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finance director - international development, The Tetley Group, UK

The three main benefits John feels he has received as a result of gaining the ACCA qualification are formal recognition of achieving the high standards required by ACCA, career enhancement and the respect of other professionals and colleagues. 'I am proud to be a member of a world renowned accountancy body which is dedicated to continued improvement as well as geographic expansion,' he says. 'It is difficult to define a typical ACCA member as I am always surprised by the wide variety of finance roles, cultures and nationalities of members. It is this, more than anything, which differentiates ACCA members from other finance professionals.'

John believes that the main qualities required of the modern finance professional are to be constructively challenging: 'Don't automatically accept what you are told, challenge decisions you are not comfortable with and suggest improvements.' 'Keeping up to date with a rapidly changing business environment is also vital, as are understanding your customer's requirements and communicating effectively in a format that can be clearly understood. Finance professionals should be capable of understanding and contributing to business strategy and decision making. It is also vital that they maintain the highest levels of technical competence,' he continues.

Having trained and worked initially in an engineering environment, John moved into the beverages field. He joined his current employer, Tetley Group, in 1988, some years prior to the management buy-out from Allied Domecq. He says of his current role: 'A core strategy of the company is to grow its presence in new overseas markets and I currently work with the CEO developing markets on all aspects of establishing, growing and managing new overseas businesses. Currently my main areas of focus are Russia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Poland.' John says that he has never planned his career more than two to three years ahead. 'I like to learn by experience and follow the career path that I find most interesting and rewarding. However I do have a broad idea of where I am going longer term - but with a high degree of flexibility.'

The most significant developments John has identified in the accountancy profession since he qualified are the increasing tendency for companies to expand into global markets - and the challenge this creates for different financial reporting standards and accounting best practice worldwide. 'Globalisation will lead to common standards of reporting, corporate governance and best practice worldwide,' he believes.

'Technology advances have also had a huge impact,' he says. 'Transactions are now processed by computers - giving accountants the opportunity to concentrate on interpreting results, analyse business data and add value to decision making.

'Following the recent Enron and WorldCom affairs the auditing profession has lost a lot of credibility and respect, as in some quarters accountants are regarded as having too comfortable a relationship with company management,' John feels.

This presents an opportunity for the profession to act pro-actively in recommending appropriate changes to the law, auditors' independence, limited liability for audit practices and other related proposals.'

In John's view, responsibility in accounting means to abide by the highest standards of the profession and not be influenced to deviate from what is legally and ethically required.

'An accountant is first and foremost an independent member of a profession and secondly an employee of any organisation. Professional standards must take priority over any other consideration.'