(Nov 1, 2026) Ayaan Mandelia, a 15-year-old Indian-origin youngster born and raised in Dubai, has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the “youngest chartered accountant (male)”. The official entry lists him as 15 years and 3 days old when he qualified in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 13 July 2026, with a birth date of 10 July 2011. He earned the title after completing every examination of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and becoming an ACCA Affiliate.
“I began studying for ACCA at 13, taking an unconventional education path,” Ayaan shares with The Global Indian. As noted in the Guinness World Records website, Ayaan attempted the record to show that professional accountancy qualifications can be achieved at an exceptionally young age, and to inspire other young people to pursue ambitious academic and professional goals.
Dubai-born, with roots in Rajasthan
Ayaan’s parents moved to Dubai in 2008, after getting married. “I was born and raised in Dubai,” he says, adding that his family is originally from Rajasthan, and his grandparents are based in Hyderabad.
In 2014, his parents, both chartered accountants, founded AANKA Group in Dubai. Ayaan says it now employs about 400 people across 17 locations in Dubai and Sharjah, with businesses spanning restaurants, beauty and wellness, interior design and construction. Khau Galli, an Indian vegetarian restaurant brand, and House of Zaika, which specialises in Mughlai cuisine, sit alongside Cutting Edge’s salons and wellness services, DecoVibes Interiors and AANKA Contracting.
His parents remain closely involved in running the group. “Growing up around them has given me the opportunity to see how very different industries work, from serving customers and managing teams to understanding costs and making investment decisions,” Ayaan says. He has been exposed to the family businesses since he was about eight.
How finance became interesting
“Both my parents are qualified accountants, so I grew up hearing conversations about finance and business,” he says. They were the ones who first suggested ACCA, but it was the practical link that held his attention. “Studying it helped me understand the reasoning behind business decisions I had seen around me. That practical connection made finance much more interesting to me.”
The ACCA journey, evening by evening
Ayaan enrolled in November 2024 and sat his final exams in June 2026. He became an ACCA Affiliate in July 2026, shortly after his fifteenth birthday.
He didn’t attend coaching classes. “My mother, who is a qualified accountant, was my tutor throughout the journey,” he says. “She explained concepts using examples from our businesses, which helped me understand how they worked in practice.” The two generally studied together for two to two and a half hours each evening. He added independent revision and question practice on top, and depending on how close the exams were, his study time came to a minimum of four hours a day. He also used study materials, exam practice and AI tools to support his learning and organise his preparation.
To make room for it, he left Jumeirah College in Dubai before completing Year 10, choosing a more flexible education that let him focus on ACCA. “It was a decision I discussed carefully with my parents, including how it could affect my future options and social life.”
The experience requirement still ahead
ACCA membership also requires 36 months of relevant practical experience, and Ayaan is open about where he stands. “My current professional status is ACCA Affiliate: I have completed all the ACCA examinations, but I have not yet completed the full practical experience requirement for ACCA membership,” he says. “The Guinness recognition does not change those remaining membership requirements.”
That experience is already under way. He began working part-time at AANKA Group in September 2024, and his relevant work there will count toward the requirement. “We are currently completing the registration process and confirming the details for recording and signing off my experience,” he says.
Building with AI
“As Group Strategy & AI Transformation Lead at my family’s diversified business, AANKA Group, I use AI to build practical tools for HR, reporting and everyday operations,” Ayaan says. “My projects have included an internal HR system, restaurant sales reporting and accounting automation experiments.”
He has no formal qualification in AI and has learned independently by experimenting with tools and using them to solve problems in the family’s businesses. The main lesson so far: “Getting something to work once is very different from making it reliable enough for people to use regularly. I am still learning through that process.”
“Through Off Script, I document what I’m building and learning across business, finance and AI,” Ayaan says.
What he wants to build next
Working in the family business showed him how much time can be lost to repetitive tasks and disconnected systems, he says, and he enjoys finding ways to improve them. “I want to build businesses and products that bring together finance, technology and practical business experience.”
He plans to keep developing his technical skills, work with ambitious people and eventually build a business of his own. “Finance gives me a foundation for understanding whether an idea makes commercial sense, while technology gives me more ways to act on it.”
Beyond the books
Away from work and study, Ayaan enjoys art, fashion and creating content. “Art gives me a different way to express myself, while fashion and photography let me experiment with how I present ideas visually,” he says. He also enjoys going to the gym, trying different restaurants and spending time with family and friends.
- Connect with Ayaan Mandelia on LinkedIn
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