A FORMER soldier from Sale has proved he has got his new career figured out.

For Steven Knight, an employee of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Manchester, came top of the class in his accountancy exams.

He was awarded an order of merit from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for achieving the highest marks in an examination towards becoming a qualified chartered accountant.

He graduated from Bath University in 1999 with a physics degree and then spent seven years as an officer in the British Army.

He began studying to become a chartered accountant in April 2008 and hopes to qualify in April 2011.

Steven said: “Winning this award has been a complete surprise and a huge honour and has made all the hard work worthwhile.”