Two Flinders accounting graduates have achieved top honours in Australian accounting.

Marithe Solis was named Accounting Student of the Year and Caitie Copley Rising Star of the Year at the Australian Accounting Awards 2018.

Both award winners hold Bachelor of Commerce (Advanced Leadership and Accounting/Finance) degrees from the College of Business, Government and Law at Flinders.

Ms Solis, now a business analyst at Deloitte Australia, said her win would not have been possible without her experience at Flinders.

“It’s such an honour to have received this award. I owe much of my success to the dedicated teaching team at Flinders who challenged and inspired me,” Ms Solis said.

As part of her degree she undertook a placement at Bank SA, where she developed a highly successful alliance program for the Australian mortgage market.

Ms Solis said the opportunity to gain real world experience was an invaluable component of her Flinders degree.

“Meeting with clients face to face and presenting to the CEO and Board of Executives really developed my confidence and interpersonal skills,” she said.

CFO and Company Secretary at accounting firm Accodex Partners, Ms Copley also crediting her university and said she was thrilled to have won the Rising Star of the Year Award.

“I was part of the first cohort to be offered a place in the Advanced Leadership extension to the Bachelor of Commerce. The degree enabled me to attain strong leadership and work relevant skills which made me stand out from other graduates,” Ms Copley said.

Professor Phyllis Tharenou, who is Flinders Vice President and Executive Dean at the College of Business, Government and Law, said the awards are highly deserved and great examples of how the University works closely with employers to build a talent pipeline for skilled graduates.

“We work with over 220 host organisations to provide students with the opportunity to strengthen their business networks and develop practical business and personal enterprise skills through undertaking placements,” Professor Tharenou said.

After graduating, students are ready to kick-start their careers and inject new ideas and energy into industry, she added.

The two 2018 awards are the latest in a run of podium finishes for Flinders business graduates, with Zac Robson, who securing a position at EY Australia, winning the prestigious Accounting Student of the Year honour in 2016.

The awards are presented each year by Accountants Daily in partnership with Thomas Reuters Tax and Accounting, with 29 firms and individuals presented with coveted national awards.