A newly-qualified Norfolk accountant is on top of the world, after recording the highest global score for her final set of professional exams.
Lauren Day has been awarded the ACCA Gold Medal by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants thanks to an aggregate score of 416 out of 500 left her top of a class of 5,000.
For the 23-year-old, who joined the Diss office of chartered accountant Larking Gowen when she left Wymondham High Academy Sixth Form, the award marks a triumphant end to a five-year schedule of accountancy qualification exams.
She said she was 'stunned' to receive a congratulatory email from the ACCA's director of learning, which described her performance as outstanding and informed her that her marks were the highest achieved anywhere in the world.
'It took a little while to understand exactly what the letter was saying,' she said. 'Then I let out a shout that had my family wondering what was wrong. After that we cracked open a bottle of bubbly.'
To gain her final qualification, Miss Day had to pass 20 exams over four-and-a-half years.
'I always start panicking two or three weeks before an exam because I don't think I know enough,' she said. 'I'm glad that's behind me now.'
Larking Gowen partner Grant Pilcher, who has mentored Miss Day throughout her time at the firm, said: 'Since the day she began with us Lauren has been a model member of staff.
'You only have to tell her something once and she has got it. She is a very bright young lady – and more than that, she invests so much application in everything she does. She thoroughly deserves the gold medal.'
ACCA is a global body for professional accountants, supporting 480,000 students in 178 countries. A spokesman said Miss Day's aggregate mark in the P (professional) level exams were an 'amazing achievement'.
It earns her the title of Top Affiliate from the December 2016 exam session and an award of £500, and she also received a celebration lunch and £150 in gift vouchers from learning provider Kaplan Financial.
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