KPMG in Bermuda has announced the successful qualifications of four Bermudians as CPAs.

Nicole Nelson and Ian Bucci have earned their designations as chartered professional accountants, while Alex Brown and Dayshalae Williams (née Smith) have become certified public accountants.

Mike Morrison, CEO of KPMG in Bermuda, said: “With Nicole, Ian, Alex and Dayshalae joining our ranks as qualified accountants, we are developing Bermudian students to be future leaders of the firm or in industry across the island.

“It is through their success that we can measure our own.

“We place a high value on providing our staff with a supportive and collaborative workplace — one where they can grow and expand their careers.”

KPMG has three programmes in place, managed and supported by Wanda Armstrong, senior manager, human resources.

The first is the firm’s summer intern/co-op placement programme where employment is offered to a select group of Bermudian undergraduates, for a 12-week period for interns and four to six months for university co-op placement.

The second programme is the KPMG Scholarship Programme, which offers awards of $20,000 per annum for three years, is awarded to a Bermudian university student interested in pursuing a career either as a chartered professional accountant, a certified public accountant or an associate chartered accountant.

The professional-services firm added that many of its interns and scholarship recipients went on to take part in its graduate trainee programme, where they join KPMG as full-time employees and are supported with on-the-job training, mentoring as well as sponsorship of their further education towards their accounting designation.

All three of the programmes are available through an application process.

KPMG in Bermuda employed 15 interns last year — a number it intends to increase this year — and 18 Bermudians in its graduate trainee programme.

Ms Nelson joined KPMG after graduating with a first-class honours business with economics degree from the University of the West of England. She plans on taking time off for travel then will be joining KPMG in the UK in the fall.

Mr Bucci joined KPMG in Bermuda’s enterprise department in the summer of 2014. He is a graduate of Acadia University with a bachelor of business and administration and had previously worked at KPMG as a co-op intern.

He is considering options for an overseas placement with KPMG in New Zealand.

Mr Brown joined KPMG in Bermuda as a graduate trainee within the advisory department at the start of 2016. He studied mathematics at the University of Durham and successfully achieved an upper second-class honours degree.

Ms Williams joined KPMG in Bermuda in July 2014 after completing three years of education in the UK and a one-year placement with KPMG in 2012 with its audit insurance department. Through KPMG’s support, she is studying for her masters in international accounting and finance at the University of Birmingham and will be taking up employment with the KPMG Birmingham UK office as a forensic accountant once she graduates in 2018. She is scheduled to return to KPMG in Bermuda in 2020.

“It is wonderful to see our graduates continue on to become qualified accountants,” Stephen Woodward, managing director and lead of the KPMG Student Programmes, said. “It takes on an additional significance when we are able to support the growth of Bermudians.”