Irish Accountancy Awards return for third year as shortlist announced

The third annual Irish Accountancy Awards will take place on Thursday April 26th, and the finalists have been revealed.

As Sinead Mullan of FEXCO – winner of the Best Use of Technology in Accountancy & Finance award last year – put it, the work of accountants often goes “under the radar”, but the awards give recognition to the hard work that is being done throughout the country.

Among those nominated this year is Accountant Online, with their director, Rose Kervick, saying, “We are delighted to be shortlisted. Most of our clients are technology startups based in Ireland and the UK and they have high expectations for how their accountancy firm reaches, engages and collaborates with them, so we are always challenged to exceed expectations.”

Over 400 industry professionals are expected on the night, to celebrate their achievements over the last 12 months. Morgan McKinley are one of the sponsors of the event, “We are proud to sponsor the Irish Accountancy Awards, it offers many top-class companies the opportunity to come together to network, collaborate and to showcase their work”, says Aileen McCarney, associate director, Morgan McKinley.

IFAC Accountants are nominated in three different categories and their CEO, John Donoghue, expressed their delight; “We believe in developing and growing our people, giving them the opportunity to achieve excellence. Our people deliver for our members every day and being shortlisted is a recognition of our determination to be the very best professional service firm in Ireland.”

The event has grown year-on-year since its inception in 2015. Judging coordinator, Anne Keogh, FCCA, head of finance and operations, Pharmapod, is continuously impressed by the standard of entries; “Now in its third year, it is astonishing to see the standard of application we are receiving. Year on year we are seeing an improvement in both the quality and the number of submissions. The candidates are really driving the standards of excellence for these awards.”

Ahead of the big night Eamonn Siggins, chief executive of CPA Ireland spoke about how the role of the accountant is continuously evolving; “It is no longer simply about number crunching. Through utilising technology and expanding the scope of practice we are ever more important strategic business advisors. These Irish Accountancy Awards recognise the best in class in Irish accountancy. We are very proud of our CPA nominees, and congratulations to all those on the shortlist."

As one of the event sponsors, Linked Finance is heavily involved with this year’s Awards; “We're delighted to support the event. At Linked Finance, we're all about helping Irish SMEs to access the funds they need to grow. Accountants are instrumental in helping us to spread the word about Linked Finance and P2P lending. So, it's great for us to be able to get behind an event that recognises the great contribution these people make to businesses of all shapes and sizes up and down the country,” says Alan Fagan, head of marketing at Linked Finance.

To read about other Business River events visit their news hub.

The full shortlist is available below:

Practice of the Year

Sponsored by Omni Pro

Winner to be announced on the night.

Large Practice of the Year

Sponsored by Harvest Financial

• IFAC Accountants
• PKF-FPM Accountants
• RSM Ireland

Medium Practice of the Year

Sponsored by Circuit

• Accountant Online
• Anne Brady McQuillans DFK
• Fenero
• NKC Business and Taxation Consultants
• O'Connor Pyne & Co.
• Walsh O'Brien Harnett
• Whelan Dowling & Associates

Small Practice of the Year

Sponsored by Big Red Cloud

• AG Associates
• Cunningham & Co Accountants
• James F. Wallace & Company
• McGowan Accountancy Services
• Quinlan and Company
• TaxBright Accountants & Business Advisors

Finance Team of the Year

Sponsored by Morgan McKinley

• CDE Global Finance and Accounts Team
• FEXCO Investments Team
• MBS Retail - Musgrave
• Trinity College Dublin
• TV3 Television Network

Tax Team of the Year

• Fenero
• IFAC Accountants
• PKF-FPM Accountants

Advisory Team of the Year

• Baker Tilly Hughes Blake
• Fitzgerald Power
• PKF O'Connor, Leddy & Holmes
• Treasury Solutions

Finance Director of the Year

• DJ Corbett - TV3 Television Network
• Grace Winters - Abbott EMEA Shared Services

Employer of the Year

• Abbott EMEA Shared Services
• CDE
• Fenero
• FEXCO
• IFAC Accountants
• PKF-FPM Accountants
• TJ Hyland and Co Accountants

Accountant of the Year – Practice

Sponsored by Linked Finance

• Anne Brady - Anne Brady McQuillans DFK
• Larissa Feeney - Accountant Online
• Avril Shortt - Guardian Management Accounting

Accountant of the Year – Industry

Sponsored by Linked Finance

• Monica Kelly - CDE
• Alan Phillips - The Studio Coffee

Part-Qualified Accountant of the Year

• Theresa Hatton - Tokheim Ireland
• Mark Hyland - TJ Hyland and Co Accountants
• Tiziana Mellera - Abbott EMEA Shared Services
• Keith O'Donohue - Pond5
• Lovina Ngozi Okoli - Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary

Best Use of Technology in Accountancy & Finance

Sponsored by Accounts IQ

• Accountant Online
• Accounting Pro
• CDE
• Red Flare - Whelan Dowling & Associates
• Virtual Cabinet - O'Connor Pyne & Co.

CSR Initiative of the Year

Sponsored by NetPay

• CDEngage - CDE
• Croi an Oir - Abbott EMEA Shared Services
• FEXCO
• The Kenyan Child Foundation - John Mc Carrick & Associates

Excellence in Sustainability

• Abbott EMEA Shared Services
• CDE

Excellence in Education & Training

• Accountancyschool.ie
• City Colleges Group
• FEXCO