At Pexhurst we take pride in having a team that is made up of people who have entered the industry in a myriad of ways, many of whom have qualified on the job. Our latest success story is our Management Accountant / Business Manager Rosy Vella who recently became a fully-qualified Chartered Accountant with ACCA – winning two global prizes in the process.
Not only did Rosy complete 13 challenging exams, passing them all on the first attempt, she also achieved the highest mark worldwide for the Strategic Professional level exams, and the highest joint mark worldwide for her final paper – scoring 91%!
We sat down with Rosy to learn more about what this process involved, how she juggled work, life and study, and what her advice would be for other people going through the same process…
1. What did the process to becoming ACCA qualified involve and how long does it take?
I started my journey at Pexhurst over three years ago, sitting my first ACCA exam in January 2023. Since then, I’ve passed 13 exams on first attempt, completed nine performance objectives and completed my ethics and professional skills module. Having passed my final exam, I became fully ACCA qualified in September 2025.
2. How did you maintain a work/life/study balance during this time?
It’s all been down to planning. I’ve always been good at organising my time and I think it helped starting this journey straight after finishing university because I never really had a break from the mindset of studying.
I put myself on a disciplined schedule that I planned out at the start of every week – this encompassed work and study time, and I even planned in breaks and any social plans. There were plenty of late nights and early mornings involved to fit it all in.
There were times when this was harder to manage, around big life events and holidays, but the result makes it all worth it.
3. How did Pexhurst support you through this process?
Everyone at Pexhurst has been incredibly supportive and accommodating throughout the entire process. Ultimately, it’s a very independent undertaking but my opportunities never felt limited, whether that be to attend all relevant ACCA study sessions or picking up additional responsibility at work.
I’m particularly grateful for our Associate Finance Director who has taken the time to prepare me for what my role would look like after qualifying, while allowing me the flexibility needed to complete all my exams.
4. What advice would you give other people undertaking this journey?
Everyone works so differently but for me it wouldn’t have been possible without planning my time out so carefully. Other than that, it’s important to take each exam as it comes and not get overwhelmed by the journey.
Stay consistent, set clear priorities and trust the process – hard work pays off!
5. Now that you’re qualified, what’s next? Any long-term goals for your career going forward?
I’m looking forward to taking time to implement everything I’ve learnt in my role, adding value to the team from the knowledge I have gained during this process and ultimately progressing my career at Pexhurst.
In the short term, I’m going to enjoy life with no studying but that’s not to say I’m against doing more in the future. I have been looking into doing a CIPD course in the next year or so to further my skills and knowledge in another area of my role.
Want to learn more about the Pexhurst people?
Find out more here: https://www.pexhurst.co.uk/our-people/
