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David Wu

David Wu, senior partner with Pricew aterhouseCoopers in Beijing, has achieved a huge amount since leaving the rural community which he grew up in. But he had serious doubts as to whether accountancy was the right career for him, until ACCA arrived on the scene.

He had little choice in his studies - he was assigned to an accounting course at university after excelling at mathematics. In the China of the early 1980s, he said accountants were regarded as being identical to cashiers and he actually thought he was entering the wrong profession.

But all that changed when ACCA became the first international professional body to take its accountancy qualification to China. David was one of the first Chinese students to benefit from ACCA initiatives which encouraged young people from the mainland to enter the profession. He became ACCA's first member in mainland China. It enabled him to go to PwC in Hong Kong to gain valuable experience.

"ACCA has a very special meaning to me, and opened a brand new world for me," said David, who worked for PwC in New York and Sydney before taking up a senior position in Beijing.

His ambition for the future is to help young people, in the way that he was supported. "I benefited from people who cared about others, who took time to help China when China was at poverty level and who had a vision that China would grow and contribute to the well being of this world. I want to do the same. I want to influence more people and contribute more."

And his advice to new students is: "There is no limit to your ability to develop and achieve your ambitions. ACCA is a truly international qualification which acts as your passport to success."