Top 6 Richest Accountants in the World | SOE Global (2024)

Did you know that accountants are in demand and command the best salaries among the skilled professionals of today?

Thus, it may not come as a surprise that many of the Richest and most successful professionals are accountants by qualifications. However, what is surprising is that most of the richest accountants are entrepreneurs, reflecting the practicality and usefulness of the skills one gain when pursuing a qualification in accountancy.

Here are some of the richest accountants in the world.

Kumaramangalam Birla (Aditya Birla Group)

Kumaramangalam Birla is currently the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, the large Indian Business Conglomerate, that is worth several billion dollars. Birla completed his CA qualification from the ICAI institute and took over the reins of the company post the untimely death of his father and scaled the organization 20-folk

Philip Knight (Nike)

Nike, one of the world’s most popular sports equipment brands is valued at over $80 billion. Phil Knight was one of the co-founders of this company. Post completing his accountancy qualification (Certified Public Accountant or CPA), he secured distribution rights for a Japanese sports shoe brand. Backed by his coach and his own business acumen, Knight launched Nike over 5 decades ago, and there’s been no looking back.

Denise Coates (Bet 365)

This British entrepreneur started off as a humble cashier before pursuing her degree in accounting and then launched Bet 365, a gambling website that is worth more than $2.9 billion. This shows that all the forecasting, planning, and execution skills that you gain as a chartered accountant are indeed important in helping you predict outcomes and plan for the uncertain.

Arthur Blank (Home Depot)

Arthur Blank was excellent at numeracy and got degrees in both accounting and business administration. He quickly rose the ranks to become the Vice President of Finance in an MNC. Unfortunately (fortunately now), he and his friend were fired from the very organization they toiled for, making them start Home Depot together. The rest they say is history, and he is a millionaire now.

Paul Coulson (Ardagh Group)

Paul Coulson started his career as an accountant before taking over the reins of the Glass bottling company Ardagh. Coulson enabled the strategic scaling of the organization, and the once small establishments are now valued at almost $3 billion now.

Brain Souter (Stage Coach)

The son of a humble coach driver, Sir Brian Souter pursued a degree in economics and commerce before starting the company stagecoach with his sister. The travel form, amongst the biggest in the world, is valued at a cool

Bonus: J.D. Rockefeller

This man considered the wealthiest person of the 20^th century was a trained accountant. He started his career as an account assistant in a small bookkeeping firm, before starting his stint as a serial entrepreneur.

Pursuing a career in accountancy does seem to sharpen your intuition for entrepreneurship.

The fact that most top accountants are entrepreneurs just goes to show how accounting improves your prediction, analytical and forecasting abilities.