The Irish Accountancy Awards 2024 celebrates industry excellence across the country

Close to 500 accountants and directors of finance came together at the Irish Accountancy Awards in May to count the industry’s successes. And those successes deserve to be applauded. The accountancy profession contributed €19.8 billion to the Irish economy in 2022, the latest available figures reveal. An Oxford Economics report said the profession supported more than 83,000 jobs in Ireland and generated €1.8 billion in tax revenues in 2022.

Guests at the gala event at the Royal Dublin Convention Centre saw a tally of 26 awards presented, whittled down from 123 separate entries by expert judges. The awards, now in their eighth year, were hosted by author, broadcaster and comedian Colm O’Regan.

The top award, practice of the year, went to Dublin-based Rory Williams Chartered Accountants, a small firm focusing on sole traders, partnerships, companies, charities and private individuals.

The judges’ citation said: “Their exceptional client service, innovative solutions and technical expertise have established them as an industry leader. With a focus on tailored solutions and strong client relationships, Rory Williams Chartered Accountants excels in delivering success. We applaud their dedication and congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.”

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Former KPMG Ireland managing partner Terence O’Rourke was recognised with the outstanding contribution to accountancy award. An unusually high-profile accountant, O’Rourke was lead independent observer for the twice-weekly televised Lotto draws. His professional career, spanning more than 50 years and continuing well into retirement, reads like a list of Ireland’s most prestigious accountancy roles.

The global achievement in accountancy award went to Gail McEvoy, of McEvoy Craig Accountants and Business Advisors, based in Drogheda, Co Louth. She was heavily involved with the International Federation of Accountants (IFA) for several years and served as president of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPA) in Ireland.

In 2022 McEvoy completed an MSc in leadership, innovation and technology and her thesis, Digital Transformation in the Small and Medium-sized Accountancy Practice, was published by the IFA and distributed to more than three million accountants worldwide.

Judging coordinator John Gaynor, a senior lecturer at Atlantic Technology University, Sligo said: “It is a privilege to be judging coordinator for the 2024 Irish Accountancy Awards and part of a panel of 21 independent judges tasked with the challenge of determining the winners for each of the 24 categories. I would like to personally thank all the judges for their enthusiasm and expertise in reviewing the entries for this year’s awards.

“There was an extremely high standard this year, highlighting that the accounting qualification equips accountants with the knowledge, skills and experience to play a leading role in a dynamic and fast-changing world. Congratulations to the award winners and to all those shortlisted for an award in one of the 24 categories for 2024.”

Employer of the year was Dublin chartered accountancy firm Strata Financial. Dominic Kelly, managing partner, said: “Everyone gains when accountancy firms offer a positive workspace with gender equality, diversity, flexibility and a clear career development path. It helps meet recruitment challenges, gets the best from employees and the whole practice, so ultimately benefits clients too.”

Accountancy and payroll software giant Sage was the title sponsor. Joanne Gilson, senior manager, said: “Sage is committed to the pursuit of excellence and the Irish Accountancy Awards exemplify this by showcasing the achievements of many in the industry. There were many shining examples of what can be accomplished within our industry and we are proud to represent this event for the fourth consecutive year.”

It wasn’t just accountancy practices that saw prizes. The finance team of the year – large award went to West Pharmaceuticals Services’ global finance centre in Dublin. West Pharmaceuticals makes containment and delivery systems for injectable medicines.

Jessica Blount, director, controllership, said: “West Pharmaceuticals is incredibly proud to receive the Finance Team of the Year award. The team’s professionalism, dedication and drive for excellence has been instrumental in successfully establishing and enhancing the reputation of the global finance centre in Dublin.”

Business financing firm Financefair was a gold sponsor of the awards. Peter Brady, co-founder and chief revenue officer, said: “As one of the proud sponsors of the Irish Accountancy Awards, we are delighted to celebrate the exceptional talent in the sector in Ireland. Our commitment is to continuously support and innovate alongside these professionals, helping to shape a future where fit-for-purpose finance is accessible for all scaling companies.’’

Awards reached out well beyond the big cities. Accountancy firm FDC describes itself as “serving the rural heart of Ireland”. It won the excellence in learning and development award.

Marta Oliveira, training manager, said: “Receiving the award for excellence in learning and development is a testament to our dedication to nurturing talent and fostering growth within the FDC group and our clients. It reflects our unwavering commitment to empowering people through continuous learning and motivates us to reach new heights and achieve remarkable success in future.”

The green practice of the year went to FPM, a firm that covers the island of Ireland. Aveen McShane, ESG director, said: “We are immensely proud of our team and their dedication to providing pioneering cross-Border solutions to our clients in Ireland, Northern Ireland and around the world.

“Our dedication to sustainability doesn’t stop in-house. There may be a perception that the accountancy sector has a relatively small carbon footprint, and therefore has little need to change, but we beg to differ. We recognise the power and reach we have to make a monumental difference throughout the entire business landscape.

“Recognising that our biggest impact as a service firm lies with our clients, we have developed ESG services which fully embrace this evolution, by actively supporting our clients on their own sustainability journeys. It is such a privilege to work in a dynamic and progressive organisation, committed to investing in sustainability and green practices.”

The firm was also named large practice of the year. Partner Gary Digney said: “We are thrilled to win two prestigious awards again for a consecutive year. This is a fantastic recognition of our workplace culture and demonstrates the strength of our team, many of whom will undoubtedly be our future business leaders.”

Awards are never only about the winners. The Law Society of Ireland was shortlisted for the finance team of the year award. Gillian Cregan, director of finance and operations, said: “We were delighted with our finance team of the year nomination. It reflected months of dedication to Lean methodology, streamlining processes by embedding value, efficiency and continuous improvement. We were empowering the finance team to evolve into strategic partners, delivering excellence to stakeholders.”

Kevin O’Driscoll, director partnership programmes at award organiser Business River, said: “Events like this are made possible through the support of sponsors. We are thankful to our 2024 sponsors and professional partners, which includes Sage, Axon Outsourcing Limited, Intax, ptsb, Financefair, Big Red Cloud, Capisso, ETL Global, Pinnacle Global Group, Iplicit Ireland, CPA Ireland and Chartered Accountants Ireland. Their investment in the awards underlines their commitment and support of this key business area.”

Full list of judges

John Gaynor (judging coordinator) – programme chair and lecturer on the BA (Hons), Atlantic Technological University – Sligo Campus
Siobhán Blackwell – director, head of business, regulatory & supervisory management, TD Securities
Peter Brophy, managing director, Floirin Corporate Finance Limited
Evelyn Cregan, company secretary and director of executive education, The Institute of Bankers in Ireland (trading as IOB)
Gillian Doherty, chief operations officer, Accounting Technicians Ireland (ATI)
Peter Gillen, 2023 Chartered Star Winner; ESG first line risk & assurance manager, Chartered Accountants Ireland; AIB
Pauline Haughey, project manager, Queen’s University Belfast
Damien Malone, managing partner, Malone & Co.
Aisling McDevitt, director, PGIM Ireland
Dr. Caroline McGroary, chartered accountant, lecturer in Accounting and Fulbright Scholar, Chartered Accountants Ireland, Dublin City University and Boston College
Cormac Mohan, managing director, FM Accountants & Business Advisors
Christine Nangle, head of discipline of accounting, TU Dublin
Kieran O’Brien, partner, KPMG Ireland
Angela O’Leary, managing partner, AG Associates Accountants
Seán O’Reilly, assistant professor, University College Dublin
Anand Kumar Pandey, financial reporting leader, General Electric (GE)
Ronnie Patton, deputy president, ACCA
Sean Quigley, chartered accountant, non executive director, governance consultant and executive coach
Michael Shovelin, lecturer in business strategy and finance, Atlantic Technological University
Olivia Smith, sustainability business partner, sustainability business partner freelance