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The Honourable Felix Mutati recalls a number of highlights in his career. The first was winning a scholarship from Zimco, a leading company in Southern Africa, to study ACCA in the UK. "Being one of five top students at the University of Zambia to win a scholarship was a great incentive to work hard," he recalls. Unfortunately, Felix was soon caught up in the excitement of living in a new country and too much of his time and energy were diverted away from his studies.

"My return home was devastating," he says. "Because I had not passed the ACCA exams, I was only given an assistant accountant position at Zimco. That was humiliating, so I sold all my possessions in order to return to the UK to complete my studies."

This time, his return to Zambia was very different. "I had passed the ACCA exams and could hold my head high," he explains. After spells as a management accountant and finance manager, Felix rose to become Finance Director of the National Hotels Development Corporation - the first Zambian to be promoted to an executive position within the Zimco group of companies.

When Felix was appointed Finance Director at Zesco, Zambia's largest power utility company, the company had a negative balance sheet and staff morale was low. By the time he left, the company had a new accounting system and a clean bill of financial health. Felix retired in 1998 but only for a short time. To keep him busy, he became a consultant and invested in a number of businesses.

Another highlight in Felix's career came as quite a surprise. "One evening, I got a call on my phone. The person on the line said please hold for the President," he reports, adding: "I was thinking 'this must be a joke' when the President started speaking to me. He told me that he had put forward my name as parliamentary candidate. It was a shock, but I decided to make a go of it. The next day, I was in the papers and my phone wouldn't stop ringing. I was now in politics."

After campaigning in the Lunte constituency and winning 75% the votes, Felix was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance. "I wouldn't be able to perform this role as effectively without my ACCA qualification," he asserts, explaining: "I am able to analyse the Budget and speak with authority about finance to my civil servants, members of the public and my peers."

Felix hopes to make an enduring contribution to the development of Zambia. He is introducing an accounting system to improve management of public resources and is aiming to harmonise donor funding. "If people want to help us, we must tell them where it hurts most," he explains. Felix is also committed to making it easier for people to understand the Budget so they know exactly what they are approving. "I'm going on a roadshow to educate members of the public on what the numbers represent. It's all about the Government becoming more transparent. I think that's important."