Gulf expat is first Indian to win Canada Gold Medal

Former Gulf expatriate, Akash Kapoor, a 23-year-old Indo-Canadian, has won the Canadian Gold Medal as the top writer of the Uniform Evaluation (UFE).

Akash also happens to be the first South Asian in over 30 years to make this feat topping the country's 3,576 successful UFE writers.

This makes Akash the gold medalist from the province of Ontario as well.

Akash, who spent his formative years in Oman, now lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

The UFE, written in September, is a national three-day evaluation that assesses competencies including essential knowledge, professional judgement, ethics and the ability to communicate.

Akash has a Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo and articles at EY in Toronto.

“It is a great accomplishment and feat to achieve this level of success on the CA exams. It adds to the joy when friends, family, and on a greater scale the community, University and colleagues cherish the achievements. The CA designation is a global one and as such this will open doors to countless opportunities down the road,” Akash told ‘Emirates 24|7’.

Dubai on his mind
 
Akash recalled his days in the Gulf with fondness – particularly his trips to Dubai from Muscat.

“I think I can proudly say that I was brought up in the Gulf, where I spent 10 years from Kindergarten to Grade 5 before moving to Canada. I accredit some of the success to the schooling there which set a good ground to develop a strong work ethic. I strongly believe that maintaining that work ethic and determination came a long way for this exam.

“During my time in Muscat, I developed many friendships, some of which are still there and others who have moved to many places around the world. I remember the city having a very small close knit South Asian community and my most fond memory would be our family trips down to Dubai to visit our closest friends, who are now with us in Canada.

“I think as time moves on nothing is a constant besides such memories which we cherish for the rest of our lives and really define who we really are! Fortunately, I had a chance to visit Dubai three years back and the city is gorgeous as ever, definitely making me miss that part of the world and hoping that down the road I can pursue career opportunities in that region,” says Akash.

National Medals

The Canada UFE Gold Medal is not the first honour Akash has achieved. This is the third Governor General of Canada medal he has received.
Akash was the recipient of the Governor General Silver medal for achieving the highest academic average amidst 6 faculties and over 6,000 graduating students in the Spring 2014 convocation.

The award is presented on behalf of the Governor General of Canada and ais warded to 3 graduating students who achieved the highest academic standing upon graduation from an Honours Bachelor degree program at the University of Waterloo.

In June, Akash received the Bronze Medal for achieving the highest academic average in his high school amidst all graduating students.

It is not all work for Akash though. An all-rounder he enjoys many sporting activities, singing and dancing and Bollywood movies.

He credits support from his family, especially his elder brother Aman for motivating him. His brother and friends though are not surprised at his success “ if anyone, he can do it.”

His family hails from Kanpur and he spent part of his early years in Agra before they migrated to Muscat, Oman and then to Canada.

“National Gold Medalist- Is a feat I am truly proud of. I am humbled and pleased to share this news with you all and thank many people including my family, UFE study group, Professors, PASS, University of Waterloo, PwC and EY.

Years of UFE bulking paid off!”
 
Below is a list of Akash’s Roll of Honour

1. National Canada Gold Medalist and Ontario Gold Medalist
CPA Ontario
October 2014
Recognised as Canada and Ontario’s top candidate amidst more than 3,300 successful students to have written the 2014 Uniform Final Evaluation – Chartered Professional Accountant examination. The results are based on a 3-day case based examination held across the country to test various competencies including management accounting, finance, accounting, taxation, governance and assurance.
Article: https://m.leadingindicator.ca/Home/article/608326/mississauga-cpa-student-captures-canadian-gold-med/

2. Accounting Alumni Award for Excellence - Master of Accounting
University of Waterloo
October 2014
Graduated with the highest academic average amidst all students in the Master of Accounting (MAcc) programme.

3. Governor General Silver Medal
University of Waterloo
June 2014
Recipient of the Silver Medal for achieving the highest academic average amid 6 faculties and over 6,000 graduating students in the Spring 2014 convocation.

The award is presented on behalf of the Governor General and awarded to 3 graduating students who achieved the highest academic standing upon graduation from an Honours Bachelor degree program at the University of Waterloo.

4. University of Waterloo Co-op Student of the Year 2013 and 2012
University of Waterloo
March 2014, 2013
Recognised as the first student to achieve this honour for two consecutive years for making outstanding contributions at the workplace, demonstrating leadership and stewardship within the community, and unparalleled academic performance. Awarded with this honour for creating an audit efficiency tool to reduce audit fieldwork hours and improve standardization across the firm.

5. Ontario Graduate Scholarship and President’s Graduate Scholarship 2014
Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities Ontario
January 2014
Honored with the Ontario Graduate scholarship for consistent academic performance, research contributions and portrayal of an ambitious professional. Awarded with a full-time scholarship consisting of $15,000 at the Master's level.

The Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program encourages excellence in graduate studies at the master’s and doctoral levels. It is a merit-based scholarship and is awarded to students who demonstrate stellar leadership potential, research ability, and academic excellence over their undergraduate studies. The award nomination was supported by two Academic Professors at the University of Waterloo and selected as the recipient of this honour amidst several hundreds of applications.

6. A.B. McKie Memorial Scholarship
Tax Executives Institute
May 2014
Awarded with a scholarship recognized outstanding performance in the undergraduate tax courses.

7. University of Waterloo School of Accounting Fellowship
University of Waterloo
September 2010
Recognised as a School of Accounting Fellow since 2010 consecutively for three years, maintaining a reputable standing within the program.

The School of Accounting fellowship recognizes outstanding students within their year who demonstrate a positive attitude and essential leadership abilities. Along with an annual scholarship, the students are entrusted with responsibilities which may include Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, or even Academic Counselling.

8. Governor General Bronze Medal
University of Waterloo
June 2014
Recipient of the Bronze Medal for achieving the highest academic average in my high school amidst all graduating students.


 

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