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finance director, Unilever, Ghana

Life has certainly been interesting for Emmanuel Idun since qualifying as an accountant in 1978. He is now finance director at Unilever Ghana, a company he joined in 1980 and where he has worked both in Ghana and internationally. One of his assignments for Unilever was in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1991, where he was tasked with implementing systems and processes to cope with hyper-inflation of 3000%. Emmanuel recalls that as well as being economically unstable, Congo was at the time politically and socially unstable. 'I remember having to keep a packed suitcase ready to evacuate in case the company decided that the situation was unsafe. We evacuated twice over the river to Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo and once back to Ghana to wait for things to cool down. Despite the civil situation, the satisfaction I got from that assignment was enormous,' recalls Idun.

As finance director, Emmanuel is responsible for risk management, accountancy, information and audit, and legal services delivery. 'The financial and economic environment in Ghana over the past 10 years has seen a lot of volatility - particularly in inflation, exchange rates and interest rates,' explains Idun. But, he says: 'However challenging and stressful it has been, it has also provided me with a lot of excitement.'

Emmanuel originally studied finance because he wanted a broad knowledge-based entry into business and general management. 'The ACCA qualification fitted my circumstances at the time, especially as I was able to study while following a career. Also, ACCA seemed the most dynamic of UK-based accountancy bodies', says Idun. Studying via a mixture of correspondence and tuition at the London School of Accountancy, Idun qualified as an ACCA member in 1978. His advice to students yet to complete their exams is to 'use the ACCA qualifications as a "solid foundation" or a "runway" on which to build the knowledge base, competencies and skills required to deliver professional expertise and real value in whatever area you work.'

Since becoming an ACCA member, Idun feels that the qualification has given him many benefits. These include an international professional finance qualification with a well-respected body, having a broad business education not solely limited to finance, and becoming a member of a dynamic professional body taking a lead in many spheres of the accountancy profession.

In the future, Emmanuel hopes to use his core skills and training to continue making a valuable contribution in whatever sphere of business he finds himself. The future of the accountancy profession, he says, will rely on responsibility. He explains: 'Responsibility in accounting means finance people living up to and going beyond the standards of the profession to earn and live up to the trust and confidence of the public, clients and employees.'