David Bestman

Student at Kingston University

Talent

London, Greater LondonMember since 24 May 2024

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About

I am an undergraduate student who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting & finance with business experience. My motivation to study Accounting and Finance initially derived from a conversation with a relative of a professional football player in the Premier League, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who emphasised the need for footballers and celebrities to have financial advisors or accountants, but has since increased through participating in the CIMA Business Game in my first year at university, where I was in the position of a management accountant and had to decide between two farm-out proposals, and courses which I have taken in my accounting and finance course, which has subsequently increased my interest in accounting and finance.

I am multilingual, as I can fluently speak English and German. I can also speak a little bit of Spanish; however I believe my Spanish speaking levels need to be improved, and this placement can help me in doing this. In my free time, I like to improve my physical and mental health by working out in the gym at least four times a week as well as playing football on a regular basis, which helps me to be adaptable to various scenarios and value differences, knowing that everyone can bring something to the table. I keep myself up to date with the latest news and trends in finance and entertainment through subscriptions to various newsletters including the 'Accountancy Daily' by Croner-i, Forbes Daily, 'The Daily Market Maker' by AmplifyME, 'Economics Daily' and 'The London Rush' by Bloomberg, Financial Times, and 'Business Today' by The Guardian.

My goal in the summer of 2024 is to land an internship or a placement to gain practical experience in accounting or finance. To achieve this special yet challenging goal, I have made a tough decision to sacrifice my pleasure and enjoyment by cancelling my involvement on a holiday with friends to Morrocco, to dedicate my summer to learning and development by taking online courses in free educational portals such as Forage and Sage University. The course I have recently begun in Sage University is “Bookkeeping”, and I aiming to have completed at least 5 courses by the end of the summer.

Experience

AmplifyME, London Mar 2024 - Apr 2024 Mergers & Acquisitions Finance Accelerator Simulation Experience in partnership with UBS

Discovered why companies do M&A.
Acquired knowledge of responsibilities of M&A Bankers and Analysts.
Ascertained what makes a great M&A Analyst.
Discovered how M&A Analyst value companies using discounted cash flow (DCF).
Gained a greater understanding on how to forecast the 3 financial statements, the income statement, balance sheet and the cash flow statement.

Kingston University, London Jan 2024 - Jan 2024

Stock Picking Competition

Presented The Hershey Company (HSY) to Director of Schroders, Andy Brough.
Survived through challenging periods such as the 2008/09 great recession and the 2022 financial crisis which occurred as a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Net Income increased from $1.6bn to $1.9bn from 31/12/2022 to trailing twelve months (TTM) due to the tenure of the first female President and CEO of Hershey's, Michele Buck.

Constellation Platinum, London Nov 2022 - Present

Cellar/Logistics Porter

Changing beer kegs during events to ensure pourers can serve customers.
Replenishing stock, organising cellars and bars to establish that affirm they are ready on matchdays. .
Distribute beer kegs to bars.
As a result of remarkable cellar organising, the cellar meets a high standard of cleanliness and organization, making it more presentable as well as allowing the beer pourers and cashiers to deliver exceptional customer service.

Kingston University African-Caribbean Society, London Aug 2022 - Aug 2023

Treasurer

Stewarded the finances of the African-Caribbean Society Committee to ensure our cash flow was sustainable for events.
Responsible for financial planning of events of the African-Caribbean Society to ensure that we have sufficient financial resources to carry out events as well as additions that can improve our events (e.g. figuring out the cost of microphones and speakers so the audience can hear us).
As a result of fantastic financial planning and cash management, the members of the African-Caribbean Society enjoyed our events and left with a pleasant experience, with members giving us extraordinary feedback regarding our events that we carried out.