The winner of the ICAEW Outstanding Achievement award for 2013 is Sir Michael Rake

The winner of the ICAEW Outstanding Achievement award for 2013 is Sir Michael Rake. Presented to Sir Michael at ICAEW’s annual dinner last night, the award recognises an ICAEW Chartered Accountant who

has served the community in the broadest sense.
As well as Chairman of BT Group plc, Deputy Chairman of Barclays plc and Chairman of easyJet plc, he is also a director of McGraw Hill Inc. He was a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group from 2010 to 2012 and a director of the Financial Reporting Council from 2008-2011, the first Chairman of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills from 2007-2010 and Chairman of Business in the Community from 2004-2007.
Sir Michael Rake started his career at KPMG in 1974 and worked in Europe before transferring to the Middle East to run the practice for three years in 1986. He transferred to London in 1989 and became a member of the UK board and was elected to UK Senior Partner. From 2002 to 2007 he was Chairman of KPMG International.
Commenting on receiving the award, Sir Mike Rake, said: “I choose the ACA qualification as I wanted a qualification that would give me a business background and the opportunity to travel. It has most certainly delivered and was the foundation to my work both in practice and business.”
ICAEW's Outstanding Achievement Award celebrates the work of ICAEW Chartered Accountants across all the fields and disciplines in which they have an impact and their efforts to benefit society at large. Awarded each year in March, it is recognised as the profession's most prestigious award. Recent winners have included Deepak Parekh, Sir Martin Broughton and in 2012, Zarin Mehta, President and Executive Director of the New York Philharmonic.
Peter Wyman, Chairman of the judging panel for the Outstanding Achievement Award, said: “It is hard to imagine anyone in recent times who has made a greater contribution to the accountancy profession, global business and charitable activity than Sir Michael Rake.”
Nominations are now invited for the 2014 Outstanding Achievement Award and can be made by any individual anywhere in the world. Nominees can come from the profession, business, academia, the public sector - any walk of life - but they must have made a significant contribution in more than one field of endeavour. Further information can be found at www.icaew.com