A SWINDON accountant has been recognised as one of the top performers in the industry as part of awards aimed at highlighting new recruits with promising talent.

MHA Monahans senior associate Leanne Anderson is now considered a rising star by her colleagues after winning a prize for coming top of the tables in the south west with her results for the ACA advanced level paper

She joined the independent accountancy firm's Swindon branch two years ago after graduating from the University of West England with a degree in accountancy and finance and working for the company during her placement year.

Leanne said: "I grew up in Swindon and many of my family members work in finance, so accountancy was an inevitable career choice for me.

"My father used to play for this company's football team when he was training to be an accountant.

"I did my placement year from university here and they invested in me, putting me on the AAT training programme and treating me like one of the team even though I was only there temporarily.

"That level of support meant I wanted to return after finishing my degree and to continue building my professional skills with a company that values its employees."

Her colleague from the accountancy firm's Bath branch Danielle Rolt won the Railton Prize from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

The prize is awarded annually to the person who receives the highest exam results of the year in the business strategy and technology professional paper.

Managing partner at MHA Monahans Simon Tombs congratulated the pair for their awards recognition and dedication.

He said: “Leanne and Danielle’s hard work has paid off and they undoubtedly have bright futures ahead of them.

"We’re all extremely proud of their achievements and pleased that we could support them in their learning journey through our extensive training programme.

"This company prides itself in investing in the future of its trainees, with a clear career path and structured progression and development programme."