ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has recognised Tim Kelland, Assistant Director, Finance Delivery Unit, NHS Wales, as its Regional Advocate of the Year Award for Europe and Americas for 2020.

Tim was lauded for his work in establishing the Welsh Annual ACCA Health Finance conference, a hugely successful event with over 250 delegates attending each year.  Tim also takes personal responsibility and liaises with Directors of Finance and other colleagues to identify key training and development areas for ACCA members and students.

Claire Bennison, head of ACCA UK said: “Tim has gone above and beyond to ensure that our principle of Open Access for all, with the will and the intellect to succeed no matter what their background is, and this is highlighted by work that he did in Africa.  In 2008, Tim spent three months working for the Welsh Government on its “Wales for Africa” initiative.  During the trip, Tim delivered training sessions and introduced his audience to the ACCA.  On his return home, Tim took it upon himself to collect used training materials from UK students and send them to his contacts in Namibia for distribution for several years.

“In addition, Tim has been instrumental in developing a strategic partnership arrangement with the Healthcare Financial Management Association in Wales, which has helped both organisations provide development opportunities for their members in the more rural parts of Wales.

“This award recognises Tim’s popularity and dedication as a registered mentor within the NHS Wales Finance Academy mentoring scheme, currently mentoring a number of students and newly qualified accountants. The impact Tim’s advocacy has had on the UK health sector and the promotion of ACCA has been immense. Congratulations on this wonderful achievement.”

ACCA launched the regional advocacy awards in 2017 to recognise members who go above and beyond in expressing public support for the accountancy profession, encouraging others and embodying ACCA’s values: Inclusion, Integrity and Innovation. These three values exemplify the unique reasons why ACCA was created in the first place, and the difference ACCA has brought to the global profession, and expresses them in a way that reflects our world today. Advocates are also members who deliver public value, display ethical professionalism and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

The Advocacy Awards are not just about career achievement, but about the way that ACCA members give back to their communities, and help ACCA to develop the next generation of professional accountants.

The full list of ACCA Regional Advocacy Award winners for 2020 are:

  • ACCA Africa Regional Advocate of the Year 2020: Oluyomi Akinyemi from Nigeria.
  • ACCA ASEAN and ANZ Regional Advocate of the Year 2020: Heather Smith from Australia
  • ACCA China Regional Advocate of the Year 2020: Bonnie Chan from Hong Kong SAR
  • ACCA Eurasia and New Markets Regional Advocate of the Year 2020: Ivan Topolya from Russia.
  • ACCA Europe & Americas Regional Advocate of the Year 2020: Timothy Kelland from the UK.
  • ACCA Middle East and South Asia Regional Advocate of the Year 2020: Rathnakala Kumaragurunathan from Sri Lanka.

For more information about ACCA’s advocates, please visit https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/member/advocacy-and-mentoring.html.