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30 Aug 19

Student opinion

Wesley STUDENTS SUCCESS at INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

University of Sydney team does Australia proud with stunning success at the KPMG, EY, Deloitte & PwC Beta Alpha Psi International Conference in 2019.

Wesleyans Jeffrey Brown and Dhivyen Aaron have returned from a record breaking International Conference result, representing the University of Sydney on the global stage and claiming the largest set of awards previously achieved by a University in recent times. Maia Gin, another Wesleyan is also part of the business school society in 2019, and is eying up the opportunity to compete for the University 2020. As an executive group, the society returned with a new international record, a wonderful piece of recognition for the hard work of designing and initiating innovative events and consulting projects run by the Sydney based team.

Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) is a US-based honours society for accounting, finance and information system students. It has 300+ chapters across the world and offers its members professional development, networking and community service opportunities. Founded in 1919, BAP celebrated its 100th anniversary at its Annual Meeting in Chicago earlier in August.

Six students from the University of Sydney Chapter travelled to Chicago for the Annual Meeting where they met with other chapters, heard from insightful speakers and participated in the community service event: Chicago Food Drive.

Led by the 2019 Executive Team, Jeff Brown (President), Alex Zhao (Vice President), Lily Zheng (Competitions Director), Dhivyen Aaron (External Engagements Director), Sachin Samarawickrama (Membership Director) and Minqiu Zhao (Marketing Director), the USYD Chapter was honoured to win three prestigious awards:

  • KPMG Gold Challenge Award: USYD BAP placed top 10 globally (out of >350) for the third consecutive year for consistent commitment to go above and beyond in organising high-calibre, innovative events and sustainable investment in the success of the chapter and its community
  • EY Inclusive Leadership Award: USYD BAP ranked 1st place globally (out of >350) for initiatives enabling individuals to gain insights into the significance of workforce diversity and empowering them to lead, think and act inclusively
  • Grant Thornton Ethics Award: USYD BAP placed top 4 globally (out of >350) for the second year for initiatives encouraging strong ethical foundation and empowering individuals to act on ethical principles.

Taking time to give back in Chicago: Project Run With It Competition

Project Run With It (PRWI) consulting competition furthers the community service component of Beta Alpha Psi and requires 96 participants to complete a consulting project for a local not-for-profit organisation within 32 hours during the Annual Meeting.

Our three recommendations included a donations-model overhaul that incorporated emerging technology, a company restructuring and a millennial marketing campaign. We presented these via slide deck to the Volunteer Centre, industry professionals and Beta Alpha Psi International.

A Beta Alpha Psi team member, Rhys Jennings, fondly notes “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and proud of the work we did. I had the chance to apply what I have learnt in the classroom, from financial analysis to marketing fundamentals, in a high pressure, real-world context. Speaking to our client afterwards, it was rewarding to hear that they will be implementing our recommendations, as they’ve done some great work for Chicago and have more to do”.

This is an incredible achievement for the University of Sydney and has been particularly commended by professionals from Grant Thornton, KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC on a global level. In this 100th year, we are proud of the work of the USYD team and look forward to welcoming the students back on campus.