Samuel Hill ACMA, CGMA is group financial controller at Formation Asset Management Ltd. Samuel began studying AAT straight from school at the age of 16 and then CIMA at 18. When he made his decision to study CIMA he was influenced by the flash car driven by the CIMA qualified finance director at his company!
How did you find out about CIMA?
Whilst studying AAT, a few work colleagues were studying CIMA and explained the challenges of study along with the potential career opportunities on completion. The most senior figures in my organisation were all CIMA qualified.
Did the AAT accounting qualification help you with your CIMA studies?
It gave me a solid foundation and good understanding of the principles in accounting and business. I realised once I began studying CIMA that I had come across many of the areas before in AAT, which made understanding the subject much easier.
What part of the CIMA syllabus did you find the most difficult and how did you overcome this?
I struggled with the organisational management paper at first. I simply didn’t have the work experience or managerial know how to understand the engine of a business. Work colleagues and paying attention to the business press helped me through.
What is the most interesting aspect of your job?
One of the companies I look after is a football sports agency, so we deal in the transfer activity and contract negotiations of professional footballers. I’m a massive football fan so really enjoy working in this environment every day.