BUSINESS leaders of the future have made their first foray into the industry after making it to the finals of a national competition.

Students from Bury Grammar School fought off competition from 17 other teams to win the regional heats of the National Business and Accounting competition, held at Edgeley Park, the home of Stockport County.

The team pipped Wilmslow High School, who finished as runners up.

The team, comprised of Dan Cohen, Anthony Higham, Leo Campion, Callum Stewart and Sam Chadwick, assumed the role of chartered accountants for the day, and were given two hours to analyse a business situation, before presenting their findings and ideas to a judging panel of business professionals.

They will now go on to the final, held in Birmingham in June, after winning one of 46 heats nationwide, featuring more than 3,000 students.

Andy Leach, president of the Manchester Society of Chartered Accountants and head judge of the competition, said: "In the presentations we looked for ethical and financial data to support each team’s conclusions.

"Bury Grammar School demonstrated excellent teamwork and role allocation in delivering a most comprehensive recommendation."

The competition was run by the Manchester Society of Chartered Accountants (MSCA), which is the Manchester branch of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales (ICAEW).