Ashton Dallsingh
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Ashton Dallsingh |
Finance Director, Dell Computer Corporation, Canada
Ashton decided at an early age that accountancy was a good career for him. He chose ACCA because it "was the most respected qualification available to me at the time… and it still is. It is also very flexible, as it is internationally respected and grooms you for a role in a senior position in finance and business leadership in any organisation."
Ashton has worked in prestigious organisations in a range of sectors, including Ernst & Young and PPGPL (a subsidiary of Conoco/Du Pont). He subsequently became director of finance, marketing and sales in Canada 's largest cable and Internet provider in Canada, Rogers Cable Inc. For the last two and a half years, he has been director of finance for Canada in Dell Computer Corporation. In this role, he has to be very mobile. He enjoys the opportunity to work in regions across the world, in Europe , Asia Pacific and Japan and the US. He obtained his current job after being recommended for the role by a previous employer and successfully completing 15 interviews.
ACCA has helped Ashton to pursue his career ambitions. He believes that modern finance professionals require people and leadership skills in addition to their core competences. "The ability to lead and develop a vision is one thing," he says, "but being able to influence people to implement the vision is another." ACCA provides skills which help this ideal. He praises the global outlook of ACCA members, and believes that membership of ACCA offers opportunities for mobility, and the qualification helped him to develop broad financial and business expertise and leadership training.
In turn, he plans in the future to help train the next generation of ACCA professionals, and share his experiences to help them develop their expertise in the workplace.
Ashton suggests that leadership and integrity are important values for senior finance professionals. Leadership means developing greater influence within the organisation; and integrity requires leaders to be "pillars of trust and reliability."
Bodies such as ACCA can help too. The integrity of the profession has been called into question and regulation therefore needs to be strengthened. "The question is how quickly we choose to improve regulation," he says. "Professional bodies such as ACCA must take the lead in setting the benchmark."