They are often perceived as boring, faceless bureaucrats in suits, but the
UK’s accountants are desperate to shed their grey image – and become more like
Richard Branson or David Beckham.
A survey has found that most practitioners want to become pioneers of
entrepreneurship, aspiring to be more like Branson (45 per cent), Beckham (17
per cent) or chancellor Gordon Brown (7 per cent).
The ‘boring’ tag is further shunned by accountants’ desire not to brush-up
on the latest financial skills, but to learn more languages (29 per cent) or
travel the world (25 per cent).
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The survey, carried out by Robert Half International and Accountancy Age
magazine, revealed that almost half of all accountants want to improve their
people management skills to enhance their careers.
However, a quarter of the 1,900 respondents admitted there is a glass
ceiling for women working in the profession, which has an impact at every level
throughout the financial sector.
