Authentic assessment in accounting

Emma Holt, Reader in Professional Education, Manchester Metropolitan University
After qualifying in 1994, Emma practised Law for almost 25 years including 10 years in senior management and leadership roles within the legal services sector. Emma is an experienced Non-Executive Director and currently President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Emma joined Manchester Metropolitan University in 2019. Emma is Programme Leader for the university’s MBA, Global Online MBA and MSc (Finance and Strategy) degrees, where she leads a Strategy and Leadership module.
Emma co-leads a Continuing Professional Development module across the Accounting, Finance and Banking degrees, embedding employability skills into the curriculum and is employability lead at postgraduate level for the department of Finance and Economics. Emma leads the Business Law modules for the degrees of BSc Accounting and Finance and Banking and Finance.

Yahya Goga, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University
After graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2005, Yahya has been teaching and lecturing in Sixth Form Colleges and Higher Education for 20 years. Yahya is the Programme Leader and the International Link Tutor for the university’s MSc FinTech programme that is delivered at the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines. Yahya is also the Level 5 Year Tutor and leads the Financial Accounting and Financial Reporting modules on the BSc Accounting and Finance programme.
Yahya takes a keen interest in supporting students to develop their employability skills and accessing placements and internships. Yahya also contributes on the ASPIRE programme at Manchester Metropolitan University which aims to create opportunities for ethnic minority students.

Stacey Gillespie, Reader and Education Lead for the Finance and Economics Department, Manchester Metropolitan University
Leading strategic initiatives to enhance teaching quality, curriculum innovation, and the student experience, Stacey also co-leads the CPD 1 module, embedding employability skills into the curriculum. With over 20 years of experience in Higher Education, Stacey has a proven track record of leadership and mentorship, supporting professional development and high-quality teaching practices. Before joining Manchester Metropolitan University in 2023, Stacey was a Senior Lecturer in Accounting at the University of Salford, where they led quality assurance initiatives, chaired exam boards, and played a key role in improving student satisfaction and league table rankings. An advocate for inclusive and practical teaching, Stacey has received multiple awards, including the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. Stacey also presented at CABS 2024 to share best practices and influence sector-wide approaches to Higher Education.

Lisa Wakefield, Associate Professor, University of Leicester
I am an experienced academic working as a teaching focused leader in Higher Education. Prior to starting work as an academic I trained as a Chartered Accountant and held roles in a number of accounting practices and as a group accountant for a large national organisation. I use this practical experience to underpin the theoretical content of my teaching. I am passionate about developing high quality student focused higher education for all students including those transitioning into Higher Education.
In my spare time I’m undertaking a doctorate in education looking at whether established second career academics (mainly accountants) feel the need to undertake doctoral studies to belong in Higher Education, in between managing the sporting diaries for three active teenage boys.
I am a qualified Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the ICAEW (FCA), a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA), a Chartered Management and Business Educator (CMBE) with the Chartered Association of Business Schools, and Associate Member of the Association of Learning Technology (ALT).  

Matt Davies, Associate Professorial Teaching Fellow in Accounting and Finance
Matt is an Associate Professorial Teaching Fellow in Accounting and Finance at Aston Business School and is a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Teaching Fellow of Advance HE. He is a Chartered Accountant and an experienced accounting and finance teacher and trainer with special interests in executive and entrepreneurship education, online and blended learning, gamification and business simulations.

Darren Sparkes, Associate Professor, Warwick Business School
Darren spent nearly fifteen years working in industry during which time he qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA) and progressed to several senior finance positions. After a number of years teaching students towards their professional accountancy qualifications, Darren moved into higher education in 2010. Since then he has gained an MSc Accounting and Finance and Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Darren has been awarded a WBS Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Award, Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award (De Montfort University) and been a PQ Magazine 'Public Sector Tutor of the Year' finalist. He has also been a committee member of the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA) Committee for Departments of Accounting and Finance. Darren is a co-developer of an accounting and finance focused business simulation, 'Accounting Bissim+'. The simulation has previously been shortlisted for the 'Finance for the Future' and PQ Magazine 'Innovation in Accountancy' awards and is now used at higher education institutions across the UK, Europe, and Scandinavia. In addition to teaching, Darren has presented at several accounting and finance education conferences and in 2022 he was awarded the prize for 'Best Innovation in Teaching' at the BAFA Accounting Education conference for his work in using Accounting Bissim to enhance Graduate outcomes.