Latest news with #Accountant
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tense Ben Affleck puffs on a cigarette in his car after extreme move to sever ties with ex-wife Jennifer Lopez
Ben Affleck looked stressed when he was spotted smoking a cigarette while driving around Los Angeles on Wednesday. The 52-year-old Oscar winner puffed away with the window open as he headed home after taking care of business at his office. Despite the relatively warm temperatures, Ben was dressed in stylish layers with a tie-free white shirt, a dark jacket and a thick tan cashmere overcoat. The bearded actor also looked as if he was tired when he let out a big yawn on the drive home. He finished up work for the day after published an exclusive report on the humiliating extreme the Accountant star was willing to go to just to cut his final ties to his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez, 55. Despite divorcing, the exes are still connected through ownership of the Beverly Hills mega mansion that they bought in May 2023 for an eye-popping $60.8 million in cash. Since going public with their separation, the two put the 38,000 square-foot home on the market for an even pricier $68 million. Last month, it was reported that Ben and Jennifer had slashed the asking price by more than $8 million to $59.95 million, almost $1 million less than what they initially paid. An insider exclusively revealed to the extent that Ben is willing to go to push along a sale so that he can put his disastrous and short-lived marriage to the actress and singer out of mind. Last week, Ben's old friend Kevin Smith looked back on the uncomfortable connection that the convicted sex offender and disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein had to Ben and his best friend Matt Damon 's ascension to Hollywood royalty. While looking back on the 25th anniversary of his film Dogma with People — which Affleck and Damon both appear in — Smith, 54, recalled how his early connection to Good Will Hunting became a pivotal moment for the two rising stars. His influence brought Affleck and Damon, 54, into the orbit of Weinstein, who was later convicted of rape and sexual assault in separate trials in New York and Los Angeles in 2020 and 2022, respectively, though the New York Court of Appeals overturned his conviction in that state in 2024. A retrial commenced in April of this year. Affleck, 52, began his professional association with Smith after scoring a small role in his 1995 comedy Mallrats, which came after he had already sold the screenplay he wrote with Damon for Good Will Hunting to the production company Castle Rock Entertainment. The only problem was that the studio wasn't willing to also let Damon and Affleck star in the film because they were untested talent. Last week, Ben's old friend Kevin Smith looked back on the uncomfortable connection the convicted sex offender and disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein had to Ben and his best friend Matt Damon's ascension to Hollywood royalty; Affleck and Damon seen in 1998 in LA Smith told People he helped move Good Will Hunting to Miramax after its original production company, Castle Rock refused to let Damon and Affleck also star in the film; pictured Friday in NYC at the Tribeca Festival Smith recalled how he helped get the film — whose script he called 'one of the best things I've ever read' — picked up by Weinstein's studio Miramax Films, which had made a name for itself for producing and distributing popular independent films, several of which went on to garner critical acclaim and Oscars. Smith said he was given a chance at helming the film from Affleck and Damon's screenplay after he had directed the hit indie film Clerks for Miramax. 'The first question that I was asked by Ben and Matt and the Miramax folks was, 'Do you wanna direct [Good Will Hunting]?'' he recalled. 'I think they all asked that with clenched a******s hoping that I would say no,' Smith joked, as the film would have been a significant departure from the low-budget black-and-white comedy he had already directed. 'Naturally, I was like, 'Oh my God, no. If I were to direct this, I would just turn around to Ben and Matt the whole time and say, 'Is this what you saw when you wrote it?'' Smith suggested that Affleck and Damon could direct Good Will Hunting themselves after writing the script, but even though Weinstein's team at Miramax would allow them to act in the movie, directing was too much leeway for the untested duo. 'I was told that the lunatics would not be running that particular asylum, so the search for a director began at Miramax,' Smith recalled. Good Will Hunting proved to be a highly coveted script, and Smith said 'twenty of the top directors on the planet were interested' in it, among them Heat filmmaker Michael Mann and actor-turned-director Mel Gibson. The film eventually went to the director Gus Van Sant, who had previously had critical and commercial success with Drugstore Cowboy (1989), the Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix–starring My Own Private Idaho(1991) and the black comedy To Die For (1995), which starred Nicole Kidman. The film ended up winning Oscars for Damon and Affleck's screenplay and for costar Robin Williams (L) But it was reportedly a desire to work again with Affleck's younger brother Casey that ultimately led Van Sant to sign on for the job after they had worked together on To Die For. Good Will Hunting ended up being a massive success for everyone involved. Affleck and Damon's screenplay was honored with an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, while their costar Robin Williams also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and the film was nominated in seven other categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. Good Will Hunting established Damon and Affleck as in-demand stars while also legitimizing their behind-the-camera work, and it helped Van Sant work on bigger-budget follow-ups. Weinstein's help in picking up the film, combined with the success of Smith's Affleck-starring rom-com Chasing Amy, gave the trio 'enough juice' to start filming Dogma for Miramax. Smith said he had shown the screenplays for Chasing Amy and Dogma to Affleck at the same time years earlier, though he warned the budding star that it would take major names in the cast to get Dogma off the ground because of the larger budget it would require. Smith later recalled how Affleck jokingly thanked him for his assistance getting Good Will Hunting off the ground. 'I'll never forget the first day we're on set shooting with Ben and Matt. Right before the first take, we're about to roll for the first time and the boys have been nominated for Academy Awards,' Smith shared. 'So we're about to shoot, and I look at Ben, and Ben looks me dead in the eyes, and he goes, 'Guess who became a movie star just to do your stupid movie.' And I was like, 'Well done, my friend. Well done.'' Back in 2020, it was reported that Affleck was one of the people listed on Weinstein's so-called 'red flag list,' which included the names of multiple people the producer feared could be speaking to the press about allegations of sexual assault and harassment that existed as behind-the-scenes whispers for years before they were widely circulated at the height of the #MeToo era. Other names on the list, which was revealed in court, included Annabella Sciorra, Rose McGowan, Zelda Perkins, Lysette Anthony and Rowena Chiu. In 2017, the actress Rose McGowan claimed that she had told Affleck that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her, to which he allegedly replied, 'Goddamn it, I told him to stop doing that.' In 2017, Gwyneth Paltrow, who dated Affleck from 1997 to 2000, accused Weinstein of sexually harassing her earlier in the 1990s.
Business Wire
09-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
BAE Systems, Inc. Names Tara Olivet Senior Vice President of Finance
FALLS CHURCH, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BAE Systems, Inc. has named Tara Olivet as its senior vice president of Finance, effective June 7. Olivet will lead financial operations for the company's U.S.-based businesses, which generated 2024 sales of $16.85 billion and employs more than 40,000 employees across the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden. She will also serve as a member of the BAE Systems, Inc. senior leadership team, reporting to President and CEO Tom Arseneault. 'During her 20-year tenure at BAE Systems, Tara has distinguished herself as a highly accomplished and widely respected executive,' said Arseneault. 'Her experience, leadership, and dedication to the company's mission will continue to be foundational to our future growth and success.' Olivet joined BAE Systems in 2005 and has held numerous roles across the global enterprise, most recently serving as BAE Systems, Inc.'s deputy senior vice president of Finance, and prior to that, as vice president of Finance for the Platforms & Services sector. Before that, she spent six years with BAE Systems, Inc.'s headquarters team as the vice president of Internal Audit and Controller. Olivet also served as the finance and controls director for the U.K. Aircraft Carrier Alliance, which built and delivered the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers to the Royal Navy, among other roles. Olivet succeeds Dan Sallet, who will support special projects until his retirement in January. 'I want to thank Dan for the tremendous contributions he's made to our company throughout his more than 35-year career,' said Arseneault. 'His exceptional work has helped BAE Systems and its employees, customers, and shareholders to thrive.' Olivet holds a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University; a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and marketing from Ithaca College; and a Certificate in Accounting from the University of California, Berkeley. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Business Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
More seeking accountancy qualification in Singapore, even as global talent shortage continues
[SINGAPORE] Even as accounting bodies worldwide continue to struggle with attracting fresh talent, Singapore has managed to buck the trend – and the industry here is now in growth mode. With more new faces entering the profession, accounting firms in the city-state could soon get relief from the manpower shortages that have plagued the sector for years. Teo Ser Luck, president of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (Isca), pointed to a sharp rise in the number of candidates entering the training pipeline as an example. As at Dec 31, 2024, the total number of candidates enrolled in the Singapore Chartered Accountant Qualification (SCAQ) programme crossed 4,200 – a 47 per cent increase from the overall enrolment figure a year earlier. Isca has now set an internal target of exceeding 7,000 total SCAQ candidates in 2025, which would mark a 75 per cent year-on-year jump. The SCAQ, administered by Isca since January 2024, is the sole pathway to obtaining the Chartered Accountant (Singapore) qualification. Universities in Singapore are also seeing stronger interest in accountancy, observed Teo. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Anecdotally, some universities noted that, in their most recent admissions, 100 per cent of successful applicants had picked accountancy as their first-choice degree – a development that contrasts with the situation in recent years. Teo did not name the institutions. Out of the six autonomous universities in Singapore, five offer accountancy courses. Among them is the Singapore Institute of Technology. The university has recorded a more than 30 per cent rise in applications for its accountancy course over the past three years, and a 74.5 per cent increase in its programme intake in the last decade, said Associate Professor Koh Sze Kee, cluster director for business, communication and design. 'Alongside this growing demand, we continue to attract and admit a strong pool of students with high academic standing and a clear aptitude and passion for accountancy,' noted Prof Koh. Just last year, a report by the Accountancy Workforce Review Committee (AWRC) found that fewer students had been choosing accountancy as their top choice, although specific numbers were not disclosed. The AWRC was formed in 2022 to tackle manpower issues in the sector. Since then, recommendations such as boosting entry-level wages and creating more diverse qualification pathways have been adopted. Teo said that these moves – along with the combined efforts of Isca, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra), educational institutions, and industry players – have helped reverse the talent decline. Interest is also rising at the pre-university level. A representative from Temasek Polytechnic (TP), speaking at an Acra event last Tuesday (May 27), shared that its diploma in accountancy and finance programme has been attracting more first-choice applications. 'In terms of the last aggregate score, it has also improved across the years from five to 11, to four to 11, to three to 11 (in 2025),' the TP representative said. These aggregate scores refer to the O-level results of successful applicants, where lower scores indicate better performance. International plaudits Singapore's success in replenishing its accounting pipeline has not gone unnoticed internationally. 'I certainly have encouraged other parts of the globe to learn (from) what Singapore has been doing here,' said Lee White, chief executive officer of the International Federation of Accountants, in a recent interview with The Business Times. For instance, recent initiatives by Isca to engage pre-tertiary students in secondary schools, junior colleges and polytechnics are a 'simple, contemporary way' to tackle the sector's manpower challenges, noted White. He added: 'The way this is all marketed by Isca is very, very strong.' But Teo cautioned that this progress cannot be taken for granted. 'We have reversed the trend, but it's still a very long journey,' he warned. 'The trend, (at) anytime, can be reversed.' Some gaps remain. While perceptions that accountancy is a 'boring' career have improved 'slightly', more can be done to feature the profession's diversity. 'We need to do more; seeding that knowledge and the information needs a lot more work,' Teo said. He also wants to further expand the pool by encouraging more non-accounting graduates to qualify, and for closer rapport with businesses, to demonstrate the value of hiring accounting-trained staff. He also advised accountants not to look at their role and say they are 'just another finance person in the company'. 'You should also be (positioned as) a strategic person,... a right-hand person.'
News18
11-05-2025
- Business
- News18
ICAI CA May 2025 Exams: Revised Schedule Released For Inter, Final Courses; Check Details
Last Updated: The exams which were scheduled to be held from May 9 to May 14 will now take place from May 16 to 24, as per the official notice by ICAI. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) had earlier postponed the ongoing Chartered Accountant Final, Inter and Post Qualification Course Examinations (INTT AT) amid the soaring tensions between India and Pakistan. The institute has announced the revised date sheet now. The exams which were scheduled to be held from May 9 to May 14 will now take place from May 16 to 24, as per the official notice. 'In continuation to the Institute's Important Announcement No. 13-CA (EXAM)/2025 dated 13th January 2025 read with Important Announcement No. 13-CA (EXAM)/2025/II dated 8th May 2025 it is hereby announced for general information that in view of the favourable developments in the security situations in the country; it has now been decided that the Chartered Accountants Final, Intermediate and INTT-AT (PQC) examinations earlier scheduled from 9th May 2025 to 14th May 2025 will now be held from 16th May 2025 to 24th May 2025…," read the official notice by ICAI. Admit Cards already issued would remain valid for the rescheduled dates. The ICAI has announced that there would be no change in the exam schedule in the event of any public or local holiday announced by the government. ICAI CA May 2025 Exams: Revised Schedule The CA Final Group I exams were held on May 2, 4, and 6, while the Group II exams were scheduled to take place on May 8, 10, and 13. Similarly, the ICAI CA Intermediate Group I exams were conducted between May 3 to May 7 however, the Group II exam which were scheduled to be held on May 9, 11, and 14, have been postponed. As per ICAI's passing criteria, candidates need to score at least 40 per cent in each paper. To pass, they must have an overall score of 55 per cent in the Foundation exam and 50 per cent in the Intermediate exam. First Published: May 11, 2025, 12:10 IST
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ben Affleck Was Surprisingly Funny In The Accountant 2, And I Want More
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Ben Affleck has had a wildly successful career in film as an actor, director, producer, and writer. The Oscar winner recently celebrated the release of The Accountant 2, a follow-up to the 2016 original (which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription). I thought he was pretty hilarious as protagonist Christian Wolff, and now I honestly want to see him in more roles that let him flex those comedic muscles. Rather than a sequel no one asked for, fans have been calling for The Accountant 2 for years. This is largely thanks to Affleck's charming performance as Christian, a deadly, autistic accountant who gets involved in wild adventures. While it's very much an action thriller movie, Affleck is also able to flex his comedic muscles... especially when his protagonist is in uncomfortable social situations. After being tickled throughout my screening of the sequel, I wondered why the 52 year-old actor doesn't do more comedies. CinemaBlend's The Accountant 2 review praised Affleck's performance in the sequel, and mused on whether or not it actually surpassed the original. The comedic parts of the thriller were highlighted in Christian's relationship with his brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal). At times, the sequel bordered on becoming a buddy comedy, which might actually be a great genre for this pair of action-heavy stars to collaborate on. Amazon Prime Video: 30-day free trialThe first Accountant movie is streaming now with an Amazon Prime subscription. Trial for 30-days, thereafter pay $14.99 a month, or save 22% by paying $139 upfront for the Deal While Affleck is neurotypical, both of the Accountant movies have thoughtfully approached the way Christian's autism is portrayed. While social situation can help provide comedic fodder, the films aren't laughing at the character. Instead, they offer some much-needed vulnerability from the wildly effective (and deadly) protagonist of the franchise. I'd say, by and large, Affleck is known for doing serious movies. Whether it's his tenure as Batman, Oscar-winning projects like Good Will Hunting, or thrillers like The Town, the multi-hyphenate is mostly known for dramatic film appearances. There are exceptions like his collaborations with Kevin Smith (as well as his scene with Wonder Woman in The Flash), I think he's been holding out on moviegoing audiences when it comes to his comedic chops. Of course, Affleck is a very busy person, and his schedule might be better used on non-comedy projects. After all, we've seen how that genre has been historically left out by major awards shows. So, perhaps the star has other projects he's more passionate about. Aside from his thriving career, the actor/filmmaker has been making headlines thanks to his personal life. Affleck and JLo's relationship has officially come to an end, and more stories continue coming out about what's going on behind closed doors. The Accountant 2 is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list. We'll just have to see if the long-awaited sequel does well enough that Affleck gets to return once again in a threequel.
