Accountants around the world are optimistic about their future career prospects. Many have entrepreneurial aspirations, wishing to start their own business; many also wish to move up the career ladder seeing a clear career progression for them in the future.

A survey by ACCA reveals that professional accountants have ambitions to broaden their horizons across borders and sectors, and work in different roles in their organisations to increase career satisfaction and opportunity.

"We believe that professional accountants with diverse backgrounds and skills will increase their value to business," says Neil Stevenson, ACCA Executive Director – Brand.

Statistics show that ACCA members have have varied careers and they are also optimistic about plans for the future.

ACCA members are keen to experience a varied career with different roles in business and finance. This is the majority view across all age groups, although members in senior management positions agreed more strongly – 82 percent of CEOs and chairmen and 71 percent of CFOs and finance directors.

Many respondents have future aspirations as entrepreneurs, with 42 percent planning to start their own business in the future – more men than woman want to do this, especially those under 35, as well as individuals in senior management (CEO or chairman – 58 percent), and members in public practice (53 percent).

Individuals in financial services were most likely to change roles, and those in public practice least likely.