Qualifying as an ACA is a significant achievement, often reached after years of rigorous training, usually working long hours, within a practice environment. However, the next career milestone for many newly qualified accountants involves stepping away from audit, assurance, or tax advisory services to a more commercially focused role in commerce and industry.
This shift isn't just a change in job function; it's a strategic career pivot toward contributing to a business's heartbeat. Roles in Industry & Commerce allow ACA professionals to influence real-time decision-making, support operational delivery, and help steer financial strategy in fast-moving environments.
Moving into industry provides something many in practice eventually crave: ownership. Rather than auditing or advising from a distance, you become part of a business's internal engine, supporting product launches, pricing strategies, supply chain decisions, and investment planning. Whether it's a multinational consumer firm, a tech scale-up, or a manufacturing business, your insight becomes a key lever for commercial success.
The appeal also lies in variety. Working in industry often exposes you to multiple aspects of the business: marketing, logistics, sales, IT, and procurement. You'll learn how each function impacts the bottom line, giving you a broader business perspective and a more diverse set of challenges than you may have experienced in practice.
As an ACA, your technical foundation is solid, including statutory reporting, audit procedures, internal controls, and risk management. These skills are highly valued in industry, especially when combined with commercial awareness and communication skills.
Stakeholder confidence: Having worked with senior clients and boards during audit engagements.
Process improvement focus: Identifying inefficiencies during audits equips you to spot cost-saving opportunities internally.
Regulatory insight: Your understanding of compliance and governance ensures business integrity in decision-making.
Target the Right Entry Point
Common entry roles for newly qualified ACA profressionals include financial accountant, FP&A analyst, or commercial finance analyst. These provide a strong foundation in internal reporting while building commercial insight.
Emphasise Value Beyond Audit
In interviews and on your CV, shift the focus from audit methodology to outcomes. Highlight how your work has influenced client decisions, improved controls, or added strategic value. What you did personally and how that impacted the team/business is crucial.
Build Commercial Fluency
Read financial press, study industry trends, and understand business models in your chosen sector. Hiring managers want candidates who can connect financial data to business realities. Crucially, do make sure you have read their annual report and can comment on it.
Be Curious and Adaptable
Commerce is fast-paced and changeable. Your ability to learn quickly, partner cross-functionally, and bring a solutions-driven mindset will set you apart from your peers.
Making the move from practice to commerce and industry is a natural next step for many ACAs, and one that unlocks broader responsibility, commercial exposure, and long-term career growth. The key is positioning your qualification not just as a technical badge, but as a toolkit for business leadership.
Click here to check out our ACA Careers Hub!
Qualifying as an ACA is a significant achievement, often reached after years of rigorous training, usually working long hours, within a practice environment.
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