Top advisor Michelle helps students achieve business success

WORCESTER, U.K. - Aug. 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Director Michelle Hammett from Droitwich-based accountants Ballard Dale Syree Watson has proved once again that good advice and guidance is vital for business success. 

 Miss Hammett has recently helped students from The Chase School, Malvern, achieve third place in the national finals of the Business, Accountancy and Skills Education (BASE) Business Games. She undertook the role of advisor and business mentor throughout each stage of the competition.

 The BASE Business Games is an annual event organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). For the second consecutive year the finals culminated in a prestigious black-tie gala dinner held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham.

 Aimed at 16-18 year olds BASE linked schools, students and employers work together in a bid to increase awareness of accountancy as a career option. An important part of the initiative is also to help young people develop the desirable skills to equip them in the work place.

In 2012 Miss Hammett helped The Chase secure first place.  The combined results of this year and last year has ranked the Malvern school as the consistently highest performing group overall.  

The competition involves each participating school to assume the role of ICAEW Chartered Accountants within a fictitious company. This year students were given the challenge of advising an organic farming client of which part of the business involved growing soft fruits.

Members of the business came up with the innovative idea of using the bruised and slightly damaged fruit to turn into juice drinks and smoothies.
 
Out of 25 competing schools the Chase students were among the top four who were invited to present a PowerPoint business presentation to a panel of judges. Head judge was Manchester United’s financial controller Tim Williams who is well regarded for his track record of business successes. The students’ no waste, sustainable business model impressed them so much that they also gave them an award for the most creative idea.

 Miss Hammett commented: “For me helping the students as a business mentor is very similar to my role at Ballards. Accountants are far more hands-on these days and in today’s challenging economic climate it has never been more critical to work with business owners and managers to help them with creative solutions to enable them to achieve commercial success.

 “I feel privileged to work with the students from the Chase as they were competing against teams representing some of the best independent, grammar and state schools in the UK. The Business Games allow students to develop a range of skills vital for success such as teamwork, finance knowledge and communication. I think it is important to encourage and nurture them today as they could well be the business leaders of tomorrow!”