Two Wales Audit Office trainees scoop prestigious awards

12 February 2014
  • Two Wales Audit Office trainees have scooped prestigious awards, as they work towards gaining their ACA Chartered Accountant qualifications from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

    Dylan Rees and Neall Hollis have both been awarded International Subject Orders of Merit in recognition of their high standards of achievement.

    Dylan Rees, a third year Audit Trainee, has been awarded the Knox prize for obtaining the highest mark worldwide in the Financial Reporting paper in the ACA’s December exams. 

    Auditor General for Wales, Huw Vaughan Thomas, said today:

    These really are fantastic achievements and they demonstrate the high calibre of students that we have on the Wales Audit Office Trainee Scheme. I hope that this news will encourage other students to pursue a career in public sector audit and to apply for our Trainee Scheme, with the latest round currently open to applicants

    The Knox prize was set up through money bequeathed by George Walter Knox, one of the ICAEW’s original members, and former president of the institution. Neall Hollis, a third year Audit Trainee, was awarded joint first place, and the Railton prize, in the Business Strategy paper.

    The pair will be presented with their awards at the International ACA prize giving ceremony in London in May this year.

    Chair of the Wales Audit Office Board, Isobel Garner, said today:

    We are committed to providing a solid foundation for the next generation of public auditors and we are very proud of Dylan and Neall’s recent achievements. The training we provide here at the Wales Audit Office equips individuals for the important role they will play in helping to ensure that taxpayers money is put to best use and that public services are delivered as efficiently and effectively as possible