Three Manchester Metropolitan University students have been awarded a prestigious accounting prize. 

The David Illingworth Awards, operated by MSCA Legacy Limited in partnership with the Chartered Accountants’ Livery Charity (CALC), recognise excellence among undergraduate students of accounting and related subjects at Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Manchester and the University of Salford. 

The David Illingworth Awards were named in memory of the former ICAEW Manchester and ICAEW national president, and previous Master of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (WCCAEW), who passed away in 2022. 

The three recipients from the Manchester Metropolitan University were Kainat Akhtar, Millie Ashworth-Hill and Muhammad Yazdan. 

The 2026 David Illingworth Award winners were announced at an event that took place at Manchester Metropolitan University in July. All three recipients attended the event in person. 

Also in attendance were the directors of MSCA Legacy Limited Rod Sellers OBE, Alistair Hollows and Anna Hardy-Watmough (Faculty Employability and Graduate Outcomes Lead for Accounting and Finance and Banking and Finance students at Manchester Metropolitan University), Vince O’Brien, Master of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, along with the university’s Head of Finance and Economics, Anna Egan, and representatives of the city’s other higher education institutions. 

MSCA Legacy Limited administers and distributes the funds formerly held by the Manchester Society of Chartered Accountants (MSCA). It makes grants and awards for the benefit of accountancy and financial education in Greater Manchester, honouring the legacy of an organisation that sat at the heart of the city’s financial community for more than 150 years. 

Founded in 1870, in recent years MSCA had operated as ICAEW Manchester, while maintaining its own governance structure. In 2023 its members voted to cease to be an independent entity and to become a network under the national ICAEW umbrella. At this point its endowment was entrusted to MSCA Legacy for the future benefit of the profession. 

Rod Sellers OBE, director of MSCA Legacy, said, “The directors of MSCA Legacy have once again been hugely impressed by the standard of the students put forward for recognition. They represent the future of our profession and, on this evidence, it’s a hugely positive one. 

“I would like to thank the staff at all three universities who helped identify this year’s recipients, and also CALC, whose continuing support has enabled us to recognise more outstanding students than ever before.” 

Vince O’Brien, Master of WCCAEW, said, “CALC is proud once again to support the David Illingworth Awards, named in honour of our distinguished past Master. I wish the winners all the best in their continuing studies and future careers, which promise to have a material impact on our future economic success.” 

The directors of MSCA Legacy include figures with senior backgrounds in accountancy practice and industry, as well as representatives of Manchester’s academic community. The organisation was established to distribute MSCA’s endowment in support of financial education and the next generation of the accountancy profession. 

It provides awards and research scholarships finance and accountancy students at Greater Manchester’s universities. These bursaries include the David Illingworth Memorial Awards, named in memory of the former MSCA and ICAEW national president. 

MSCA Legacy also works with schools and sixth-form colleges to promote financial literacy, working with the innovative financial education provider Money Ready. 

For further information contact: 

Rod Sellers OBE Director MSCA Legacy Limited rodhsellers@gmail.com  Stuart Anderson Director Alpha Public Relations sanderson@alphapr.co.uk 0161 791 0811