10,361 NEW MEMBERS JOIN ACCA IN 2012/13

　　Employers say ACCA is a world leading brand and would recommend the global professional body to other organisations. More students take up the ACCA Qualification in 2012/13

　　World-wide membership of ACCA （the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants） has increased from 154,000 to nearly 162,000 over 2012/13, the global body for professional accountants announces today, with some 10,361 new members being welcomed in the period.

　　ACCA also reports that business leaders and employers of professional accountants have endorsed ACCA as a global leader in its sector, following a survey which covered 35 countries. Key figures from this research show that:

　　89% of employers who replied would recommend ACCA to another organisation

　　93% of respondents agree that ACCA is a respected brand

　　90% agree that ACCA is a world class organisation

　　76% agree that ACCA delivers complete finance professionals

　　79% agree that ACCA 'helps grow my business by providing accountants with the skills and capabilities I need', up by 10 points from last year.

　　The ACCA Qualification continues to be highly attractive to aspiring professionals around the world, with ACCA recruiting 61,311 new students to the professional ACCA Qualification, an increase on last year.

　　Helen Brand OBE, ACCA’s chief executive, comments on three key areas of performance for ACCA: member numbers; employer feedback; and customer service.

　　Member numbers

　　Helen Brand says: 'ACCA has 12 strategic outcomes which we publish in our Annual Report. This is due to be published later in the year as an integrated report for the second year running.

　　'We have achieved significant outcomes on behalf of our members in the past year. I am very pleased to note we increased the number of ACCA members by 7,606, driven by 10,361 new member admissions during the year. It is these members who bring value to their employers and wider society around the world, during a time of continued challenging economic conditions around the world.'

　　Investment in the future of the profession

　　As part of its commitment to customer service, ACCA invested ?12m in development programmes, delivering a wide range of customer service improvements. As a result,  ACCA continues to see improvements in scores on the ease of doing business online with ACCA, with member scores rising from 70% to 73% and student scores from 75% to 76% - following significant jumps last year.

　　ACCA also invested in key development markets, opening new centres in Dalian, China; Kazakhstan and Indonesia.

　　Helen Brand adds: 'This investment is essential to maintain our position as a leading global body and to underpin sustainable growth, working closely with national and regional professional bodies. We are committed to capacity building in the profession, and have established new operations to further support members and students and work with employers and tuition providers.'

　　Employers

　　Commenting on feedback from employer-based research, Helen Brand says: 'We also continue to see very high ratings from employers for the strength of our brand, many of whom have recommended ACCA to others, so our brand positioning overall remains very strong with them. We asked employers about their perception of ACCA in general and their responses to these questions were very positive. 90% of employers say that ACCA is a world class organisation and 89% of employers would recommend ACCA to other organisations. In addition, 59% said that ACCA is a global leader in the profession, ahead of the next most mentioned international body at 12%.'

　　Helen Brand says: '2012/13 was a challenging year and one from which we can learn. It is clear that there is a very good opportunity for professional accountancy qualifications, and the ACCA Qualification remains highly relevant to all sectors, providing flexible routes to entry that work for school leavers and graduates of all disciplines. It also meets employer needs to access a diverse, global talent pool of complete finance professionals. We will keep investing in new and existing markets and sectors to meet demand, ensuring the ACCA Qualification remains accessible to students worldwide.'