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Dubai-based teen becomes ACCA Affiliate, highlights early professional learning
Ayaan Mandelia completed the ACCA examination pathway at 15 while charting an unconventional education route focused on finance, business and practical learning
- PUBLISHED: Fri 21 Aug 2026, 1:40 PM UPDATED: Fri 21 Aug 2026, 2:39 PM
A Dubai-born 15-year-old has achieved an unusually advanced professional milestone, earning ACCA Affiliate status after completing the required examinations while continuing to build his education outside the traditional school pathway.
Ayaan Mandelia, who was born and raised in the UAE, completed his ACCA exams at an age when most students are still several years away from considering professional accountancy qualifications. His achievement has also put the spotlight on a growing interest among some young learners in combining formal education with early exposure to professional skills.
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For Ayaan, however, the decision was less about chasing a milestone and more about finding an educational route that suited his interests.
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“I left the traditional school system when I had only two ACCA exams remaining. By that stage, I felt that I wanted to take a different educational path and focus more of my time on gaining practical work experience and developing knowledge and skills that were directly relevant to the direction I wanted to pursue,” he said.
“It wasn’t about stopping my education. It was more about choosing a different route to continue it, outside the conventional school pathway.”
How Dubai shaped him
Ayaan’s learning journey has been shaped by his upbringing in Dubai and exposure to the business world through his family.
His parents, Priyanka Agarwal Mandelia and Aanand Mandelia, are both Chartered Accountants and lead AANKA Group, a Dubai-headquartered conglomerate with interests spanning food and beverage, hospitality and real estate.
While that environment gave Ayaan an early window into business and finance, he says the decision to pursue accountancy eventually became his own.
“It actually started as my parents’ idea, but over time it became something I genuinely wanted to pursue myself. I never felt pressured by my parents to keep going. Once I got into it, I enjoyed the challenge and wanted to see how far I could take it,” he said.
“There were definitely days when I was worried about exams, results and whether I would be able to achieve what I had set out to do.”
That interest was not driven simply by a liking for numbers. Ayaan says he was more fascinated by what happens behind the figures — how businesses make decisions, manage money and grow.
“I was good at mathematics, but I wouldn’t say mathematics itself was ever my main interest. What interested me much more was the business, finance and commercial side of accounting,” he said.
“Growing up, I was always interested in my parents’ businesses and would listen to their conversations about business, finance and decision-making.”
He says that exposure sparked an interest in understanding how businesses actually work, rather than choosing accounting simply because it involved mathematics.
Three hours a day — and up to 12 hours at a stretch
The ACCA route covers areas including financial reporting, audit, taxation, financial management, governance, strategy and professional ethics. Completing the examinations at 15 meant Ayaan had to commit substantial time to professional-level study.
On a typical weekday, he studied for around three hours, while weekends could involve about six hours of preparation. During examination periods, that workload increased considerably.
“On weekdays, I generally studied for around three hours a day, and on weekends, around six hours a day. During exam periods, the hours would increase depending on how much preparation I needed,” he said.
“The longest I studied in a single day was around 12–12.5 hours on a weekend, while on weekdays I could sometimes stretch it to around four to five hours.”
The commitment came with trade-offs. Ayaan says he had to give up some extracurricular activities and sacrifice free time to prioritise his studies.
His interests, meanwhile, extend beyond accountancy. He has explored financial management, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, business strategy and digital transformation, including how technology is changing traditional business functions and decision-making.
He now wants to build on the qualification by gaining experience in the workplace.
“My next major goal is to gain the relevant practical work experience required for full ACCA membership. I want to enter corporate life and start applying what I have learnt in a real professional environment,” he said.
“For me, completing the exams was one part of the journey. Now I want to build the practical experience and commercial understanding that comes from actually working.”
The family is also examining whether Ayaan’s age at completion of the ACCA examination pathway could qualify for an existing record category. An enquiry is being pursued with Guinness World Records to understand the relevant criteria and verification process. No record title is being claimed unless it is formally confirmed.
For Ayaan, the significance of the achievement ultimately goes beyond the qualification itself.
“I hope my journey encourages young people to believe that age should never determine what is possible,” he said. “If you stay curious, disciplined and consistent, even ambitious goals can become achievable.”
