A young Dorchester accountant has beaten off stiff competition to scoop a top industry award.
Torsten Mills, who has worked at Dorchester accountants and financial planners Old Mill (Somerset, England) since 2010, won the Southern Society of Chartered Accountants (SOSCA) prize for achieving top marks in one of his final ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) papers.
Torsten, 24, beat hundreds of others to win the prize, including candidates from the big four on the south coast. "I am really pleased to have been awarded this prize; it feels good to be recognised in the region for my achievements," he said.
David Maslen, who is head of the Dorchester office, says Torsten's award demonstrates the level of talent with Old Mill. "At Old Mill we always strive to recruit very talented individuals so we are delighted that Torsten has done so well, " he said. "But, unfortunately there is a bit of a brain drain in Dorset. Despite the fact that Thomas Hardye School, where Torsten attended, is one of the most successful state schools in the country, more often than not, talented youngsters are moving away and forging careers in the city.
"Obviously for some, a career away from home is what they want, but many others are moving away because they don't think there are interesting or challenging career prospects in this region; we want to show them that there are fantastic opportunities right here in Dorchester."
After graduating with a degree in History from Cardiff, Torsten wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but knew he wanted to stay in the region. He found out a bit more about accountancy at a career day, thought it sounded interesting and decided he wanted to go for his ACA. He chose Old Mill because it offered him the opportunities he wanted, close to home.
"At Old Mill you are really encouraged to dip your fingers into the various areas of the business which not only gives you the chance to experience lots of different areas of work, but it also aids long term integration as each team knows and understands what the other teams do," he said.
"I am currently on a six month secondment with the Tax Team which is great and I really enjoyed working in the Commercial team. I am hoping to specialise in corporate tax as it seems an interesting area but you never know what the future holds so it is great that I am able to keep my options open."
David concludes: "We are really proud of Torsten and his achievements; it really is testament to the ongoing hard work undertaken by all Old Mill staff in everything they do. Staff being recognised for their achievements is fantastic but it will not leave us resting on our laurels; we will continue with our commitment to delivering highly professional services where the client's needs are always paramount."
