Doctor of Business Administration conferred by BPP University College

Helen Brand, chief executive of ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), the global body for professional accountants, has been awarded an honorary degree by BPP University College.

The Academic Council at BPP University College has conferred the degree of Doctor of Business Administration upon Helen Brand in recognition of her services to the development of education and training for the accountancy profession.

Speaking of the award, Helen Brand, said: “This is a real surprise and a real privilege for me, and for the whole of ACCA.  I thank BPP for considering me for this honorary degree, and am delighted to accept. I know that ACCA shares BPP’s values when it comes to training the accountancy professionals of the future – we both work to give them the skills and abilities needed for their careers.”

Professor Carl Lygo added:  “We are honoured to bestow this honorary doctorate to Helen Brand, and on behalf of our academic council, students and faculty, I would like to extend a warm welcome from BPP. 

“As a professional training provider, our links to practitioners and pioneers within the sector are crucial to our programmes, and our students, faculty and clients will benefit from the expertise, knowledge and reputation that Helen will bring to BPP. Two-thirds of all accountants in the UK study with BPP at some point in their career, and it is vital that we look to leading figures in the profession as we continue to develop.”

The honorary doctorate will be awarded to Helen Brand as part of BPP’s Degree Congregation and Award Ceremonies on Tuesday 29 May at The Guildhall in London.

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For more information, please contact:

Helen Thompson, ACCA Newsroom

+44 (0)20 7059 5759

+44 (0)7725 498654

helen.thompson@accaglobal.com

Notes to Editors

1. ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. We aim to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

2. We support our 147,000 members and 424,000 students in 170 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. We work through a network of over 80 offices and centres and more than 8,500 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through our public interest remit, we promote appropriate regulation of accounting and conduct relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

3. Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. We believe that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. Our values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and we ensure that through our qualifications, we prepare accountants for business. We seek to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating our qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers.

About BPP

1. BPP is a leading European private education and training provider in the fields of business, law, finance, tax and accountancy.

2. BPP University College of Professional Studies has over 6,500 students at its UK law and business schools, and trains over 30,000 accountants. Its programmes cover undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, MBAs, short courses, summer schools, training and ongoing development for professionals. As well as its main city schools in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Manchester, it has regional centres across the UK, and offers a range of flexible study options – including full and part-time programmes, accelerated courses, online and distance learning.

3. In 2007, BPP College was granted degree awarding powers by the Privy Council, and in 2010 was granted University College status, becoming BPP University College of Professional Studies Ltd. BPP Learning Media, market leader of published study materials and communications tools for training, and MPW, the private 5th and 6th form school are also solely owned by BPP, and operate as autonomous business units. In 2009, BPP became part of the Apollo Group. Visit BPP at bpp.com