Aberdeen accountant recognised for service to global body ACCA

Aberdeen accountant Sarah Pumfrett has been awarded the UK Members’ Network Contribution Award by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Ms Pumfrett is internal auditor at oil giant Shell, former Chair of the ACCA Aberdeen Members’ Network and Vice Chair of the Internal Audit Members’ Network.

She received the award in recognition of outstanding contribution to the work of the global body in Aberdeen and the North of Scotland and for services to internal audit.

Ms Pumfrett left school at 16 and drifted from job to job before taking a role as an internal audit clerk for Aberdeenshire Council. She soon realised she’d found her vocation and decided that in order to progress she had to become professionally qualified.

She said: “As a mature student, I found studying hard, working full time, running a part time business and balancing family life with a menagerie of pets.” However, she accepted a job in the oil industry shortly before she became ACCA qualified, and since then, her career has taken her all over the globe.

“When I left school, I wouldn’t have dreamed that I would have had these opportunities and experiences, including breakfast with Nelson Mandela, getting involved in a snowball fight in the mountains above Tehran, attending premier film showings at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, and visiting the great mosque in Damascus, all during business trips” she continued.

Sarah was involved with the Aberdeen Members’ Network from 2006 to 2015 (serving as Chair from 2013); and joined ACCA’s Internal Audit Members’ Network in 2012, taking on the role of Vice Chair in 2014.

Accepting the award, Sarah said: “It’s very humbling to be acknowledged by my fellow finance professionals, and to know that the nominations came from more than one individual, on more than one panel. Whilst my colleagues felt I deserved recognition for my efforts, I truly believe that none of it could have been delivered without the team working of the panel members, and phenomenal support of ACCA staff.

“I’m really pleased to have had the opportunity to work with so many professionals, on both panels, to deliver initiatives such as the mentoring scheme, panel LinkedIn group and student sub-panel, as well as successfully broadening the appeal of our events by opening them up to the wider business community in Aberdeen.

“I’m committed to lifelong learning and development and therefore was also keen to ensure our students, internal auditors and other ACCA finance professionals are adequately supported in access to high quality CPD resources, regardless of where in the UK they are based. I was thrilled by the introduction of webinars and recording of live events to enable playback for those who are unable to attend in person and believe these will be utilised more extensively in the future.”

She was presented with her award by ACCA president Anthony Harbinson at the recent member engagement conference.