British Accountancy Awards 2016: The winners (and what we’ve learnt)
At a glittering ceremony on 29th November the winners of the British Accountancy Awards 2016 were revealed. Yet before we arbitrarily reel off the list of winners below let us […]
At a glittering ceremony on 29th November the winners of the British Accountancy Awards 2016 were revealed. Yet before we arbitrarily reel off the list of winners below let us first share a couple of key learnings from the results:
The end of “The Big 4”?
Once again, the Global Firm of the Year award was presented to a business outside the traditional “big four”. Such a move demonstrates ongoing fluidity and openness in the practice market, and how firms that aren’t in market-leading positions can still be successful. Consistently delivering good work and keeping staff happy seems to have worked well for BDO, this year’s winners.
The rise of the regions
What we admire about these awards is their focus on regional and independent businesses, and once again the judges have done fantastic work in promoting the excellence on display at various local firms this year. From their innovations, people policies and client servicing, it’s clear that local firms still very much have a role to play in the wider accountancy sphere.
One to watch
Farnell Clarke, who retain their success as top independent firm in the East of England, also won two further awards for innovation. The judges particularly liked their focus on company culture, creating a fun place to work, and attracting young talent to their firm.
With other winners also being praised in these areas, perhaps this signals the beginning of a shift towards firms looking to attract younger and trainee accountants through developing their company culture rather than through promises of remuneration. It certainly seems to be an exciting time to be a trainee accountant.
Award winners:
Global Firm of the Year
Winner: BDO
Shortlist: Deloitte; EY; Grant Thornton; KPMG; PwC
National Firm of the Year – Qdos Vantage
Winner: Menzies
Shortlist: Francis Clark; Johnston Carmichael; Mazars; Saffery Champness; Smith & Williamson
Mid-Tier Firm of the Year – sponsored by Iris Software
Winner: Jeffreys Henry
Highly commended: Crunch Accounting
Shortlist: Bishop Fleming; Ensors Accountants; Kreston Reeves; PKF-FPM; Price Bailey; Shorts
Independent Firm of the Year (overall)
Winner: JF Hornby
Shortlist: Farnell Clarke; Inspire Professional Services; Nicolson Accountancy; Nordens; Salhan Accountants; Wilson Wright
Independent Firm of the Year East, England
Winner: Farnell Clarke
Shortlist: 1 Accounts Online; aa Chartered Accountants; Aston Shaw; Watermill Accounting
Independent Firm of the Year Greater London, England – sponsored by Global Infosys
Winner: Wilson Wright
Shortlist: DH Accounts & Legal; Taxfile
Independent Firm of the Year Midlands, England
Winner: Salhan Accountants
Shortlist: Coalesco Certified Accountants; Denarius Consulting Group; Poole Waterfield
Independent Firm of the Year – North, England
Winner: JF Hornby
Highly commended: Woods Squared
Shortlist: Bishops Chartered Accountants; CS Accounting Limited; DEB Chartered Accountants; Mossley Tax Shop; Northern Accountants; Walker Begley Limited
Independent Firm of the Year – Scotland
Winner: Nicolson Accountancy
Shortlist: Callan Accountancy; Infinity Partnership
Independent Firm of the Year – South East, England
Winner: Nordens
Shortlist: Ad Valorem Accountancy Services; Champ Consultants; Clemence Hoar Cummings; Fiander Tovell; Global Infosys; Reid & Co; Swindells
Independent Firm of the Year, Wales and South-West, England
Winner: Inspire Professional Services
Shortlist: Evans & Partners; Harland Accountants
Most Innovative Practice (overall)
Winner: Farnell Clarke
Shortlist: Deloitte; Cooper Parry
Most Innovative Practice (Large firm) – New
Winner: Deloitte
Shortlist: KPMG; Smith & Williamson
Most Innovative Practice (Mid-tier Firm) – sponsored by Wolters Kluwer – New
Winner: PKF Cooper Parry
Highly commended: Crunch Accounting
Shortlist: HURST; Old Mill; Rouse Partners
Most Innovative Practice (Independent) – sponsored by Energy Scanner – NEW
Winner: Farnell Clarke
Highly commended: Woods Squared
Shortlist: Ad Valorem Accountancy Services; Aston Shaw; DEB Chartered Accountants; Leavitt Walmsley Associates; Quantify R&D; Square Mile Accounting; Woods Squared
Best Employer – sponsored by Accountancy Age Jobs
Winner: PKF-FPM
Shortlist: Armstrong Watson; Charterhouse Accountants; The Fish Partnership; HURST; Inspire Professional Services; PKF-FPM; PM+M Solutions for Business; Price Bailey; RDP Newmans; Whitley Stimpson
Most Socially Responsible Practice – New
Winner: Harland Accountants
Shortlist: Aston Shaw; Mossley Tax Shop; Price Bailey; Sayer Vincent; Warner Wilde
New Practice Award – sponsored by Iris Software
Winner: 1 Accounts Online
Shortlist: 1 Accounts Online; Francis Bookkeeping Solutions; Integro Accounting; Joshua Leigh & Co; Mantax Consulting; Portt Payroll & Bookkeeping; Quantify R&D; The Accountancy Cloud
Client Software Product of the Year
Winner: Xero
Shortlist: Adaptive Insights; BlackLine; Expenses by Software Europe; FinancialForce Financial Management; FreeAgent; Thomson Reuters
Practice Software Product of the Year
Winner: Inform Direct
Shortlist: FreeAgent; Gbooks Cloud Practice Plus; IRIS Software; Keytime; Reckon Virtual Cabinet; TaxCalc; Wolters Kluwer Open Integration Programme; Xero
Top 50 Tax Team of the Year
Winner: Mazars
Highly commended: PKF-FPM
Shortlist: James Cowper Kreston; MHA MacIntyre Hudson; Moore Stephens; Price Bailey
Top 50 Audit Team of the Year – Sponsored by CareersinAudit.com
Winner: MHA MacIntyre Hudson
Shortlist: Bishop Fleming; haysmacintyre; Kreston Reeves
New Practitioner of the Year – in partnership with the ACCA
Winner: Chris Barnard, Crunch Accounting
Highly commended: Greg Houston, Infinity Partnership
Shortlist: Charlotte Wilmot, KPMG; Greg Houston, Infinity Partnership; Michelle McGregor, Lloyds Banking Group; Sophia Spyrou, Nordens
Practitioner of the Year
Winner: Simon Cowie, Infinity Partnership
Highly commended: Lee Manning, Raffingers
Shortlist: Anita Brook, Reid & Co; Lisa Emery, Baldwins; Paul Hornby, J F Hornby & Co; Simon Weaver, KPMG
Outstanding Contribution Award
Winner: John Whiting
