FOR THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Lee Taylor

Lee Taylor is the National Finance Director of Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. According to him, CIMA has added a lot of value to the emerging market in Bangladesh. "In terms of individuals, CIMA will help produce more rounded and expert Finance professionals, and it will help their job prospects – even more so if they want to work internationally at some stage in their career," he says.

"In terms of organisations, CIMA will help to bring in more solid accounting fundamentals which are sometimes lacking in an emerging market like Bangladesh and at the same time, because CIMA is focused on forward looking business strategy and decision making, it will ensure the finance function can better help in unlocking the enormous long-term growth opportunities in a market like this."

Starting off a finance career in the UK with Unilever in 2004 as a management trainee (Unilever Future Leaders Programme), Taylor says that a formal accounting qualification is essential and at Unilever in UK, CIMA is the preferred qualification. "So I would not have got very far in my career without CIMA!" he adds.

After a variety of finance roles in the UK, Taylor moved to Netherlands in 2011 as Financial Planning & Analysis Director, Europe and then took up his current role in Bangladesh a year ago.

"If you would like a career as a finance professional, then CIMA is helpful regardless of academic background," Taylor says to students and young entrepreneurs. "Remember it is not just exams, you also need relevant work experience to become CIMA qualified.  

If you have studied finance and accounting at university then you will get some exam exemptions to minimise any overlap."