet barely anyone in Ireland seems to know what it is! While it’s still a work in progress, we’ve already held great events on success, LinkedIn and public speaking. I’m really hoping through JCI people will be able to gain real life working skills.
Louw Barnardt
SAICA, South Africa
My name is Louw Barnardt, I’m 28 years old and I live in Cape Town, South Africa.
Our company, OutsourcedCFO (www.outsourcedcfo.co.za), seeks to assist ambitious SMEs to build scalable companies through the provision of strategy and high level financial management. We believe that a growing company has the power to change the lives of the entrepreneur, their family, their staff and the community in which they operate. We bring about growth and prosperity by enabling entrepreneurs to succeed with the inputs that our young, highly skilled finance team have to offer. I am passionate about the role of education and incubation in creating an entrepreneurial eco-system where young people have the ability to build a business and a life for themselves that is purposeful. I believe that entrepreneurship is the only way in which the major issues of unemployment and poverty can be address on the African content and worldwide. Attracting investment and funding for such causes to create much needed stimulus for our eco-system is also close to my heart.
Through OutsourcedCFO, we have helped many entrepreneurs on the road to giving life to their dream companies. We have seen multiple stages of growth funding and investment into many young, tech savvy companies, as well as the impact that this makes in their lives. Through incubators, accelerators and entrepreneurship development programs like Microsoft BizSparks, we have worked with start-ups of many shapes and sizes. We only work with companies that display strong ethics and uplifting products and services. Apart from the effect that our clients’ success have on society, we have also created an exceptional culture that is unique to the Chartered Accountant industry.
Innovation, entrepreneurial thinking and thought leadership are some of our core values. The professionals that work for us are learning some serious leadership and technical skills, as we create the next CEOs and CFOs of the scaling companies on the African continent. My thoughts on finance and entrepreneurship is shared freely on platforms like Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, VentureBurn, EBiz Radio and our blog.
Rimla Akhtar
ICAS, Scotland
Inclusion & Diversity Consultant, RimJhim Consulting, London
In 2014, I was elected onto the FA Council and, at less than half the average age, I’m the youngest FA Councillor of any background and the first Asian and first Muslim woman on this, the ultimate decision making body of the organisation.
I actively use my experience and pride of being a CA to create real sustainable change for our world. My work spans from community groups right through to the Government and I’ve worked as far afield as the US, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and across Europe.
When I’m not organising community clubs, sports events and educational programmes, I am an inspirational speaker, commentator, motivator and panellist at a number of events as well as advising some of the largest sports, Premier League Clubs and equality organisations.
I’ve given evidence to Parliament’s Women in Sport Inquiry and was appointed to support the triennial review of the DCMS in 2015 by the then Sports Minister. I have worked with Government, including with Sports Ministers Tracey Crouch and Helen Grant, the DCMS and Sport England.
I’m also on the Advisory Board of the international digital magazine, Shirzanan Global, to help encourage more Muslim women role models in sport.
I was named Sky Sports and Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2013, FA Grassroots Hero in 2013 (award presented by HRH Prince William) and was a member of the 2009 Muslim Women Power List.
I help nurture, support and develop others, particularly those from minority communities, so that they too may work towards reaching their potential. I’m opening doors for myself whilst also ensuring that they are kept firmly open for others to follow in my footsteps. This includes my recent connection with Leadership Through Sport & Business, which supports young disadvantaged people to begin accounting careers in the City of London.
I’m still beginning my leadership journey and have recently set up my own consulting business, Rimjhim Consulting, where I work with the sports industry and business sector to increase opportunities for women of diverse backgrounds”.
Wesley Lye
ISCA, Singapore
Wesley joined PwC in 2012 and is currently an assistant manager, specialising in statutory audit for financial institutions (banking and capital markets). As a member of the PwC Corporate Responsibility Committee, Wesley has been actively involved in organising firm-wide service projects such as Banda Street 2013 and 2015.
Besides work, Wesley volunteers regularly in the local community, and has been doing so for the past 14 years. Beyond our shores, he has also participated in five overseas community service trips to Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos, three of which he helped to coordinate.
Wesley is currently serving as a youth ministry leader at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Keisha Taura
CAANZ, New Zealand
My name is Keisha Taura. I am 21 years old and I live in Auckland, New Zealand.
I have a strong passion to inspire others from all backgrounds to take on the Accounting career pathway. I believe the opportunities through Accounting are endless, and not only is it beneficial for the individual themselves but also for the entire economy of Aotearoa and the world as a whole. As one of the few Maori Accounting students studying at Unitec Institute of Technology, it is clear that there is a huge gap and a lot of work to be done to inspire other Maori into entering the accounting field. I strive to help close this gap by inspiring and being a role model for potential Maori accounting students. As a nation, Maori are known to be very creative, innovative and entrepreneurial.
The business ideas that Maori come up with are unlike any other nations in the world. These ideas are what makes the businesses unique and attract international customers, however the downfall is that many Maori do not possess a business mind. They struggle to write business plans, calculate tax and keep track records of their accounts, which in many cases leads to the businesses failure. I aim to inspire Maori to gain knowledge within the Business and Accounting fields, so they can take their creative ideas and use them to their fullest potential. Within the Maori culture, there is a strong concept around whanaungatanga (looking after your people) so I have a strong focus on improving the way of life for our generations to come, I aim to inspire the youth to enter the Accounting field as they are the future leaders of our country.
To me culture is extremely important, I have recently been learning our language, Te Reo Maori and along with it the tikanga (traditions) of our people. The Maori culture is unique in the fact that no other culture has the same traditions and values, I believe implementing these things into Aotearoa’s business world will be highly beneficial. Not only will it help keep our culture alive, but for many companies it will bring a competitive edge.
I am currently a member of Matatapu and association aimed at supporting Maori studying all areas of learning from sports and health science, to communication studies and performing arts. The association had provided me with many opportunities to network with other students and businesses as well as been a great foundation for academic support. It’s entirely student run and gains most of its funding through fundraising. It requires being proactive and having a strong focus on developing the Maori nation as a whole. For the past two years, I have attended the Nga Kaitatau Maori o Aotearoa (Maori Accounting Network) Annual Conference.
These conferences for me were absolutely life changing, you are able to engage and network with other successful Maori accountants and gain insights from the presentations given. This year’s conference had a strong theme of embracing culture, disruptive leadership and innovation. The sense of community at this conference was overwhelming and the passion to drive towards a better future for the next generations was a common goal for everyone. I believe accounting networks like these will be the forefront to inspiring our rangatahi to enter the industry. Students who feel supported are far more likely to succeed and excel. I am also part of the Whai Ake Mentoring program, a program set up to action the Maori theory of Tuakana – Teina ( Mentee/Mentor). It is where a second or third year student is partnered with a first year student usually studying the same thing.
The aim is to share your experiences and knowledge with a student who is unaware and is just beginning. Its a great way to ensure students are supported by not just lecturers and employees of the University, but also other students dealing with the same issues. A huge part of the programme is also about giving back to the community, we often do fundraisers to donate to charities. Our most recent project was donating unwanted goods to those in need at the Te Puea Marae.
Charles Zhang
CAANZ, Australia
My name is Charles Zhang, I am 21 years old and live in Sydney, Australia.
In 2015, I spent a semester abroad at Maastricht University in the Netherlands studying economics and innovation. It was here that I developed an avid curiosity for entrepreneurship that was entrenched in the romantic start-up narrative of one person fundamentally changing the world around them by simply identifying a problem and taking a chance on fixing it. Returning home to Sydney, this found grounding in the social enterprise space. With the latter part of 2015 filled with social enterprise courses, competitions and my own budding idea, what began as an interest in start-ups developed into a passion for social entrepreneurship which resounded with me as a mechanism for individuals (social entrepreneurs) to change the game and tackle pressing social issues in ambitious and influential ways. I am passionate about social enterprises and the entrepreneurs behind them.
My idea is a social crowdfunding platform for the underrepresented homeless and disadvantaged community of Sydney that aims to change the way Australians donate. You can follow the idea here.
I am absolutely humbled and grateful to have won the CA ANZ Top 100 Future Leaders Award for Accounting & Financial Management and I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to attend the One Young World Summit and to have this passion for social enterprise and social good reinvigorated. The inspiring words of the OYW speakers and the international diversity of delegates will provide invaluable insights and will no doubt stir the next generation of social entrepreneurs – of which I hope to include myself – into action. Thank you CA ANZ and thank you One Young World.
I am studying a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Finance, and have had the fortune of building a foundation of accounting and audit experience at a Big 4 professional services firm. My degree and my experiences have allowed me to enact positive change in a variety of ways. 180 Degrees Consulting is the largest student consultancy in the world and focuses on providing management consulting services to not-for-profit organisations.
Since 2013, I have worked with 180 and in my current role as Consulting Director for the University of Sydney branch, I will lead 4 engagements with local and national not-for-profit organisations over the course of 2016, using the quantitative and qualitative business analysis skills learnt from my time in audit to help these organisations tackle their complex problems and increase their social impact. At a more tangible level, I am firm believer in volunteering and have involved myself in causes such as the St Vincent de Paul’s Night Patrol here in Sydney, and Resto van Harte in the Netherlands whilst studying abroad.
More aspirationally, as stated above, I have immersed myself in social entrepreneurship with a goal of building a business that could change the way Australians donate. I believe that supporting the nascent social enterprise space of Sydney buoys the national culture of positive change and quite importantly reinforces the prospects of future change to come. With the support of CA ANZ that I have been lucky enough to receive and the unique opportunity to attend the One Young World Summit, I will endeavour to learn as much as I can and to use this to continue to enacting positive change in my community, my country and the world.
Katie Field
ICAEW, London
After graduating from the University of Nottingham in Modern Language Studies, I began my career in the music industry, managing pop bands and producing music videos. However, it was not long before I transitioned into the world of accountancy, joining BDO LLP after qualifying in 2014.
Promoted to Manager in under 2 years, I’m passionate about professional and personal development and actively contributes to my community. I founded BDO’s “Financial Services Women’s Network”, designs and deliver national training courses for audit staff, including the development of audit software.
Beyond my technical focus on Capital Markets and Asset Management, I act as a mentor within BDO and externally within schools. I’m still a music enthusiast and am passionate supporter of the arts, including opera, ballet and theatre.
Our Delegates on the One Young World Summit
By Wesley Lye, ISCA, Singapore. John Landau, the world famous producer of the movies Avatar and Titanic, said “Every scene (in a movie) begins with a call to action”. And indeed, that was what the One Young World Summit was for me. I first started volunteering eighteen years ago, when […]
By Rimla Akhtar, ICAS, Scotland. For the past 15 years all I’ve been doing is working on my passion. I’ve been passionate about sport and about the development of our global community through and within sport. I’ve been able to combine these passions in my work as an Inclusion and […]
By Louw Barnardt, SAICA, South Africa. One Young World – inspiring change around the world October month saw the global leadership summit One Young World hosted in Ottawa, Canada. I was lucky enough to be chosen by Chartered Accountants Worldwide to represent SAICA and South Africa at the summit. With beautiful Capitol Hill […]
By Olivia MacDonald, CAI, Ireland. This September, I had the privilege of representing Chartered Accountants Worldwide and Chartered Accountants Ireland at the One Young World Summit in Canada. One Young World is a UK-based charity that gathers together young leaders from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change. Incredible […]
By Charles Zhang, CA ANZ, 3rd Oct 2016. It is difficult to find the words that can wholly encapsulate my experience of One Young World 2016 in Ottawa. Looking back, it seemed almost corny to use words like ‘life-changing’ and ‘profound’, but believe me when I say that this experience […]
Photos from One Young World 2016
